The Speaker of the Sejm Marek Kuchciński opened today the exhibition "From Visegrad to Visegrad" initiated by the Visegrad Group, which tells the common history of the Visegrad countries in the years 1335-1991.

The exhibition recalls the important events and people to whom we owe the cooperation of the Group (V4). It shows places and artifacts that symbolize the building of friendship, respect and openness towards each other - the Visegrad countries - but also towards the world, and above all towards the European Union and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The exhibition consists of unique, often previously unknown archives, insignia, documents, monuments of material and written culture. Marshal Kuchciński reminded that political fates of Poles, Czechs, Slovaks and Hungarians were intertwined already during the period of the first dynasties, and historical figures such as princess Dobrawa who came to Poland from Hradczany or St. Kinga and St. Jadwiga from Buda were the symbols of those relationships. The Marshal recalled the golden age of our countries in the 14th and 16th centuries. It was then that the Jagiellonian community was established. It was established at a time when the concept of state sovereignty appeared in political thinking. Sovereign states of our nations decided on a dynastic alliance, which undoubtedly proved the convergence of values and interests. The so-called first Visegrad fell on this very epoch - the 14th century. The Marshal mentioned the figure of St. Clement, the patron of Warsaw, who came from Moravia and helped thousands of people in need during the difficult times of Kosciuszko Insurrection, the collapse of the Republic of Poland, Napoleonic Wars and General Joseph Bem, the hero of Polish and Hungarian people. He also recalled the support of the Hungarians for the Poles in their fight against the Bolsheviks and the opening of the borders for those fleeing Poland from the invaders.

The Visegrad tradition was revived after the fall of Soviet totalitarianism in Central and Eastern Europe. This year marks the 25th anniversary of cooperation between the four countries, and it is also the year of the Polish presidency of the V4. - Our cooperation - summed up Marshal Kuchciński - is based on two principles: nothing about us without us and the free with the free, equal with equal.