POLAND IN CENTRAL EUROPE - THE SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF POLAND HISTORY FOR FOREIGN RESEARCHERS

The Second International Congress of Poland History for Foreign Researchers (12-15 September 2012) took place in Krakow, the capital of Poland till the third partition of the state in 1795. The main goal of the congress was to give. floor to foreign historians to present the results of their research work on the Polish past. The Polish participation was reduced to discussions guide and attendant lectures and seminars. Special attention should be paid to the fact that the congress was organized by The Society of Polish Historians and more precisely - by its local Krakow section. This scientific event may be of interest to the Bulgarian historians, because it gave an example of national scientific propaganda and also revealed the significant potential of a civil organization, when supported by the state and the society. Indicative of the congress was the fact that more than 400 foreign historians from 40 countries took part in it. The main theme of the scientific meeting was very well selected and formulated: "Poland in Central Europe". It enabled the historians to discuss many problems which are of great importance even nowadays. Among them were: when and how the notion "Central Europe" emerged; what was its geographic range; how it changed in the course of time; what the historical determination of political characteristics of Central Europe really was and to what extent these characteristics depended on the West and East influence on the region or had their own genesis; how peoples and states lived together in this mixed region and many others. It was for the first time that a Bulgarian scholar participated in such a congress and it was assured as a result of the initiative and the support of the Polish Institute in Sofia. The large-scale organization of the congress, the broad and profound discussions on traditional and innovative approaches in the investigation of the past, the debate on crucial events that marked the destiny of Eastern Europe, the lectures, expositions (especially that of science literature) and film-shows within the frames of the congress, clearly demonstrated how important it is for the historians from all over the world to meet and discuss free and without restrictions.