Urban culture and the housing situation in Warsaw from the perspective of the foreigners living here

With Warsaw’s dynamic development and a steadily growing number of international residents, we would like to take a closer look at what everyday life in the city looks like from their perspective. We are interested in what attracts and inspires people here, as well as what poses challenges compared to the realities of their home countries.

During the event, we will address topics such as:

• Warsaw’s urban culture – how is it perceived by people from different parts of the world?
• Housing and living conditions – availability of apartments, comfort, surroundings, infrastructure.
• Integration and daily life – what makes life easier or more difficult for foreigners living in the capital?
• Safety – is Warsaw a safe city?
• International comparisons – how does Warsaw compare with other European metropolises?
• Perspectives of young residents – the future of the city as seen by those who are just starting to build their lives here.
• Disinformation – how not to get misled in a foreign city?

We want to create a space for discussion on how a developing Warsaw can become an even more welcoming and open place to live. We believe that the voices of people from other countries who have chosen Warsaw as a place to work, study, or live are essential for better understanding the needs of all residents.

We warmly invite foreign nationals currently living in Warsaw—representing diverse backgrounds, professions, and life experiences—to take an active part in the discussion.

Participants in the conversation will include: Jose Luis Guzman Torrez from Bolivia, Erika Bezetsna from Ukraine and Georgia, David Camacho Largo from Mexico, Marcel Noparlik from Germany, Julia Pratasawicka from Belarus and Katarzyna Bartosik from the Multicultural Centre in Warsaw.

Language: Polish and English — simultaneous interpretation will be provided by the organizers.
The event is organized as part of the European project CLAD – Citizens and Libraries Against Disinformation. More information about the project: www.goethe.de/clad.
The project is carried out by a network of libraries and cultural centers in Slovakia and Portugal under the leadership of the Goethe-Institut in Slovakia and the Goethe-Institut in Portugal. The project is funded by the European Union. The main partners of the CLAD project are: Bratislava–Staré Mesto City District, BAD, and the Goethe-Institut.

The event at the Goethe-Institut in Warsaw takes place within the CLAD project theme Urban culture and housing. In 2026, the Institutes in Warsaw, Prague, Madrid, Tbilisi, and Bucharest joined the project.

© Sylwia Chutnik Sylwia Chutnik - Born in Warsaw. She holds a PhD in the humanities. Trained as a cultural studies scholar, she is a graduate of Gender Studies at the University of Warsaw and of Polish Jewish Studies at the Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences. She is a writer, columnist, social activist, and promoter of literature. She curates literary festivals and initiatives. She lectures at the University of Warsaw and SWPS University. A columnist for Polityka as well as numerous magazines and online platforms. She co-hosts cultural programmes and publishes guest articles in both Polish and international press. A recipient of literary and social awards. In 2018, she received the City of Warsaw Award for her literary and social work. She has been active in the field of human rights since 1995 and supports numerous social projects and campaigns. In 2020, she was recognised by Forbes Women as one of the 100 most influential women.

Katarzyna Bartosik - Coordinator of the Multicultural Centre in Warsaw. A graduate of the Institute of Polish Culture at the University of Warsaw, cultural animator, and organizer of events promoting traditional culture as part of the Agencja Tradycyjna collective. She coordinated three editions of the International Summer School of Traditional Music of the Muzyka Kresów Foundation. Drama instructor for children. Accessibility trainer and auditor at the Otwieracz Association. At PFM, she coordinates community building projects, facilitates integration activities for migrants, and organizes intergenerational and intercultural initiatives.

Erika Bezetsna - She has been working at the Polish Migration Forum for three years as a beneficiary support specialist, and for the past six months also as a caseworker. As a person with migration experience, including in Germany, she has strong ties with many foreign resident communities and supports people living in reception centres for foreigners. She is fluent in Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Georgian, Mingrelian, Chechen, and Armenian, and speaks German at a communicative level. She has completed training in psychological first aid, social work methods, migration law, and domestic violence prevention.

José Luis Guzman Torrez - A Bolivian who has been living in Poland for nearly four years, he works as a community animator at the Polish Migration Forum Foundation. He supports the Spanish speaking community, organizes language tandems, and leads workshops on the well being of migrants, as well as culinary and dance meetings at the Multicultural Centre in Warsaw run by PFM. He has experience working with people from diverse backgrounds, organizing integration activities and multicultural events. José previously worked as a dancer and a presenter of a youth television programme in Bolivia, and was also a volunteer in the Taizé community alongside people of various nationalities.

David Camacho Largo - A Mexican national who has lived and worked in various European contexts, gaining first hand experience of the cultural, professional, and personal challenges associated with migration. During his stay in Norway, he completed a master’s degree in political and social sciences. He now lives in Warsaw, where he recently finished an MBA with a specialization in Business Intelligence and analytics, combining his own experiences with a strategic, data driven approach. He volunteers at the Polish Migration Forum, supporting other migrants in coping with the emotional and practical burdens of the migration process.

Marcel Noparlik – He comes from Bavaria, but his family roots lie in Upper Silesia. Through the experiences of his family, who recently emigrated to Germany, he witnessed firsthand what it means to find one’s footing in a new country and what difficulties this involves. He also gained insight into what it is like to navigate life in another country during his stay abroad in Barcelona, as well as through his current stay in Warsaw. In the future, he would like to work in the field of migration and support others as they take their first steps in a new environment. He is studying Spanish Philology with Latin American Studies as well as Language and Society in Berlin, and he is completing a three‑month internship at the Goethe-Institut in Warsaw.

Julia Pratasawicka - She comes from Belarus. She has been living in Poland for four years—a country with which she has consciously decided to connect her everyday life and future. It is here that she is building her life step by step, creating space for personal growth and making an effort to integrate more deeply with the culture and society. She also has experience living in Germany, from where she eventually decided to return to her family, treating that period as an important lesson and a meaningful part of her own path. When she began the next stage of her life in Poland, she was already more aware of the challenges she might encounter along the way and viewed this step as a natural continuation of her development and her search for a place where she could continue building her story. Professionally, she has always been connected with an international environment and educational projects. She is open to new cultures, travel, and challenges, believing that encounters between people and the exchange of experiences are an important part of personal development and understanding the world.


The group of guests will also include representatives of the Department of Culture of the City of Warsaw — Agnieszka Brzezińska and Maga Ćwieluch — who will share the perspective of the city’s cultural policy and cultural initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life for residents, including people with migration experience.

Event partners:

The Multicultural Centre is a local community hub and a second home for migrants and the surrounding community, offering educational, cultural, informational, advisory, and hobby related activities for everyone. The center is run by the Polish Migration Forum Foundation.
https://centrumwielokulturowe.waw.pl

The Polish Migration Forum Foundation is an organization working to support the integration and protect the rights of people with migration experience. As a project partner, it brings to the discussion a practical perspective and extensive experience in direct work with migrants in Poland.
forummigracyjne.org

PARTNER