Report from the FORTHEM Summer School at the Institute of History, University of Opole, September 1–5, 2025

On September 1–5, 2025, the Institute of History at the University of Opole hosted the international FORTHEM Collective Short-Term Mobility summer school under the title “Borders in History: Social, Cultural, Political, and Economic Aspects.” The event, organized by the Institute of History of the University of Opole, brought together students from European universities—including those in Germany, Finland, Latvia, Romania, Italy, and France—that are part of the FORTHEM alliance.
The program, combining lectures, workshops, and study visits, aimed to present the complexity of the concept of borders from historical, social, political, economic, and cultural perspectives, as well as their impact on the formation of states and international relations. It also addressed the issue of borders as obstacles for people seeking refuge and a better life.

On the first day, the summer school opened with a ceremonial inauguration, followed by a lecture by Prof. Tomasz Ciesielski (The defense of Poland’s borders by the state military forces during the mid-18th century). Participants then visited Opole’s most important historic landmarks, the University of Opole Museum, and the State Archives. On the second day, lectures were given by Prof. Marcin Böhm ( Boundaries in the Viking World? Between the British Isles and Eastern Europe ) and Dr. Anamaria Tudorie from the University of Sibiu in Romania (Dividing the land? Boundaries or borders in the Neolithic Word and their role for the prehistoric “societies” ). In the afternoon, participants met with Opole Voivode Monika Jurek and Deputy Voivode Piotr Pośpiech, visited the Opole Silesia Museum, and attended a lecture by Oliwia Doszczak on “Barriers of disabilities as modern social borders”.
The third day was devoted to a full-day excursion to Brzeg, including a visit to the Museum of the Silesian Piasts located in the local castle.
On the fourth day, Dr. habil. Mariusz Sawicki ( The Polish/Lithuanian-Moscow/Russian border in the 16th-17th centuries. Shaping, changes, specifics …discussed issues related to the Polish/Lithuanian–Moscow/Russian border in the 16th–17th centuries, after which the participants visited the Museum of Polish Song in Opole and took part in language-and-culture workshops led by Oliwia Doszczak (Linguistic and curtural borders of cognition and communication). On the final day, students presented their own papers, and the summer school concluded with a formal closing session.

The FORTHEM Summer School in Opole was a unique opportunity for international exchange of experiences and reflection on the historical and contemporary significance of borders in Europe and the world.

Report on our summer school in:

Radio Opole

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