Poland and Lithuania are celebrating the 450th anniversary of the signing of the 1569 Union of Lublin, which founded the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The agreement between the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was signed on July 1st in Lublin, eastern Poland, creating a new state with a common monarchy, parliament, currency, foreign and defense policy.
Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, the Speakers of both chambers of the Polish Parliament, as well as the Speaker of the Seimas, the unicameral parliament of Lithuania, and a number of foreign guests from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Czech Republic and Hungary took part in the celebrations held in Lublin on Sunday.
The guests laid wreaths at the monument of the Polish – Lithuanian Union and then discussed the significance of the historic document for contemporary Europe at Lublin’s Centre for the Meeting of Cultures. A meeting of the Polish – Lithuanian Parliamentary Assembly was also scheduled to be held in the city on Sunday.
Polish MPs in June adopted a special resolution saying that „the Polish-Lithuanian Union allowed for the emergence of a unique system of statehood and was one of the most important events to take place on the continent in that century”.
Holocaust education conference in southeastern Poland
An international Holocaust education conference is being held in the southeast of Poland at a museum that documents how Poles rescued Jews during World War II.
The three-day event at the Ulma Family Museum in the village of Markowa includes debates on how education programmes should spread awareness of the role of Righteous Among the Nations, or non-Jews who offered aid to persecuted Jews during the Holocaust.
Conference participants have toured an exhibition entitled Between Life and Death: Stories of Rescue During the Holocaust, put together by the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity, the Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, and the Silent Heroes Memorial Center. The exhibition presents accounts of people from Poland and nine other European countries who came to the rescue of Jews during World War II, as well as accounts by those who received such help.
The museum in Markowa is named after the Polish family of Józef Ulma, his wife Wiktoria and their six children, all of whom were executed by the Germans in 1942 for sheltering Jews on their farm during the war.
In 1995, Israel’s Yad Vashem Remembrance Institute in Jerusalem recognised the Ulma couple as Righteous Among the Nations.
New 30-Day E-Visa for Travelers Going to Kaliningrad
Some welcome news for those of you wanting to take a quick jaunt across the border to Kaliningrad. Starting today, July 1, 2019, Poles and citizens of 51 other countries will be eligible to enter the Kaliningrad region by means of a new e-visa system. The free visa is valid for up to 30 days, and allows travelers to stay in the region for up to 8 days at a time.
The e-visas are for tourism, commercial, humanitarian or cultural purposes, and will only be applicable in the Kaliningrad region; they cannot be used for travel in other parts of the Russian Federation. They must also be used at set entry points, including the Kaliningrad International Airport along with other rail, ferry, and automobile checkpoints. Those interested should visit the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (electronic-visa.kdmid.ru) at least four days before the expected date of entry and have a suitable photograph available. For a list of valid checkpoints and a link to the visa requirements, please visit the Radio Gdansk website.
Jakub Bartoszewski wins LOTOS Group Competition and will visit the A&M University in Texas, USA.
Jakub Bartoszewski of Gdynia has won a national competition organized by the LOTOS Group, where the top prize is a two-year scholarship to Texas A & M University and a guaranteed position in the company upon graduation.
At the award ceremony, the Vice President of Grupa LOTOS, said that the company chose Texas A&M, because Mr. Bartoszewski “ will be at the heart of the shale revolution…which also impacts our refineries” and that LOTOS will “gain employees who are able to connect Polish and American enterprises and work in the arena of foreign trade.”
Bartoszewski will learn about the energy sector and the oil industry in the US, knowledge he hopes to bring back home to Poland. Upon his return, Bartoszewski will have a chance to use his newfound skills and knowledge in a position with the fuel giant.
Redakcja English Service
