At the College of Europe in Natolin, the European Civilization Chair supports a diverse programme of events beyond the classroom that investigates the meanings and impacts of history. Through public debates, student-led initiatives, discussions, guided visits, film screenings, and so much more, the Chair invites the Natolin community to participate in the enduring significance of Europe’s complex past.

These events form part of the Chair’s broader mission to support historical reflection as a vital resource for civic understanding and public responsibility. Some activities focus on moments of rupture and transformation in Europe’s twentieth century, such as the Cold War and the Holocaust as well as the revolutions of 1989 and the continuing war in Ukraine. Other events turn to deeper historical legacies including the dynamics of political and religious pluralism in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, legacies of Enlightenment thought, and shifting border conflicts within Europe over the centuries. As a whole, they offer students a chance to ask how Europe has been imagined, governed, contested, and remembered—and to do so in conversation with witnesses, policymakers, scholars, and peers.

Recent events have included high-level debates on war and solidarity in international politics; commemorative visits and meetings with survivors of Auschwitz and the Warsaw Ghetto; workshops on public memory; and “Meet the Author” conversations with leading historians and public thinkers. Study visits in Warsaw and across Poland ground these conversations in place, while film screenings, musical evenings, and interdisciplinary collaborations help foster a culture of shared engagement beyond disciplinary boundaries.

A recent major initiative, the Three Ukrainian Revolutions (3R) Project, has brought together students, scholars, and international experts to reflect on the protest movements of 1990, 2004–2005, and 2013–2014. Drawing on oral histories and comparative analytics, the project traces the democratic and geopolitical implications of Ukraine’s modern revolutionary history. Since the outbreak of Russia’s invasion in 2022, the 3R Project has continued to explore junctures of political protest, memory, and war. Learn more about the 3R Project here.

Through these active community engagements, the Chair aims to create a space for curiosity and serious thought in which students from all disciplines deepen their understanding of European and global histories, sharpen their interpretive skills, and take part in the intellectual and civic life of the College.

Recent events include:

Three Ukrainian Revolutions (3R Project)

1. Meet the Authors: Presentation of the 4th Volume of the 3R Project "The End of the Soviet World? Essays on Post-Communist Political and Social Change" by Prof. Richard BUTTERWICK-PAWLIKOWSKI and Prof. Georges MINK (21/02/2025)
2. International Symposium: "Ten Years of Russia's War against Ukraine. The Long End of the Post-Soviet Era" (26/3/2024)
3. International Symposium: "Five years after the Maidan: post-revolution evolution" (16-17/9/2019)
4. International Symposium: "3R: Revolution, War and their Consequences" (16-17/3/2018)
5. Debate: "Between Russian Empires. One hundred years on" (15/3/2018)
6. International Symposium: "Three Revolutions – Portraits of Ukraine" (28/2-1/3/2017)
7. International Conference: "The Fate of Freedom in Eastern Europe: Autocracy – Oligarchy – Anarchy?" (22-23/9/2016)
8. International Conference: "Revolutions, maidans and protests in contemporary Ukraine. The current state of research and future directions" (20/6/2016)
9. Seminar: "The Oral History of Ukrainian Revolutions" (19/2/2016)
10. Seminar: "Oral history as a source for researching political breakthroughs in the context of Ukrainian revolutionary movements 1990-2014" (December 2015)
     

Recent Events

• Visit to the Polish History Museum (11/10/2025)
• Special Lecture on "From the Pheasantry to the Natolin Park" by Prof. Aleksandra JAKÓBCZYK-GOLA (10/10/2025)
• Field trip. Historical Society Trip to Żyrardów, Dr. Jan A. BUREK (20/06/2025)
• Study Visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in the Framework of Borderlands (15-16/06/2025)
• "Meet the Author" event with Prof. Michel MANGENOT: "Jacques Delors: les paradoxes d’un homme d’État européen" (08/05/2025)
• European Civilization Chair Debate on "The Price of Freedom in Changing International Politics" with Prof. Andrii PORTNOV and Prof. Stefan AUER (24/04/2025)
• Special Lecture on "The Culture of Remembrance in an Unpredictable World" by Dr Piotr M.A. CYWIŃSKI, Director of the Museum and Memorial Auschwitz-Birkenau (15/04/2025)
• Special Meeting with Ms Krystyna BUDNICKA (Hena KUCZER), a Warsaw Ghetto Survivor (26/03/2025)
• Workshop on “The Age of Transitional Justice: Between Global Norms and Local Practices” with Dr Karolina KOZIURA (10/03/2025)
• European Civilisation Chair Debate: "Peace and War: Solidarity in International Politics" (10/01/2025)

