EVENTS - 01-02.2010

Warsaw to Change Beyond Recognition
Over 1,800 investments and renovations of the total value of PLN 12 billion have been planned by the Office of the City of Warsaw (Urząd Miasta Warszawy) for the year 2010. Out of them, the most important one is the construction of the second line of underground to cost the city some PLN 4 billion. Other investments include construction of interchanges and renovation of road surface, as well as modernization of some tram lines, the waterworks and the sewage system. The inhabitants of Warsaw should be glad to hear that, yet they also have to be prepared for some inconveniences.

Kościuszko in the City Center
In the center of Warsaw, the monument to Tadeusz Kościuszko (1746-1817), the general of Poland and the United States and the hero of the two countries, will be built. The monument will be a replica of the obelisk erected in Washington in 1910. The general in an American uniform will be surrounded by the participants of the victorious battles, a prisoner of war and a scythe-bearing peasant recruit. Those who came up with the idea of the statue hope that Barack Obama himself will participate in the unveiling of the monument. The monument should be finished by April. Some of its elements have already been cast. The figure of the general is ready.

In Warsaw Like in Barcelona
At the foot of the Royal Castle (Zamek Królewski), colorful fountains will be built similar to the famous fountains in Barcelona. The main fountain jet is to have over 130 meters in length, and the so called tunnel fountain is to be the greatest attraction – people will be able to walk under „a canopy of water”. The project is to cost PLN 11 million and to be ready in spring 2011. Besides, the authorities of Warsaw plan to prepare the design of boulevards along the Wisła River and to deepen the old Czerniakowski Port. In the port, there will be a good quality base for ships, four restaurants in the pavilions on the water, six restaurants on the bank and over 500 meters of wooden piers.

The Most Expensive Museum
A firm of architects from Luxemburg is to prepare the design of the Museum of the History of Poland in Warsaw (Muzeum Historii Polski), as the jury of the competition has decided. The Museum will be hung above the Łazienkowska Route. Ten designs qualified for the second stage of the competition, and they had been selected from amongst 324 designs sent for the competition. The jury granted three awards and three mentions. The winning design is the work by Paczkowski et Frisch Architectes from Luxemburg. The building is to have the surface of 20,000 square meters, out of which 9,000 square meters will be designated for exhibitions. The authors of the design will receive the award of EUR 70,000 and an invitation for the negotiations related to the realization of the design. The Museum of the History of Poland will be the most expensive museum in the country. The construction works are expected to begin in 2011, while the cost of the Museum is to reach PLN 300 million. Some of the money will be paid by the European Union. The building will be located at Na Rozdrożu Square over the Łazienkowska Route.

Abakanowicz in the City Center
The sculptures by famous Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz will be placed in the center of Warsaw instead of the flower bed over the Łazienkowska Route. The installation is to be ready in autumn. The artist will also design the new surroundings of Na Rozdrożu Square. The appearance of modern art in Warsaw is to break the traditional image of the city as the place full of martyring monuments and references to numerous national tragedies. Although it is a very important topic, it should not predominate. The sculptures by Magdalena Abakanowicz are already decorating several cities in the world.

A Different Look at Warsaw
How is Warsaw perceived by foreigners? One of the Warsaw galleries has prepared an exhibition on this subject presenting paintings and photographs by 18 artists from all over the world, from Vietnam, through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Serbia, to Mexico. The artists were totally free in expressing their views so their works vary. The exhibition was organized by the Kontynent Warszawa portal. From the paintings and photos exhibited, we can learn many interesting things about our city, about ourselves and about our relations. Among the authors, there were very well known artists, such as Katya Sokolova Zyzak, a painter from Moscow and Lithuanian visual artist Linas Domarackas, as well as those whose adventure with the art has just started. Razvi Hussaini from India has exhibited his works for the first time on this exhibition. Normally, he is involved in the promotion of the Indian culture and organization of Bollywood events. ‘I have read a lot about the Second World War and the destructions that took place in Warsaw at the time,” he says. ‘That is why I painted three butterflies. One of them symbolizes the city destroyed, the second – the city reconstructed, and the third – the future which is colorful, joyful and multicultural.”

Competition for the Poster on Chopin
Piotr Karski, a student of the Academy of Fine Arts (ASP) in Warsaw, is the winner of the ninth edition of the competition of the Poster Gallery (Galeria Plakatu), the motto of which is „Frederic! Come Back to Warsaw!” („Fryderyku! Wróć do Warszawy!”). The winning poster entitled „Chopin LIVE in Warsaw” is full of harsh colors and economical in its typography, which is characteristic of contemporary posters advertising rock concerts. The jury of the competition has also awarded five mentions. These posters present, for example, young Chopin in a loose sweatshirt, a lyrical composition where the profile of the composer is a part of the figure of the Warsaw Siren, and the drawing of the monument of the Warsaw Siren with an inscription on its pedestal saying „I was here. Chopin”. ‘These works prove that young people perceive and present Frederic Chopin as a modern, almost contemporary hero. We are happy that the composer in these posters is shown not as a statue-like figure but rather as an icon of pop culture!” says Katarzyna Ratajczyk, the director of the City Promotion Department (Biuro Promocji Miasta).

