Today, 29 May, is a special day for our Institute, as our namesake, Prof. Wacław Felczak, was born 108 years ago on this day. It is therefore a very appropriate day to celebrate the inventors, organisers, promoters and, of course, the participants of this prestigious competition, namely the students who are interested in Polish-Hungarian relations and who are determined to learn and be active about it.
The Wacław Felczak Polish-Hungarian Cooperation Institute has organized for the third time this year the "Poland-Hungary. A Story of Friendship" competition for state and non-state secondary schools. This year's competition focused on the history of Polish-Hungarian relations in the twentieth century, focusing on the events of 1920, 1939 and 1956. Most entries came from the Łódzkie, Małopolskie and Podkarpackie voivodships. The first round of the competition attracted 1,435 entries, of which 1,032 were eligible to take part, while 144 students qualified for the second stage. The top 20 students who submitted the best entries were invited to take part in the closing gala.
A warm welcoming speech was given by Prof. Maciej Szymanowski, Director of the Institute and host of the event, followed by a welcome speech by Boglárka Illés, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. "We are proud of the fact that our history has been linked over the centuries", she said, adding that students can not only learn about the Polish-Hungarian past, but also further shape the relations between the two nations. "It is the knowledge of history that has given us a stable ground (...) it is the certain knowledge of history that we can build on in the future," pointed out the State Secretary. The gala was further enhanced by a speech given by Tomasz Zieliński, Member of Parliament, who is also the initiator of the competition.
The winners received financial and book prizes which were handed over by the guests of honour at the ceremony. The 1st prize was awarded to a student of the XXX Ignacy Krasicki Lyceum in łódź, the 2nd prize to a student of the Stanisław Staszic Gymnasium No. I in Hrubieszów (Lubelskie Voivodship) and the 3rd prize to a student also from the XXX Ignacy Krasicki Lyceum in łódź.
This year, Ambassador Zsuzsanna Kovács Orsolya Kovács and Deputy Tomasz Zieliński decided to award a special prize to the youngest winners of the competition.
Previous editions of the competition
The themes of the 2022 competition covered the historical period from the coronation of Władysław I Łokietek (Ladislaus the Short) as King of Poland and the marriage of his daughter Elżbieta Łokietkówna to King Charles I of Hungary until the Battle of Varna in 1444. Students had the opportunity to learn about the history of Polish-Hungarian relations in the Middle Ages. In the first round, 2 233 students from all over Poland entered the competition, and 52 winners were declared.
The themes of the 2023 competition were the lives of Kinga of Poland (1234 - 1292), Stephen Báthory (1533 - 1586) and General József Bem (1794 - 1850). The first round attracted 2 194 students from all over Poland and 50 winners were rewarded.
The gala was also the venue for the handing over of two other, no less important awards. Dr Orsolya Zsuzsanna Kovács, Ambassador of Hungary, and Tomasz Zieliński, Member of Parliament, were awarded the title of Honorary Ambassador of the Wacław Felczak Polish-Hungarian Cooperation Institute.
