The volume presents results of long-lasting research projects undertaken by the academic staff of the Department of Central and East European Intercultural Studies, University of Warsaw. At the same time, it is a showcase of the scope of scholarly interests and areas of study pursued at the Department which marks its twentieth anniversary. Another defining feature of the book is its interdisciplinarity: the authors – cultural and literary studies scholars, historians and linguists – discuss in a synthetic manner a range of aspects of Central European past and present.