The Centre for Polish-Lithuanian Studies is a newly-established research centre at the University of Aberdeen. Inspired by the legacy of Jerzy Giedroyć, to whose memory the Centre is dedicated, it aims to restore consideration of Poland-Lithuania and its legacy to the mainstream of European history and culture. Its research and teaching agenda will encompass not just the history of the Polish-Lithuanian union down to the partitions, but also its historical, social, and cultural legacies, all of which are evident across its former lands to the present day. The Centre embraces the different perspectives of all the national groups that formed the Commonwealth and contributed to its republican, consensual political culture.

The Centre was formally opened by the ambassadors of the Republic of Poland, Mr Arkady Rzegocki, and of the Republic of Lithuania, Mr Renatas Norkus, at a two-day symposium held in Aberdeen on 31 January and 1 February 2020. The symposium opened with a keynote lecture by Professor Norman Davies, who mounted an eloquent appeal for a new approach to the study of the history of the lands of the former union. It concluded with a roundtable in which Robert Kostro, the Director of the Museum of Polish History, and Jolanta Karpavičienė, Deputy Director of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, discussed the presentation of political union by national museums with museum curators from Scotland and Northern Ireland. The symposium was attended by scholars from across Europe, and by many members of the Polish and Lithuanian communities in Scotland.

Any enquires about the Centre should be directed to robert.frost@abdn.ac.uk

Author: Robert Frost, Director of the Research Centre for Polish-Lithuanian Studies