Current issue:
EVENTS - 03.2008
Is it plagarism?
Is it plagiarism? The French insurance giant has decided to build an office building in the Parisian business district, La Defense. The building designed by Roberta A.M. Stern is practically the same as an apartment building that is supposed to be erected in Warsaw, designed by Polish architect Andrzej Wyszyński. The Warsaw skyscraper has received a lot of international attention, because it will be 280 meters high, which will make it the tallest in Europe. Meanwhile, the French claim that the resemblance is superficial because the towers have only two walls that look similar. Is that too little or enough to speak of plagiarism?
Touching mementoes
Very moving mementoes from the Warsaw Uprising (in 1994) were purchased by the Warsaw Rising Museum from an auction house in Dusseldorf. It was not an easy purchase. Before it could take place, museum workers and representatives from the Polish and German governments negotiated all night about who should buy these historical keepsakes. The collection of partisan post from the Warsaw Uprising (with 120 items in all) belonged to a German collector, who had originally planned to sell each item separately. At the insistence of the auction house, he put the Uprising letters up for auction in their entirety. There are extremely valuable Uprising postal stamps, for instance, with images of three insurgents with pistols in their hands, on a backdrop of a burning city, as well as cards from the occupation with Hitler's face, issued by Germans. The most moving, though, are the short letters written by Varsovians, sent to their loved ones. The entire collection will be available for viewing soon at the Warsaw Rising Museum.
Museum of the History of Polish Jews
The construction and furnishing of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews will cost 270 million PLN instead of 100 million, as was originally planned. The museum is located in the district of Muranów, which until the outbreak of World War II was densely populated by Jewish citizens, and near the Monument to the Heroes of the Ghetto, a replica of which is found in the Yad Vashem Museum in Jerusalem. This museum is supposed to break out of the martyrological pattern and show that Jews were co-creators of Polish history, and were its citizens throughout centuries. It will be a state-of-the-art museum, equipped with electronics and all of the newest museological discoveries. The very interesting building was designed by a Finnish architect, whose plan won the international competition.
The Ritz in Warsaw
The Ritz chain is returning to Poland. Before the Second World War, there was an elegant Ritz Hotel in Białystok, but it was destroyed in 1944 by the withdrawing German forces. The world's big names stay at Ritz Hotels - presidents, aristocrats, wealthy sheiks, and celebrities from show-business. Soon, Warsaw will have a Ritz Hotel, and Cracow after that. In this way, two Polish cities will find their way on the international list of Ritz, alongside London, Paris, Madrid and New York. 'As a European Union country with a stable economy, Poland is an interesting location,' stated the director of Public Relations for the Ritz-Carlton chain in Europe. When a Ritz comes to Poland, prestigious clients will come, too. Every city needs prestige. And the Ritz guarantees it.
International Folk Dance Ensemble in Warsaw
The American group 'International Folk Dance Ensemble' will perform in Warsaw on the 15th of May, 2008, at Józef Sowiński Park on Elekcyjna Street 17. The event has been organized by the Ochota Cultural Center and the S. Żeromski Cultural Center.
Combining ethnic traditions with exquisite costuming, Brigham Young University's International Folk Dance Ensemble showcases the dance styles of the world, and features the traditions of the United States at international folklore festivals.
Over the past decade, the Ensemble has visited 29 countries spanning four continents. As an emissary of the United States and American traditions, the group has become internationally famous at the most prestigious folk dance festivals abroad, where it performs with many of the world's finest dance companies. The Ensemble was founded in 1956 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006.
The group boasts 47 musicians, singers, dancers, and technicians, who together form one of the most unique groups of performing artists in the United States. IFDE's musical ensemble, Mountain Strings, not only provides accompaniment for the dancers, but also performs show-stopping traditional music.
Edwin G. Austin Jr is the artistic director of IFDE. His extensive experience began more than 30 years ago, when a passion for international dance and music led him to study with a variety of international artists. He began dancing with IFDE as a performer in 1976, and later returned to BYU as a member of the dance faculty in 1984. Now, he is beginning his 19th season as the group's artistic director.
Brigham Young University was founded in 1875 by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is now one of the nation's largest private universities with an enrollment of 30,000 students from throughout the United States, and 120 foreign countries.
Praga is 360 years old
The Praga district of Warsaw, which is the most distinct and which has its own separate history, is celebrating this year the 360th anniversary of receiving city status. Praga, which miraculously survived the destruction of the war, has maintained its unique ambiance and Varsovian folklore, which is disappearing from other districts of our city. Because it was not destroyed, the community of Praga did not change much, though in recent years, artists and those close the artistic scene have started to like it. There is a lot of open space in abandoned factories, which offer wonderful opportunities for creative activities. In Praga, there are more and more galleries, theaters, and clubs. And there are also more and more foreigners who are somehow attracted to the ugliness of unmaintained buildings and courtyards. The authorities in Praga promise that the district is about to see better days. That is because the National Stadium for Euro 2012, and its surroundings will be built there. The district will become more beautiful and more modern. But, will it lose its charm?
