In Between? Summer School 2025

About

‘In Between?’ is an educational project that searches for local histories in the borderlands of Europe, that share a unique culture of memory, shaped by the turbulent history of the 20th century: its wars, geopolitical changes and mass migrations. We invite students and young professionals of the arts and humanities (aged 18–26) living in European Union countries to participate in this years’ edition of the summer school from 21 to 31 August 2025 in the so-called European City Görlitz–Zgorzelec on the German–Polish border, where they will produce a new episode of the ‘In Between?’ podcast series.

The European City of Görlitz–Zgorzelec is a unique example of cross-border cooperation in the heart of Europe. Separated by the Neisse River, Görlitz and Zgorzelec were one united German town until 1945, when a new border divided the city between Germany and Poland. The second half of the 20th century took its toll on the border region dealing with the unsettling memory of the Second World War and the difficulties of the Cold War. However, after the collapse of the Iron Curtain, an unprecedented rapprochement began: joint cultural projects, cross-border cooperation and the vision of a united European city of two countries that transformed these once-separated places into a model for European integration.

The landscape has become a fascinating part of the development of this German–Polish border region. The Neisse, once a symbol of division, is now a unifying element within a shared natural environment and cultural heritage. Forests, parks, and historic sites tell stories of centuries of interconnection and shifting borders, forcing us to question the idea of a natural border. Looking at German–Polish relations through the lens of the (urban) landscape offers new perspectives on European border regions: it reveals that borders do not only separate but can also connect — an insight that extends far beyond Görlitz–Zgorzelec.