From April 17 to 24, 2026, Krakow hosted the study visit program entitled “Spring School,” dedicated to students of International Relations at Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University. Along with a group of 12 students, the following university lecturers also took part in the visit: Prof. Vladyslav Strutynskyi, Prof. Ivanna Makukh-Fedorkova, and Prof. Nataliia Rotar.

The aim of the program was to present the Polish academic, historical, and cultural experience from several perspectives, and Krakow proved to be an ideal place for such activities. One important element of the program was exploring the historic center of Krakow, including its museums and landmarks, from the Main Market Square to Wawel Castle. An even more significant experience was the visit to the museum located on the grounds of the former concentration camp in Auschwitz. It is a place where the tragic histories of many nations and religions intersected.

Participation in lectures and seminars was also an important part of the program. The participants attended, among others, Prof. Artur Wołek’s lecture “How Social Rules Are Reflected in Language, or Polish for Advanced Learners,” a session entitled “Polish Politics Made Easy,” a meeting with the Polish missionary from Zambia, Fr. Andrzej Leśniara, as well as a working seminar devoted to the cultural heritage of the Jesuits in Lesser Poland and Krakow, Bukovina, Podolia, Rome, and Silesia.

Another important aspect of the visit was discovering the history and present-day life of Kazimierz, Krakow’s historic Jewish district. This part of the city still bears traces of the centuries-long presence of Jewish culture in many forms: synagogues and cemeteries, but also buildings, museums, books, and Jewish cuisine.

As part of the program, the participants were asked to prepare biographical profiles of individuals connected both with Bukovina and with Krakow and Lesser Poland. They completed this task very successfully. The program concluded with a meeting with the Rector of the Jesuit University Ignatianum, Fr. Prof. Tomasz Homa SJ, and the presentation of participation certificates.

The entire initiative forms part of the ongoing cooperation between the Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow and Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, with the involvement of the Jesuit center “Space of Hope” in Chernivtsi, which serves as a base for cooperation between the two universities.

The next joint initiative organized by both universities will be the “Summer School,” scheduled to take place in Chernivtsi in the second half of June 2026.