Is it plagiarism? The French insurance giant has decided to build an office building in the Parisian business district, La Defense. The building designed by Roberta A.M. Stern is practically the same as an apartment building that is supposed to be erected in Warsaw, designed by Polish architect Andrzej Wyszyński. The Warsaw skyscraper has received a lot of international attention, because it will be 280 meters high, which will make it the tallest in Europe. Meanwhile, the French claim that the resemblance is superficial because the towers have only two walls that look similar. Is that too little or enough to speak of plagiarism?
Touching mementoes
Very moving mementoes from the Warsaw Uprising (in 1994) were purchased by the Warsaw Rising Museum from an auction house in Dusseldorf. It was not an easy purchase. Before it could take place, museum workers and representatives from the Polish and German governments negotiated all night about who should buy these historical keepsakes. The collection of partisan post from the Warsaw Uprising (with 120 items in all) belonged to a German collector, who had originally planned to sell each item separately. At the insistence of the auction house, he put the Uprising letters up for auction in their entirety. There are extremely valuable Uprising postal stamps, for instance, with images of three insurgents with pistols in their hands, on a backdrop of a burning city, as well as cards from the occupation with Hitler's face, issued by Germans. The most moving, though, are the short letters written by Varsovians, sent to their loved ones. The entire collection will be available for viewing soon at the Warsaw Rising Museum.
Museum of the History of Polish Jews
The construction and furnishing of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews will cost 270 million PLN instead of 100 million, as was originally planned. The museum is located in the district of Muranów, which until the outbreak of World War II was densely populated by Jewish citizens, and near the Monument to the Heroes of the Ghetto, a replica of which is found in the Yad Vashem Museum in Jerusalem. This museum is supposed to break out of the martyrological pattern and show that Jews were co-creators of Polish history, and were its citizens throughout centuries. It will be a state-of-the-art museum, equipped with electronics and all of the newest museological discoveries. The very interesting building was designed by a Finnish architect, whose plan won the international competition.
The Ritz in Warsaw
The Ritz chain is returning to Poland. Before the Second World War, there was an elegant Ritz Hotel in Białystok, but it was destroyed in 1944 by the withdrawing German forces. The world's big names stay at Ritz Hotels - presidents, aristocrats, wealthy sheiks, and celebrities from show-business. Soon, Warsaw will have a Ritz Hotel, and Cracow after that. In this way, two Polish cities will find their way on the international list of Ritz, alongside London, Paris, Madrid and New York. 'As a European Union country with a stable economy, Poland is an interesting location,' stated the director of Public Relations for the Ritz-Carlton chain in Europe. When a Ritz comes to Poland, prestigious clients will come, too. Every city needs prestige. And the Ritz guarantees it.
International Folk Dance Ensemble in Warsaw
The American group 'International Folk Dance Ensemble' will perform in Warsaw on the 15th of May, 2008, at Józef Sowiński Park on Elekcyjna Street 17. The event has been organized by the Ochota Cultural Center and the S. Żeromski Cultural Center.
Combining ethnic traditions with exquisite costuming, Brigham Young University's International Folk Dance Ensemble showcases the dance styles of the world, and features the traditions of the United States at international folklore festivals.
Over the past decade, the Ensemble has visited 29 countries spanning four continents. As an emissary of the United States and American traditions, the group has become internationally famous at the most prestigious folk dance festivals abroad, where it performs with many of the world's finest dance companies. The Ensemble was founded in 1956 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006.
The group boasts 47 musicians, singers, dancers, and technicians, who together form one of the most unique groups of performing artists in the United States. IFDE's musical ensemble, Mountain Strings, not only provides accompaniment for the dancers, but also performs show-stopping traditional music.
Edwin G. Austin Jr is the artistic director of IFDE. His extensive experience began more than 30 years ago, when a passion for international dance and music led him to study with a variety of international artists. He began dancing with IFDE as a performer in 1976, and later returned to BYU as a member of the dance faculty in 1984. Now, he is beginning his 19th season as the group's artistic director.
Brigham Young University was founded in 1875 by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is now one of the nation's largest private universities with an enrollment of 30,000 students from throughout the United States, and 120 foreign countries.
Praga is 360 years old
The Praga district of Warsaw, which is the most distinct and which has its own separate history, is celebrating this year the 360th anniversary of receiving city status. Praga, which miraculously survived the destruction of the war, has maintained its unique ambiance and Varsovian folklore, which is disappearing from other districts of our city. Because it was not destroyed, the community of Praga did not change much, though in recent years, artists and those close the artistic scene have started to like it. There is a lot of open space in abandoned factories, which offer wonderful opportunities for creative activities. In Praga, there are more and more galleries, theaters, and clubs. And there are also more and more foreigners who are somehow attracted to the ugliness of unmaintained buildings and courtyards. The authorities in Praga promise that the district is about to see better days. That is because the National Stadium for Euro 2012, and its surroundings will be built there. The district will become more beautiful and more modern. But, will it lose its charm?
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Information published at 9 March 2008
