Part of the renewed interest in the Polish-Prussian chapter of
Mennonite history has been reflected in the holding of scholarly conferences
devoted to this theme. From July 21- 24, 1990, a symposium, "Mennonites in
Poland and Prussia," held in Winnipeg, drew scholars from Germany, Poland, the
United States and Canada. Original plans called for the conference to take
place in Fresno; however, in view of the fact that the Mennonite World
Conference (MWC) was scheduled to convene in Winnipeg, organizers of the
conference decided to hold their sessions in the same city, immediately prior
to the MWC meetings. In a further gesture of broad support, John Oyer,
editor of the Mennonite Quarterly Review, invited the MPFA to have
session papers published in that journal. The articles appeared in the April
1992 issue, with John Friesen and Peter Klassen as guest editors.
Another conference, this one held in Nowy Dwor (Tiegenhof), Poland, and organized primarily by Polish organizations, demonstrated that the Mennonite story was receiving increased Polish interest. In 1997, on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the founding of Danzig/Gdansk, a historical society in Nowy Dwor sponsored a symposium on "Everyday Life of the Mennonites in the Werder." MPFA was invited to participate, and Peter Klassen presented a paper on Mennonite emigration from the Werder. In addition, our association contributed financially to cover local expenses.
Other participants, besides those from Poland, came from Germany and the Netherlands. Special recognition was given to the Dutch for their stellar role in restoring cemeteries. The presence at the conference of the Dutch Consul General in Gdansk reflected the growing Dutch interest in Poland, especially the Gdansk region, with its many historical ties to Amsterdam and other Dutch centers.