Effective process of creating the national brand should be related to the current image of the country, perceived by international public opinion – also through the prism of stereotypes existing in society. Wondering if the there is a possibility to make use of existing beliefs as a method to create brand of the country, the survey among viewes of “Poland. Come and Complain” advertisement was conducted. The study presented in this article, attempt to answer the question about the possible risks and benefits which may result from using stereotypes in the branding process. The outcome of research conducted among a group of international students indicate differences both in their opinions about Poland and Polish people and campaign reception, allow to draw a conclusions. These however may be useful in the process of national branding creation, especially for Eastern European countries which still face the problem of negative image.

Memory nodes. The issue of the Katyn massacre in Polish-Russian relations

The article focuses on discussing the impact of the conditions regarding the Katyn massacre on the current relations between Warsaw and Moscow. The history of these two countries is characterized by a long and difficult past, which is why numerous unresolved disputes, burdens and myths have arisen and are still visible today, negatively affecting bilateral contacts. In 1989, right after the fall of the communist system in Poland, the new political elites, coordinating the process of democratic changes in our country, made efforts to sort out the controversial threads in the common Polish-Russian history. Without a doubt, the most important of them was the Katyn massacre. For the political elites of the Third Polish Republic, explaining the overall circumstances of those events was the most important goal of diplomatic activities undertaken towards the Kremlin. In Warsaw’s opinion, untangling this knot of memory from the history of relations between the two countries was supposed to help free them from past burdens and negative accumulations and contribute to strengthening friendship in current times. Unfortunately, it quickly turned out that this topic soon became one of the main elements negatively burdening mutual relations.

Some Aspects of the Development of Polish and Czech Workers’ Movement

The cooperation of Polish and Czech communists on the Sudeten Borderland has been going on for many years, it has had various stages and intensities. The most diverse and massive one was in the period of the Polish People’s Republic and socialist Czechoslovakia, when it included not only individual and family contacts. The mass cooperation included workplaces, schools, universities and other colleges, local government bodies, and numerous social organisations. It contributed to overcoming numerous, often negative, stereotypes among Poles and Czechs. Later, after the introduction of martial law in Poland, it collapsed. Political changes came and the borders were opened again, but today, it is no longer massive and organised. Individual and sometimes family contacts dominate, cross-border trade is flourishing, e.g., Czechs willingly come to the markets in Kudowa, Kłodzko, etc. On the other hand, Poles are willing to take up jobs nearby and more distant Czech workplaces. An interesting phenomenon of this cooperation are various meetings and party-political events undertaken on the Czech border by Polish and Czech communists, as well as representatives of other left-wing social organisations. This manifests itself in regular visits (usually twice a year), participation in mutual events, e.g., on the occasion of May 1, Liberation on May 8–9, as well as in active participation in socio-political, historical, and other conferences. There is also systematic mutual information on the Internet, exchange of magazines, posters, even participation in international events in the Giant Mountains, Trutnov, Hradec Králové, and even Prague. Czech comrades pay visits to the Polish side of the border. They are interested in the further development of events in our country. Recently, Polish comrades have taken the stand for the Czech candidate of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Republic who was persecuted by the regime and who, along with two other comrades, was put in the dock of a court in Prague and convicted of the alleged “Katyn lie”. Other issues of the article concern the analysis of the historical background of Polish-Czech relations in the distant and recent past.