For three days at the Museum Education Center of the Museum Historical Monument in Ełk will bring together historians, museologists, researchers, publicists and representatives of the world of culture. Together, they will discuss, among other m.in things, how to talk about the history of the regions, the memory of which contemporary Poland needs and what role museums play in shaping it.

program includes discussion panels with the participation of experts, the exhibition "FOR (2011–2026), or the value of debate!" and the performance "Vader. Total War" of the Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Olsztyn.

Event program:

Thursday, September 3, 2026

3.00 p.m. | Opening of the Open Regionalism Forum:
Rafał Żytyniec – Director of SHPP
Tomasz Andrukiewicz – Mayor of the City of Ełk

FOR (2011-2026), or the value of debate!
Visual interpretations of Robert Tyska – exhibition opening

4.00 p.m. – 5.30 p.m. | Nation and regions. Competing stories?
Panelists: Robert Traba, Marcin Zaremba
Moderator: Jakub Knyżewski

7.00 p.m. | Performance entitled "Vader. Total War", Theatre Stefan Jaracz in Olsztyn

Friday, September 4, 2026

10.00-11.30 | What kind of museum do we need in Poland?
Panelists: Beata Nessel-Łukasik, Marcin Napiórkowski, Robert Traba
Moderated by: Sławomir Majoch

12.00-13.30 | World War II: in the centre of memory or in the centre of the dispute?
Panelists: Marta Kurkowska-Budzan, Marcin Giełzak, Agnieszka Haska
Moderator: Jacek Lepiarz

14.30-16.00 | How to talk about regions?
Panelists: Eryk Krasucki, Barbara Klich-Kluczewska, Jacek Poniedziałek
Moderator: Andrzej Brzeziecki

4.30 p.m. – 6.00 p.m. | Jews (Not) Present in Polish Memory
Interview with Grzegorz Gauden

Saturday, September 5, 2026

10.00 a.m. – 11.30 a.m. | Unwanted heritage: "erase", tame or keep silent?
Panelists: Wojciech Konończuk, Monika Stobiecka, Christhardt Henschel
Moderated by: Małgorzata Bukiel

12.00 p.m. – 1.30 p.m. | How does literature tell history?
Panelists: Małgorzata Mikołajczak, Rafał Żytyniec, Bernadetta Darska
Moderator: Violetta Szostak

14.30-16.00 | Discussion to sum up: Is it possible to write the history of Polish from behind?
Panelists: Maciej Górny, Rafał Stobiecki, Dobrochna Kałwa
Moderators: Robert Traba and Jakub Knyżewski