SLANG STORIES

The Municipal Public Library in Olsztyn and the Municipal Cultural Center in Olsztyn invite you to the series of meetings “Wolna Warmia”.

Warmia is a language, literature, the stories of the inhabitants and the experiences of subsequent generations, which together form the unique identity of the region. We will talk about how to understand it, nurture it and tell it anew during the series of meetings “Free Warmia”.

From 6 to 14 October in the trolleybus depot (ul. Knosały 3A) we will meet with authors and researchers who take up the topic of history and identity of the inhabitants of Warmia. It will be about the memory of difficult events, about the Warmia dialect and its importance for regional identity, as well as about literature — the one that documents the past, and the one that today creates a new narrative about the region. The series aims not only to introduce the inhabitants to literature related to Warmia, but above all to build a local identity and popularize the cultural heritage of Warmia.

“Wolna Warmia” — literary meetings

6 October 2026 (Tuesday), 17:00 | Trolleybus depot
The series will open a meeting with Marcin Powierża, author of the book “They only wanted to survive...”. The publication presents the accounts and memories of the inhabitants of the former parish of Gutkow, which included the villages of Gutkowo, Likusa, Redykajny and Łuptych. The starting point was the events of the first weeks of 1945, when the Red Army entered the territory of Warmia. The author presents the experiences of the civilian population, their struggle with the reality of war and the stories of the inhabitants, for whom the most important goal was simply survival. It's a tale of memory that has been overshadowed by official narratives for decades.

12 October 2026 (Monday), 17:00 | Trolleybus depot
The second meeting will be devoted to Klemens Frenszkowski's “Slang Stories” — texts that are an important testimony to the language, culture and everyday life of former Warmia.
Three researchers representing different fields of science will discuss Frenszkowski's publication and work: Izabela Lewandowska, PhD, professor of UWM, historian specialising in regional history of Warmia and Mazury and cultural heritage; Dr Iza Matusiak-Kempa, professor of UWM, linguist who deals with the analysis of the linguistic layer of texts and their confrontation with knowledge about the dialects of Warmia; and Joanna Szydłowska, PhD, professor of UWM, literary scholar analyzing Frenszkowski's works from a genological, literary and socio-cultural perspective.

14 October 2026 (Wednesday), 17:00 | Trolleybus depot
The series will end with a meeting with Joanna Włosta-Zielonka, PhD, professor of UWM, author of the book “Heirs. Creation of the memory of Warmia (and Masuria) in narratives after 1989”. This is a story about how literature changed the way we look at Warmia and Masuria and how after 1989 the multicultural heritage of the region began to be rediscovered. For years, the identity of the former inhabitants of Warmia has been overlooked or silenced in the official narrative. The political transformation opened up space for addressing previously absent topics — related to memory, multiculturalism, German and Polish heritage and the complex history of the region.
Prof. Joanna Chłosta-Zielonka analyzes various literary genres — from reportage to novel — comparing the works of Polish and German-speaking writers. The book also features contemporary narratives, among others by Joanna Wilengowska and Aleksandra Dobies.

The meetings of the series “Free Warmia” will be led by Ewa Zdrojkowska, journalist of Radio Olsztyn.

Admission to all events is free.

Organizers: Municipal Public Library in Olsztyn, Municipal Cultural Center in Olsztyn

SLANG STORIES
12 October 2026 (Monday), 17:00
Trolleybus depot, 3A Knosały str.
Admission is free