{"id":31185,"date":"2026-06-29T11:17:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T11:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mck.krakow.pl\/?p=31185"},"modified":"2026-07-01T12:55:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T12:55:10","slug":"alternative-map-of-central-europe-a-podcast-by-the-icc-and-radio-krakow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mck.krakow.pl\/en\/alternative-map-of-central-europe-a-podcast-by-the-icc-and-radio-krakow\/","title":{"rendered":"Alternative Map of Central Europe \u2013 a podcast by the ICC and Radio Krak\u00f3w"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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The podcast \u201cAn Alternative Map of Central Europe\u201d is a joint initiative of the International Cultural Centre and Radio Krak\u00f3w. On 26 June 2026, Agata W\u0105sowska-Pawlik, director of the ICC, and Marcin Pulit, editor-in-chief of Radio Krak\u00f3w, formally signed an agreement on cooperation between the two institutions within the framework of this project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this series of discussions with our experts, we will explore what Central Europe is, how we understand the concept today, and whether it helps us to describe contemporary reality and better understand our own experiences. We will consider whether this imagined and real area confines us within simplified categories, or whether it offers an opportunity for further definition. We will reflect on the definition of Central Europe and examine how many issues it touches upon \u2013 straddling history and the present, locality and global processes. Instead of obvious narratives, we will offer a fresh perspective, an alternative map and history of the region, full of unexpected places, ideas and figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A tale of an unfulfilled Eldorado and the city as the \u2018heart\u2019 of nations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first episode of the series has been available since 2 June, in which Dr Beata Nykiel discusses the history of Galician oil, the unfulfilled Eldorado, tracing its history from the oil industry boom to its decline. In conversation with Justyna Nowicka, the researcher explores Europe\u2019s first oil rush, which serves as the starting point for a story about a region that not only participated in the processes of modernity but often anticipated them. The history of oil extraction shows that what was considered peripheral could serve as a laboratory for economic and technological change. It is a story that also highlights how many similarities there are between contemporary political conflicts \u2013 such as those over oil \u2013 and events from over a century ago in our part of the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Grafika<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The subject of the second podcast (available from 16 June) is the cities that became the \u2018hearts\u2019 of nations even before they could become official capitals. The topic is explored by Dr \u0141ukasz Galusek, director of the Silesian Museum, who has been associated with the MCK for many years. He draws on his latest book, published by the ICC Publishing House in the Library of Central Europe series. He takes us to the nineteenth-century cities of Budapest, Bratislava, Ljubljana, Prague and Zagreb, when they were not yet capitals but were already becoming spaces where modern national identity was taking shape. Together with the researcher, we examine how cities \u201cspeak\u201d on behalf of nations and consider whether the status of a capital city is merely a matter of politics, or whether it is, above all, a matter of imagination and culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Grafika<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the coming episodes of the podcast, we will hear conversations with Agata W\u0105sowska-Pawlik, director of the International Cultural Centre, as well as Marzena Daszewska, Prof. Jacek Purchla, Dr Monika Rydiger, Natalia \u017bak, Bartosz Sadulski, the writer Drag Jan\u010dar and Prof. Maciej Czerwi\u0144ski. Each episode will attempt to explore what is most characteristic of Central Europe, but also what is marginal, non-obvious and often overlooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The less obvious regions of Central Europe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The starting point will be a story about Galician oil and its impact on modernity, as well as a discussion about the cities where national identity was born; however, there will be many more topics. During the on-air sessions, Prof. Jacek Purchla will discuss Galician myths and the extent to which they remain alive and present in today\u2019s reality. Dr Monika Rydiger and Natalia \u017bak will explore the world of everyday objects and the existence of a Central European style, taking us into the realm of design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will travel to Moravia with Bartosz Sadulski, whilst Drago Jan\u010dar and Prof. Maciej Czerwi\u0144ski will take us to the Balkans with their complex history and the difficult experiences of the 20th century. In our conversations and reflections, we will challenge stereotypes about places and cultures, venture off the beaten track and explore less obvious regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Join us on a journey through some of Central Europe\u2019s lesser-known topics and regions!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first episode of the podcast \u201cAn Alternative Map of Central Europe\u201d \u2013 a conversation with Dr Beata Nykiel about Galician oil<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second episode of the podcast \u201cAn Alternative Map of Central Europe\u201d \u2013 a conversation with Dr \u0141ukasz Galusek about imaginary capitals <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Grafika<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n
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The ceremonial signing of the cooperation agreement between the International Cultural Centre and Radio Krak\u00f3w for the production of podcasts, photo: M. Pa\u0144tak<\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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The ceremonial signing of the cooperation agreement between the International Cultural Centre and Radio Krak\u00f3w for the production of podcasts, photo: M. Pa\u0144tak<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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Agata W\u0105sowska-Pawlik, director of the ICC, and Marcin Pulit, editor-in-chief of Radio Krak\u00f3w.<\/div>\n \n \n
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