These are poems that raise topics relevant to democratic societies, in particular, the challenges associated with the Russian-Ukrainian war. The selection also includes a poem by Ukrainian writer and volunteer Viktoria Amelina, who died in 2023 as a result of a Russian missile strike on Kramatorsk.

The project was initiated by the Polish Institute in Kyiv in cooperation with the Ukrainian EUNIC cluster on the occasion of Poland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union.

From the Austrian side, an excerpt from a poem by Peter Paul Wiplinger, a contemporary Austrian writer and photographer, is presented. He was born in 1939 in Haslach (Upper Austria). Since 1960, he has lived in Vienna, where he studied theater, German studies and philosophy. He is the author of 53 published books, mostly poetry collections and photopoetic books. His books and texts have been translated into more than 20 languages. He has had about 100 exhibitions and 350 readings in Austria and many European countries. He has received numerous scholarships, prizes and awards for artistic achievements in the fields of literature and photography. Belongs to the governing bodies of IG Autorinnen Autoren, the Austrian League of Human Rights, the Documentation Center of the Austrian Resistance, and is also a member of the P.E.N. Club.

From June 1 to 30, 2025, the poem can be seen at the following metro stations: “University” metro station in Kyiv, “Vokzalna” metro station in Dnipro, and “Peremoga” metro station in Kharkiv.