Auschwitz Museum Director at IEP: Memory, History and Public Reflection on WWII

Wednesday, February 4, 2026 - 12:44
The Institute for Political Studies of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (IEP-UCP), in partnership with the Embassy of Poland in Portugal, will host Piotr Cywiński, Director of the Auschwitz Museum, for a special session entitled “World War II in the Eyes of Contemporary Public – A Dialogue with the Director of the Auschwitz Museum”.

The event will take place on Tuesday, 10 February, at 10:00 a.m., in Auditorium A1, at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisbon Campus.

Held in English and open to the public upon prior registration, this session aims to promote a critical reflection on the memory of World War II, the challenges of preserving historical memory, and the role of cultural institutions in shaping contemporary public understanding of this decisive period in modern history.

Registrations
Programme:

Opening remarks by Peter Hanenberg, Vice-Rector and Director of the Católica Doctoral School

Welcome address by Dorota Barys, Head of Mission of the Embassy of Poland in Portugal

Keynote intervention by Piotr Cywiński, Director of the Auschwitz Museum

Moderation by Pedro Cordeiro, journalist at Expresso

Closing remarks by Mónica Dias, Director of the Institute of Political Studies
Piotr Cywiński, born in Warsaw in 1972, holds a Ph.D. in Humanities and is a medieval historian trained in Strasbourg, Lublin and at the Polish Academy of Sciences. Since 2006, he has served as Director of the State Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau, dedicating his work to the preservation of historical memory and to intercultural and inter-religious dialogue.

This event reflects the IEP’s commitment to fostering academic debate, historical awareness and ethical reflection on the major challenges of contemporary societies.

 
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