Polish Belarusian studies centre marks 60 years
PR dla Zagranicy
Victoria Bieniek
01.12.2016 11:50
Poland’s oldest Belarusian studies centre is marking its 60th year with a two-day conference in Warsaw on the Polish and Belarusian language and cultural similarities.
Nina Barszczewska at a Department of Belarusian Studies seminar in 2015. Photo: portal.uw.edu.pl/Angelika Peljak.
The conference started on Wednesday and ends on Thursday.
The Department of Belarusian Studies at the University of Warsaw has published 140 dictionaries and handbooks, said Nina Barszczewska, a professor from the department and the head of Polish Radio's Eastern section.
“That’s a big achievement considering the small number of staff at our department,” she said, adding that the department also launched an academic journal entitled “Acta Albaruthenica”.
The department’s history is rooted in a centre for Belarusian language studies set up in 1956.
In 1977 it was renamed a department and in 2005 its scope was broadened to include not only language but also cultural studies. (vb/pk)