The European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) officially opened the Viadrina Center of Polish and Ukrainian Studies (VCPU) on Thursday, November 30. With the VCPU, interdisciplinary research on Polish and Ukrainian history and the present has a new center in Germany. The research as well as the communication of scientifically sound and up-to-date knowledge about Poland and Ukraine to the public underlines the special role of the Viadrina as a place of European intellectual exchange.
The Viadrina Center of Polish and Ukrainian Studies is headed by Prof. Dr. Dagmara Jajeśniak-Quast, Viadrina Vice President and Professor of Interdisciplinary Polish Studies, and Prof. Dr. Andrii Portnov, Professor of Entangled History of Ukraine. With regard to the ongoing war in Ukraine, Prof. Dr. Andrii Portnov said about the mission of the new Center: "We are convinced that especially under these extremely difficult conditions, academic quality is the primary mission of Viadrina and our Center, including open discussion and the path of understanding." The combination of outstanding local expertise with a transregional and transnational approach is particularly promising for this.
In the welcoming speeches at the opening, it said:
Prof. Dr. Eduard Mühle, President of the European University Viadrina: "As a European University on the German-Polish border, Viadrina has always had a strong commitment to successful communication and productive cooperation with our neighbors east of the Oder. The need for an understanding of what is happening in the eastern half of Europe has always been great. Recently, this need has taken on a new, dramatic urgency. Viadrina's mission – teaching, research and knowledge transfer with regard to Central and Eastern Europe – has never been more relevant. Our mission is to take up this challenge."
Dr. Manja Schüle, Minister of Science of the State of Brandenburg: "With today's opening of the Center for Polish and Ukrainian Studies, the European University Viadrina is building another important bridge to our neighbors. At a time when bridges are being destroyed and demolished around the world, we need these symbols of hope and encounter more than ever."
Oleksii Makeiev, Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany: "Something special is being achieved at the Viadrina and in Frankfurt (Oder): going west and looking east. The Germans can benefit from this. It's about not looking at the East from a position of superiority, but getting to know the people and countries and accepting them as European. Because we are all Europeans and it feels great to be at home in Europe."
Paweł Gronow, Deputy Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Germany: "Bringing together research on Poland and Ukraine under one roof in the context of a shared European heritage truly captures the unique spirit of Viadrina. The added value of this center is to disseminate knowledge about Ukraine to the German public and thus fill a long-standing gap."
Info
Further information can be found at: www.vcpu.europa-uni.de
European University Viadrina
Department of University Communication
Phone +49 (0)335 5534 4515
presse@europa-uni.de
www.europa-uni.de