28 October 2026, 18.00
Does Central Europe still exist? And if so, who needs it and what does the future hold for it? Join us for the launch event for issue 60 of “Herito” magazine, featuring Karolina Ćwiek-Rogalska and Ziemowit Szczerek. The event will be hosted by the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Bartosz Sadulski.
Venue: Potocki Palace, Rynek Główny 20, Kraków
Between the Baltic and the Adriatic, the Danube and the Dnieper, a quiet turning point is underway: the old languages of description have run dry, references to Kundera no longer explain the world to us, and no new languages are in sight. A region that until recently was united by the economy, and later by culture, today seems to be drifting between conflicting forces, torn apart by divergent narratives and ambitions. Is Central Europe still a community of experience, or merely a geographical shorthand, a hollow shell, a term from the realm of “meteorology”, as Peter Handke wrote?
We invite you to a discussion to mark the launch of the 60th anniversary issue of “Herito”, dedicated to the future of the region. Together with our invited guests, we will reflect not only on what Central Europe has been, but above all on what it is becoming. We will also discuss the stories circulating amongst its cities and across its borders, the conflicts and perceptions that define it, and the future that is beginning to take shape for the region.
During the event, you will be able to purchase the latest issue of “Herito” magazine, which will be also available at ksiegarniamck.pl.
Participants:
Dr Karolina Ćwiek-Rogalska, Professor at the IS PAN – anthropologist, Slavicist, author of books including “Zapamiętane w krajobrazie. Krajobraz czesko-niemieckiego pogranicza w czasach przemian” (2017) and “Ziemie. Historie odzyskiwania i utraty” (2024). Leader of the European research project Spectral Recycling, dedicated to settlement cultures in the former German territories of Central Europe. Winner of the “Polityka” Academic Award and the National Science Centre Award. A fellow of the Foundation for Polish Science and the Fulbright Programme. Since 2022, she has been leading a European Research Council grant: together with her team, she is investigating the emergence of new cultures in post-resettlement areas in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Ziemowit Szczerek – journalist and novelist. Author of books including „Siódemka”, „Przyjdzie Mordor i nas zje, czyli tajna historia Słowian”, „Rzeczpospolita zwycięska. Alternatywna historia Polski”, „Tatuaż z tryzubem”, „Międzymorze. Podróże przez prawdziwą i wyobrażoną Europę Środkową”, „Kolejna alternatywna historia Polski”, „Wymyślone miasto Lwów” and „Końce światów”. He is also co-author of the short story collection „Paczka radomskich”. Winner of the „Polityka” Passport Award. He contributes to, amongst others, „Polityka”, „Gazeta Wyborcza”, „Krytyka Polityczna” and „Nowa Europa Wschodnia”.
Presenter:
Bartosz Sadulski – writer and editor, author of three volumes of poetry and the novel “Rzeszot”, for which he received the Kościelski Prize and was also nominated for the Nike Literary Prize and the Conrad Prize. His latest book is entitled “Szesnaście na Bourbon”. Editor-in-chief of “Herito” magazine. He has published essays in “Tygodnik Powszechny”, “Znak” and “Dwutygodnik”, amongst others. He lives in Nowa Huta.