Tulips for Chopin
Over 3,000 tulip bulbs have been planted near the monument to Frederic Chopin in the Łazienkowski Park. They were given to Warsaw by the Kingdom of Holland on the occasion of the Chopin Year. Jan Lighart, who is a professional tulip grower, spent more than twenty years on growing the Chopin variety of tulip. The traditional Dutch ceremony of naming the new variety is scheduled for the 23rd of April. This is the date on which the tulips are expected to bloom and the day on which Frederic Chopin was baptized. The Chopin tulip is the fourth variety of the flower dedicated to Poland. The first three are: Maria Kaczyńska (Polish First Lady), Irena Sendler (who saved 2,500 Jewish children during the Nazi occupation in Warsaw) and Mikołaj Kopernik (a great Polish astronomer). We do not know yet what the Chopin tulip looks like. It is a secret. We have to wait until the 23rd of April to see it.

Most Modern Museum in Europe
On the 1st of March 2010, the Museum of Frederic Chopin is to be opened. It will be the most modern museum of the kind in our part of Europe and it is to be full of electronic devices. It will be located in the Ostrogski Family Castle from the 17th century. The castle has been redecorated and is situated at Tamka Street in Warsaw. The lovers of Chopin’s music will face the latest technologies at the very entry to the Museum. Paper tickets will be replaced with electronic cards that will serve as a key opening a particular element of multimedia presentations. A visit to the Museum will start with programming the electronic ticket. A choice of four levels of presented information as well as different languages will be available. In 11 exhibition halls, there will be over 100 computers to be used by the visitors. Each hall presents a different stage in Chopin’s life and creative work. For example, in „Warsaw Room” („Salon Warszawski”), all the places in the city that are connected with the composer will be shown. The presentations will be accompanied by projections of animated shadows so the visitors will have the impression that they are amongst people dressed in clothes from the period.And in special one-person booths the visitors will be able to listen to Chopin’s compositions.

On a Bench with Chopin
In Warsaw, 15 benches will be placed where one will be able to listen to Chopin’s music. The first marble bench has already been placed near the monument to Nicolaus Copernicus at Krakowskie Przedmieście Street. The benches will be located in places that are connected with Chopin. They will mark out the route on which it will be possible to follow the composer’s track. They will also appear, for example, at Kozia Street and Miodowa Street, in the Saski Garden and in the Łazienki Park. On each bench, there will be a chart with information (both in Polish and English) on the given place and the stories about Chopin related to it. And after pressing a special button, one of Chopin’s compositions will be played for free. A different one on each bench.

Chopin in the Pantheon?
Alain Dualt, a French writer and music critic, has appealed to President Sarkozy for transferring the ashes of Frederic Chopin to the French Pantheon. The grave of the composer is located in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris and his heart is in the St Cross church in Warsaw. Alain Dualt is the Commissionaire for the Celebrations of the Chopin Year in France. The letter he wrote to President Sarkozy has been published in the „Classica” magazine. In the letter, Dualt says that to transfer the ashes of Chopin to the Pantheon would be „a great gesture towards the European culture”. The Paris Pantheon was originally erected as a church. Now, it is a place where people who rendered great services for the history, science and culture of France are buried. These are only people who were born in France or received the French citizenship. The ashes of Polish scientist Maria Curie-Skłodowska, who was twice awarded with the Nobel Prize in science, are placed there, too. The decision on moving the ashes of Chopin from the Père Lachaise cemetery to the Pantheon will be taken by the President of France.

Chopin on the Desert
From the 5th of February to the 20th of March 2010, there will be an unprecedented festival of Frederic Chopin’s music in the Persian Gulf States. There will be as many as six Chopin Music Competitions: five national events (in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman) and one international in Kuwait. At the inauguration of the International Competition, to be held on the 17th of March 2010, the National Symphony Orchestra from Katowice will perform Chopin’s works with the participation of the soloists from Poland and France, namely Krzysztof Jabłoński and Philippe Giusiano. The Orchestra will be having a historical tour of all the Gulf States. The concert in Abu Dhabi will be conducted by Krzysztof Penderecki himself. The initiators of the competitions are Polish musicians settled in Kuwait and connected with the Musical Institute, Cezary Owerkowicz, a pianist, and Witold Wnuk, a cellist, who are engaged in promotion of European and Polish music in the region.