In paragraph 1 of its statute, the Commission for the Research of Collections of Archaeological Finds and Documents from Northeast Central Europe (KAFU) is described as “a special commission at the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in association with the Romano-Germanic Commission of the German Archaeological Institute.” According to the preamble of the statute, it coordinates the necessary activities concerning collections containing materials relevant to KAFU’s work and supports their scholarly analysis.
Already at the inaugural meeting on June 22, 2001, there were considerations to include an institution in Warsaw as a third “player.” In fact, important impulses for establishing the KAFU Commission came from Warsaw, through the involvement of Anna Bitner-Wróblewska and Wojciech Nowakowski. The significance of Warsaw and its institutions for KAFU is demonstrated by the number of members from Poland’s capital and by the fact that two conferences have already been held there over the past 25 years. Researchers and students from Warsaw are regularly present at the German Archaeological Institute, the Romano-Germanic Commission, and the Museum of Prehistory and Early History. Over time, scientific collaborations have also developed into friendships.
At the Commission meeting on July 1, 2025, in Berlin, the idea of a permanent institutional involvement of Warsaw in KAFU was taken up once again. It was decided to include the Faculty of Archaeology at the University of Warsaw, represented by Adam Cieśliński, as the third supporting institution. One of the Faculty’s first tasks will be to establish and maintain the KAFU website.
