THE FUNCTIONING OF THE COLLECTIVE MEMORY OF LOWER SILESIANS WITHIN THE MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITY OF BORNE SULINOWO

Abstract

In the context of multiculturalism, the processes of seeking and creating of collective identity of the local community are quite specifi c. In these processes, it is the collective memory that plays a major role as a deciding and organizing factor of the integration of the community at all levels. A town unique – Borne Sulinowo – has existed within the state borders for only 21 years now. In the past, it was a military base of for the Third Reich, and aft er the World War II, it served as a military base for Soviet Army. Th e community of Borne Sulinowo is still in the process of seeking of its identity and its place in history. In 1993, when the town was created and organized, the prospective citizens came from 36 regions of Poland. Th e interesting process of entering of incoming people into the new achitectural and cultural space, the space which never belonged to the cultural heritage of Poland, has begun. People from diff erent backgrounds, diff erentiated in view of the place where they came from, in view of age, profession, education and life experience, were trying to accustom the new space. Th e process of shaping the local community in Borne Sulinowo is still in progress and has not fi nished yet. One of the major factor that infl uence the above mentioned process is the collective memory of particular groups of people, such as the groups from Upper and Lower Silesia or Western Pomerania.