The Copernicus Center for Polish Studies (CCPS) at the University of Michigan is honored to host Mayor of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski for the Annual Copernicus Lecture entitled “Poland, New Hope for Europe?” The event will take place on Thursday, September 19, 2024 from 5:30-7:00 PM in 1010 Weiser Hall, 500 Church St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109. It is free and open to the public.
Trzaskowski was first elected Mayor of Poland’s capital in 2018 and was re-elected in 2024. In 2020, he was the democratic opposition’s candidate for the Presidency of Poland. Along with the mayors of the capitals of the other Visegrád Group countries, Trzaskowski signed the Pact of Free Cities in December 2019 to promote “common values of freedom, human dignity, democracy, equality, and the rule of law.” He is a former member of the Polish and European Parliaments, former Vice-Chair of the European People’s Party, Poland’s former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (2014), and Minister for Administration and Digitalization (2013). Born in Warsaw, Trzaskowski attended Cranbrook High School in Michigan, and later graduated in international relations and English philology from the University of Warsaw. He earned a PhD in Political Science in 2004.
Trzaskowski will be joined in conversation by Geneviève Zubrzycki, CCPS Director, William H. Sewell Jr. Collegiate Professor of Sociology, and the Weiser Family Professor in European and Eurasian Studies at U-M. “We are thrilled to host Mayor Trzaskowski for this important discussion on Poland’s role in Europe’s future,” commented Zubrzycki. “The Polish community of Metro Detroit looks forward to hearing from one of Poland’s leading politicians, who also has a strong connection to Michigan.”
Contact: Małgorzata Kowalczyk | gosiak@umich.edu
The University of Michigan offers more Poland-related programs than any other educational institution in North America. Poland is prominently featured in U-M courses on politics, culture, history, language, literature, and film. The Copernicus Center for Polish Studies (CCPS) supports lectures, symposia, mini-courses, Polish language instruction, undergraduate and graduate student fellowships, study abroad opportunities, and an annual newsletter (Kopernikana). For more information, visit ii.umich.edu/polish
