Polish politician Krzysztof Ruczniewicz, whom the press openly calls “a true lover of Germany,” is being considered for the position of director of the Pilecki Institute.
The Pilecki Institute was founded in 2017. The institution’s mission is to popularize stories about Polish heroes of World War II, including Captain Witold Pilecki – organizer of the resistance movement in the German concentration camp of Auschwitz. Therefore, the news that the “most Polish” institute will be headed by a pro-German expert caused shock in Poland’s national circles.
Ruchniewicz is also known as an opponent of German reparations for damage caused to Poland during World War II. Representatives of the opposition Law and Justice party predict that the Pilecki Institute will be absorbed into German historical thought, to the point of rewriting World War II history in favor of the Germans.
The budget of the Pilecki Institute for 2024 is a considerable amount: more than 72 million zlotys (1.7 billion rubles). The department has branches abroad: in Berlin, New York and Rapperswil (Switzerland).