Past Events

2020-2024

• Visit to the Polish History Museum in Warsaw (17/11/2024)
• Field Visit to Powązki Cemeteries on All Saints' Day (1/11/2024)
• Workshop on “Where do innovation and creativity come from? Some historical perspectives on individual geniuses and collective processes” with Dr Raffaele DANNA (11/04/2024)
• Meet the Author: Discussion on Sylvie KAUFFMANN's Latest Book "Les aveuglés, comment Berlin et Paris ont ouvert la voie à la Russie" (19/01/2024)
• The Auschwitz-Birkenau Educational Project at Natolin: Study Visit to the Museum and Memorial (01/12/2023)
• High-level Lecture by Dr Piotr M.A. CYWIŃSKI, Director of the Museum and Memorial Auschwitz-Birkenau (27/10/2023)
• Visit of Mr Marian TURSKI, one of the last living survivors of Auschwitz-Birkenau (19/10/2023)
• Meeting with Ms Krystyna BUDNICKA, Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Survivor, on the occasion of commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Uprising (15/04/2023)
• Screening of 'Cold War' film and Discussion with Professors Georges MINK and Marek CICHOCKI (05/03/2023)
• Conference: "Searching for a New Form of Solidarity" (24/02/2023)
• "Legacy of the Cold War" - Second Debate Organised by the European Civilisation Chair with Prof. Jussi HANHIMAKI and Prof. Glenda SLUGA (25/01/2023)
• "Legacy of the Cold War" - First Debate by the European Civilisation Chair with Prof. Hans KUNDNANI and Mr Michał BARANOWSKI
• "Legacy of the Cold War" - Workshop by the European Civilisation Chair with Prof. Marek CICHOCKI and Dr Paweł UKIELSKI (10/11/2023)
• High-level discussion with Dr Piotr M.A. CYWIŃSKI, Director of the Museum and Memorial Auschwitz-Birkenau (21/11/2022)
• Screening of “Mr. Jones” and special meeting with its authors (Ms Agnieszka HOLLAND), the Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland Mr Vasyl ZVARYCH, and relatives of Gareth Jones (22/10/2023)
• Meeting and discussion with Mr Marian TURSKI, one of the few living survivors of Auschwitz-Birkenau (13/10/2022)
• Rencontre avec le Professeur Krzysztof POMIAN - auteur de la trilogie « Le musée, une histoire mondiale » (27/04/2022)
• « Meet the Authors » : Prof. Chantal DELSOL et son nouveau livre sur l'Europe centrale et orientale depuis 1945 (28/2/2022)
• Screening of the film "Mr. Jones" and debate with the director of the film Agnieszka HOLLAND and Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland Andrii DESHCHYTSIA (21/11/2021)
• Special meeting with Mr Marian TURSKI, one of the few living survivors of Auschwitz-Birkenau (15/10/2021)
• Workshops in cooperation with the European University Institute by Max Weber Fellows (06-07/04/2021)
• Screening of "Denial" and discussion with Dr Piotr CYWIŃSKI, Director of the Museum and Memorial Auschwitz-Birkenau (14/2/2021)
• High-level discussion with Prof. Dariusz STOLA, Polish Academy of Sciences, on the movie "Sophie's Choice" (18/11/2020)/
• Seminar "Nouveau regard sur l'épopée de Solidarność" by Professor Anna SZCZEPAŃSKA and screening of her film (15/11/2020)
• Online "Meet the Authors" meeting with Mr Roger MOORHOUSE, co-organized with the Natolin Library (22/4/2020)
• Online Workshop led by Dr Julie DESCHEPPER: "Heritage(s) of Socialism in Europe: Current Debates and New Approaches", co-organized with the EUI Max Weber Programme (15/4/2020)
• Online Workshop led by Dr Anca CRETU: "Humanitarianism in Historical Perspective", co-organized with the EUI Max Weber Programme (8/4/2020)

