This year’s Festival of Protestant Culture, titled Being for Others, celebrates the life and legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer — theologian, witness, and one of the most inspiring Christian thinkers of the 20th century — as we mark the 80th anniversary of his death.
From October 24 to 31, Wrocław and Berlin will host a series of events centered on responsibility, courage, and solidarity — key values in Bonhoeffer’s thought. The Festival will open with a special “Culture Train” journey between Berlin and Wrocław, celebrating Bonhoeffer’s life and message. This symbolic trip will bring together passengers, artists, and guests, crossing geographical, cultural, and spiritual boundaries. On the same day in Wrocław, participants can join a guided walk through the District of Mutual Respect, home to four denominations. This event is organized by a foundation that has been part of the Festival since its earliest editions.
In the days that follow, the Festival will feature lectures and city walks focused on Wrocław’s Reformation heritage. An international academic conference titled “(Un)Obviousness: God and Human Existence” will take place, accompanied by the exhibition “We Were Neighbors”, created by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
A highlight of the Festival will be the Bonhoeffer Gala “Being for Others” at the Old Town Hall, where the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Awards will be presented for the first time. These awards honor individuals who embody the spirit of being for others and who promote Bonhoeffer’s ideas. Another signature event will be the Travelling Concert of the Four Denominations, during which participants will visit houses of worship in the District of Mutual Respect and experience Orthodox, Catholic, Jewish, and Lutheran sacred music — interwoven with texts by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The Salon of the District of Mutual Respect, titled “Bonhoeffer up Close,” will be held at the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, offering a more personal perspective on Bonhoeffer’s life and spirituality.
For the first time, part of the Festival will also take place in Berlin, where the Konrad Adenauer Foundation will host a debate titled “How Political Can the Church Be?” — exploring the role of faith communities in public life. The Festival will conclude with an ecumenical Reformation service, titled “To Endure in Stormy Times”, at the Church of Divine Providence. This service will feature representatives of various Protestant churches in Wrocław.
Through its academic, artistic, and spiritual events, the Festival seeks to demonstrate how the heritage of the Reformation and Bonhoeffer’s message continue to inspire ethical choices, solidarity, and hope in today’s world.
Join us in Wrocław for a week of reflection, dialogue, and art inspired by Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life and thought.
Most events are free and open to the public; everyone is welcome.
Friday, 24 October 2025
14:42 Bonhoeffertage — Courage and Resistance
A special Culture Train journey dedicated to Dietrich Bonhoeffer — connecting Berlin and Wrocław through art, dialogue, and memory.
Start: Berlin-Lichtenberg Station, Weitlingstraße 22, Berlin
Tickets: Kulturzug / Cultural Train (DB): https:/
16:00 Dialogue Workshops: Walking Tour of the District of Mutual Respect
Discover the District of Mutual Respect — a unique space where four faith traditions coexist side by side.
Start: Pauline Fathers’ Church of St Anthony, 30 Św. Antoniego St., Wrocław
Prepared by the “District of Mutual Respect of the Four Denominations” Foundation.
Saturday, 25 October 2025
14:00 Relics of Wrocław’s Reformation
Thematic tour of the “Gallery of Silesian Art (16th–19th Centuries)”
Guide: Prof. Piotr Oszczanowski
National Museum in Wrocław, 5 pl. Powstańców Warszawy
Registration from 20.10.2025: +48 71 372 51 48, edukacja@mnwr.pl.
Sunday, 26 October 2025
15:30 Lecture: The Lutheran Altar of St Christopher’s Church in Wrocław (formerly in the Holy Trinity Church in Masłów) — The Quintessence of Confessional Identity and Artistic Excellence
Speaker: Prof. Piotr Oszczanowski
National Museum in Wrocław, 5 pl. Powstańców Warszawy.
Monday, 27 October 2025
09:00 (Un)Obviousness. God and Human Existence — International Academic Conference
Evangelical School of Theology (EWST), 12 św. Jadwigi St., Wrocław*
Accompanying exhibition: “Some Were Neighbours” prepared by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
18:00 “Being for Others” — Bonhoeffer Gala
The inaugural presentation of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Awards, honouring individuals who embody the courage to act for others and inspire through the example of Wrocław’s own theologian.
Music: Angelus Choir, cond. Barbara Szarejko
Old Town Hall (Rynek), Great Hall, Wrocław*.
Tuesday, 28 October 2025
18:00 Travelling Concert of the Four Denominations with Dietrich Bonhoeffer
A moving musical journey through Wrocław’s sacred spaces, inspired by the spirit of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. A concert traveling between the four houses of worship in the District of Mutual Respect, featuring sacred music from Orthodox, Catholic, Jewish, and Lutheran traditions. Dietrich Bonhoeffer will be portrayed by Bogusław Kierc.
Start: Lutheran Church of Divine Providence, 29 Kazimierza Wielkiego St., Wrocław.
Wednesday, 29 October 2025
10:00 In the Footsteps of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Guided walk for students of High School IX (closed meeting).
12:00 Rev. Dietrich Bonhoeffer from Wielka Wyspa in Wrocław
Meeting for Wrocław schools (restricted attendance)
Speakers: Prof. Jerzy Sojka (ChAT) and Rev. Karol Długosz
Lutheran Church in Sępolno, 1 ks. Brzóski St., Wrocław.
16:00 In Memory of Dietrich Bonhoeffer — open educational walk
A guided walk retracing the theologian’s presence in Wrocław and his legacy of faith and resistance.
Guide: Dr Joanna Szczepankiewicz-Battek
Start: Bonhoeffer Monument by St Elizabeth’s Garrison Church (1 św. Elżbiety St.), Wrocław.
18:00 Salon of the District of Mutual Respect: “Bonhoeffer up close” — An Evening of Recollections
Host: Dr Janusz Witt
Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Wrocław, 76 Podwale St.*
Thursday, 30 October 2025
10:00 “Why Should We Care?” Bonhoeffer’s Philosophy in Today’s World — educational session at High School IX (closed meeting).
16:00 The First Generation of Reformers — open educational walk
A guided walk uncovering the figures who shaped Wrocław’s path toward the Reformation.
Guide: Anna Oryńska
Start: Polish-Catholic Cathedral of St Mary Magdalene (katedra polskokatolicka), Wrocław, 10 Szewska St.
17:00 Open Meeting of the Bonhoeffer Society
Lutheran Church of Divine Providence, Parish Hall, 29 Kazimierza Wielkiego St., Wrocław.
18:00 How Political Can Church Be?
Discussion panel (also streamed at fkp.wroclaw.pl)
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V., Politische Bildung, Klingelhöferstr. 23, 10785 Berlin.
Friday, 31 October 2025
17:00 “Staying Grounded in Turbulent Times” — Reformation Service
Ecumenical service with representatives of Wrocław’s Protestant churches.
Lutheran Church of Divine Providence, 29 Kazimierza Wielkiego St., Wrocław.
Festival fundraiser: in support of the Bread of Life Foundation.
* Registration required: fkp.wroclaw.pl