Abstract
The 13th International Symposium on Trichoptera took place in Bialowieża, Poland, in 22-27 June 2009, but the idea to organize the symposium there was evoked 3 years earlier. When, at the end of the symposium in Mexico City, Professor Hans Malicky suggested that the next symposium take place in Poland, the first question we asked ourselves was, “Where could we organize it?” That night we were discussing this issue with several colleagues and Wolfram Mey said, “Why not do it in Białowieża?” The idea was tempting. In the last 2 decades Trichoptera symposia were organized in big cities. The last one even took place in one of the largest cities of the world—Mexico City. By contrast, Białowieża is just a small village; but for researchers it is paradise. The significance of this last natural European forest for science is reflected in the presence of many scientific institutions there. And so, we decided that Bialowieża would be a perfect venue for our symposium.