2019-2011

• Special meeting with Mr Marian TURSKI, one of the few living survivors of Auschwitz-Birkenau (20/11/2019)
• Presentation by Ivan Vyhovski Prize laureate Dr Liubomyr KHAKHULA: "Two Ukrainian Historical Memories about World War II: Kyiv and Lviv" (23/10/2019)
• High-level lecture by Professor Mary DALY on "Women and the Irish Revolution: Feminism and Nationalism" (9/10/2019)
• High-level lecture by Professor Alvin JACKSON: "War and the disintegration of union and empire, 1914-21: The United Kingdom in comparative context (23/4/2019)
• Workshop on European History: "Back to the future — from Europe’s rise back to China’s centrality?" by Dr Igor ROGELJA (1/3/2019)
• High-level lecture on "The Fall of the Habsburg Empire" by Professor Martyn RADY (23/10/18)
• Debate "Polish Independence Regained: One Hundred Years On" (22/10/2018)
• High-level lecture by Professor Aleks SZCZERBIAK: "Will there be Eurosceptic Backlash in Eastern Europe?" (12/10/2018)

• Award Ceremony of the Bronisław Geremek Prize (22/5/2018)

• International Conference "Rousseau, Poland and Europe: Federalism – Sovereignty – Prosperity – Patriotism" (1-3/2/2018)

• High-level lecture by Professor Simon DIXON: "The Failure of Counter-Revolution in Russia" (25/1/2018)

• Public Debate: "Identities and Values between the EU and its Neighbours" at the Royal Łazienki Park in Warsaw (23/10/2017)

• Award Ceremony of the Bronisław Geremek Prize (16/5/2017)

• High-level seminar with former President of the European Parliament Pat COX (27/2/2017)

• High-level lecture on "European journalism today and tomorrow" by Mr Edward LUCAS (27/1/2017)
• Book launch of "Brothers or Enemies" by Dr Johannes REMY (15/12/2016)
• Public Debate on "Security for Europe in a Time of Crisis" at the Royal Łazienki Palace in Warsaw (18/11/2016)
• Meeting with Professor Antony POLONSKY on Polish-Jewish relations and the POLIN Museum (27/9/2016)
• International Conference: "The Fate of Freedom in Eastern Europe: Autocracy – Oligarchy – Anarchy?" (22-23/9/2016)
• Symposium "Discovering William Shakespeare and His World" (30/5/2016)
• Award Ceremony of the Bronisław Geremek Prize (8/12/2015)
• Conference "Romania and its Minorities" organized by the European Civilization Chair (19/11/2015)
• Debate: "What does it mean to be European?" organized by the European Civilization Chair and the Geremek Foundation (4/11/2015)
• Special Lecture by Prof. Richard BUTTERWICK-PAWLIKOWSKI: "Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s advice to the Poles: Euroscepticism avant la lettre?" (13/10/2015)
• Opening of the new year of the Natolin Historical Society (8/9/2015)
• International conference "Breaking Empires, Making Nations? The First World War and the Reforging of Europe" (7-8/4/2015)
• Mr Edward LUCAS: "Russia and the Baltic" (5/3/2015)
• Prof. Jan ZIELONKA: "The End of the European Dream: from Athens to Kiev" (24/2/2015)
• Ms Anne APPLEBAUM: "True Believers: The Nature of Opposition and Collaboration under Communism" (28/1/2015)
• Natolin Best Master's Thesis Meeting: "Jürgen Habermas and Andrew Moravcsik: a dialogue on European integration, the nation-state, democracy and identity" (28/11/2014)
• Geremek Conference: "The 1989 Romanian Revolution in European Context"(26/11/2014)
• Dr Halik KOCHANSKI: "Poland's Place in the Grand Alliance during the Second World War" (24/2/2014)
• Prof. Margaret MACMILLAN: "How Wars Start: the Outbreak of World War One" (1/10/2013)
• Prof. Yaroslav HRYTSAK: "A Report from the Eastern Front: Ukraine as a Conundrum for Europe" (19/9/2012)
• Prof. Raymond PLANT: "The Financial Crisis and the Character of the European State" (27/4/2012)
• Dr Marc PLATTNER: "Europe’s Democratic Odyssey" (26/4/2012)
• Prof. Bronisław MISZTAL: "Intellectual and Moral Validity of the Political Thought of Bronisław Geremek" (21/3/2012)
• Prof. Norman DAVIES: "The Study and Teaching of History in Europe" (21/11/2011)
• Mr Adam ZAMOYSKI: "Is the European Idea Polish? Nationalism and Supranationalism in Polish Political Thought" (17/10/2011)
• Inaugural lecture by Chairholder Prof. João Carlos ESPADA: "Europe in the XXth Century: From Division to Reunification" (13/4/2011)