Since 2005 the Krzyżowa Foundation for European Understanding has been organizing in the Lower Silesia area 12 month long volunteer positions serving the protection and conservation of historical buildings and monuments and cultural heritage.

In the last three years almost twenty volunteers aged from 18 to 26 interested in culture, history and the protection and conservation of historical buildings and monuments, from Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Ukraine have taken part in the project. The participants of the project help in the restoration of historical buildings and monuments, prepare exhibitions, educational projects and cultural events and reconstruct old German and Jewish cemeteries. Their places of work are conservation workshops, museums and places of remembrance, archives, culture centres and non government institutions. Thanks to their participation in 7 weeks of seminars and visits to historical locations, the volunteers are able to extend their knowledge in the sphere of culture, history of art, and thanks to a year long language tandem - their knowledge of foreign languages.

For a year now the Krzyżowa foundation as part of its cooperation with its German partner - IJGD Berlin/ Brandenburg – has been recruiting Polish volunteers for a twin German programme “Jugendbauhütte”.

More detailed information regarding the project can be found on the website: