Świętować, nie świętować? Kontrowersje wokół dwudziestej rocznicy wyjścia wojsk (post)radzieckich z Legnicy

Abstract

This article deals with the controversy surrounding the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the withdrawal of the (post)Soviet troops from Legnica – the former garrison town of the Northern Group of Soviet Army. The author presents the concepts of commemorating the jubilee by municipal authorities and socio-cultural institutions, as well as particular events organized in the anniversary year, and the overall picture the celebrations created. Furthermore the media and social reactions to this particular shape of the jubilee year are analyzed with a particular focus on the intense debate on the socio-cultural project “20 Years After...” organized by the Helena Modrzejewska Theatre in Legnica. This example serves to illustrate the mechanisms of official memory and counter-memory.