Polish and Finnish path to freedom, threats from the Bolshevik Russia and Nazi Gernamny, and the fate of Marshal Carl Gustaf Mannerheim – these will be the main topics of the research conference to be attended by outstanding historians and international experts. We invite you to the Palace on the Isle on 16 October 2017. Entry is free.
The conference "Polish-Finnish Military and Political Relations in the Years 1917-1946" will be held on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Finland’s recovery of independence and the 150th birth anniversary of Carl Gustaf Mannerheim, Finnish military leader, Marshal, and President of Finland. The meeting is organized in cooperation with the Finnish Embassy and the Mannerheim Museum in Helsinki.
Invited speakers are not only prominent Polish historians, but also experts from Finland, including Professor Henrik Meinander, one of the leading Finnish researchers in history of the 20th century and author of numerous publications including the biography of Carl Gustaf Mannerheim.
The experts will discuss the Polish and Finnish path to freedom in the 1st half of the 20th century, including the countries’ recovery of independence as a result of the World War I, and the threats of Bolshevik Russia and Nazi Germany. They will also talk about the life of Marshal Mannerheim, one of the greatest Finns, who – before World War I – spent many years in Poland, at one point leading a regiment stationed in the Royal Łazienki.
The conference will be accompanied by an exhibition in the Open-Air Gallery of the Royal Łazienki, which will feature the biography of Marshal Mannerheim, his relations with Poland and struggles to maintain Finnish sovereignty during World War II.
The conference and the exhibition are organized as part of the partnership with PZU.
Programme of the conference "Polish-Finnish Military and Political Relations in the Years 1917-1946"
10.00-10.30, Official Opening of the Conference Greeting the guests and introduction by Professor Zbigniew Wawer, Director of the Royal Łazienki Museum in Warsaw.
Presentation of the results of the conference held in Helsinki in August, "Mannerheim – from Independent Diplomacy to Multilateral Cooperation 1917-2017" – Kristina Ranki, PhD, Mannerheim Foundation in Helsinki.
10.30-12.00, 1st Panel: Poland and Finland – Geopolitical Aspects
Mannerheim and European Geopolitics 1890–1950 – Professor Henrik Meinander, University of Helsinki.
"Finland and Poland as the Target of Bolshevik Russia’s Aggression 1918-1920" – Professor Grzegorz Nowik, Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences PAN, Józef Piłsudski Museum in Sulejówek.
Proposed Aid for Finland 1939-1940 – Andrzej Suchcitz, PhD, Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum.
Panel moderator: Professor Krzysztof Filipow, University of Białystok.
13.00-14.30, 2nd Panel: Poland and Finland – Military Aspects
"From Volunteers to Military Elites. Finnish Jägers and Polish Legionnaires During and After World War I" – Jussi Jalonen, PhD, University of Tampere.
"Polish Legion in Finland" – Professor Zbigniew Wawer, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Royal Łazienki Museum in Warsaw, Professor Krzysztof Filipow, University of Białystok.
"In the Sphere of Polish-Finnish Relations: Tales from the Prometheus Club in Helsinki" – Paweł Libera, PhD, Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN), Institute of National Remembrance (IPN).
Panel moderators: Kristina Ranki, PhD, Mannerheim Foundation in Helsinki, Professor Grzegorz Nowik, Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN), Józef Piłsudski Museum in Sulejówek.
15.00-16.30, 3rd Panel: Poland and Finland – Political and Cultural Aspects
"Mannerheim and Piłsudski – Two Roads onto the National Pedestal" – Professor Michał Kopczyński, University of Warsaw
"Manerheim and his Polish Friends" – Jukka Soisalon-Soininen, Finnish journalist, former correspondent in Warsaw.
"Political Rights of Women in Finland and Poland – Attempt at a Comparison" – Dominika Sobolewska-Gola, National Castle in Warsaw.
Panel moderators: Hanna Lehtinen, Ambassador of Finland, Jan Lubomirski-Lanckoroński, President of the Princes Lubomirski Foundation.
The Conference will be held in Polish and English, with simultaneous interpretation into both languages.
