Current issue:
EVENTS - 04.2009
The success of Warsaw Village Band
„Infinity” – the new album by Kapela ze Wsi Warszawa (Warsaw Village Band) which is celebrating its 12th anniversary this year, proves that they are a world-class group that alongside other bands like Behemoth and Vader has become one of the most important ambassadors of Polish culture. „Infinity”, as reviewers emphasize, are „Oberki (dances), Kujawy regional music, funk and hip hop – in other words, unique music that does not have complexes in the face of western music.” In the beginning, their musical activities were more famous outside of Poland than in their own country. They won over audiences in many nations around the world. Today, they also have numerous enamored fans on the Vistula. „Infinity” is already successful.
An event at the Congressional Hall
Two excellent concerts will take place in April at the Congressional Hall in Warsaw. The first one, on the 21st of April, is „a captivating Cuban show that is sure to kindle your hearts,” in other words, Pasion de Buena Vista – the wonderful Cuban band that takes their audiences on an exciting musical voyage through the backstreets of Havana and other parts of the Caribbean island. These kinds of hot rhythms and vital energy will stay in your memory for a long time. The second concert, on the 26th of April, is a recital by the great French singer Patricia Kaas, who has been in Poland many times and has a devoted group of fans in our country. The performer will sing songs which are a mixture of pop, jazz and chanson. Patricia Kaas is also a film actress, who has acted alongside Jeremy Irons (among others) in the film „Piano bar”, where she played the role of a terminally ill jazz vocalist.
French painting at the National Museum
An exhibit at the National Museum devoted to French art, which once again shows the historical and traditional relations between Poland and France, is enjoying great popularity. The exhibition is called „Le siecle francais. French paintings and drawings of the 18th century from Polish collections.” It presents 74 oil paintings and 98 drawings, watercolors, and pastels. Among the French masters, there are names like Francois Boucher, Hubert Robert, and Antoine Watteau, among others. These are works spanning from the late Baroque period, through Rococo, to Classicism. It covers historical and religious painting as well as portraiture and landscapes. The works come from collections belonging to Polish aristocratic families and found in Polish museums. Some of these works have stories that are as complicated and dramatic as the history of Poland. The exhibition lasts until the 26th of April.
A wonderful gift
Priceless maps, letters and manuscripts of great Poles, among them Frederic Chopin and the greatest Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz, as well as a letter from the Russian tsarina Catherine the Great (about the last king of Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski), will soon be found at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. This collection, which includes a few thousand items, comes from one of the most esteemed European collectors, Tomasz Niewodniczański, a Pole who lives in Germany. Among thousands of unique drawings, manuscripts, and letters, there are genuine treasures – original, old maps of Poland and its individual regions, or royal documents signed by king Kazimierz Wielki (1310-1370) and Jan III Sobieski (1629-1696), among others. Nobody is able to say at this stage how much this wonderful gift is worth. Its value has been estimated at as much as a few tens of millions of zloty. 75-year-old Tomasz Niewodniczański, a physicist by profession, collected these papers over a period of 40 years. They will find their way to the Royal Library at the Royal Castle.
Americans appreciate Warsaw
The Californian newspaper „Los Angeles Times” has named Warsaw one of 29 places in the world which are worth visiting this year. According to the editors of this paper, the attractiveness of our city is due to its reasonable prices, high quality services for tourism, excellent cuisine and the Chopin Year celebrations that are coming up soon. American tourists are visiting our country more and more often. They enjoy the food, architecture, and hospitality. They feel safe here, and the Chopin concerts at Łazienki Park are one of the must-see points.
Warsaw will have its own currency
Warsaw is envious of the many other Polish cities that have issued their own collectible coins. The city council wants the capital of Poland to have its own special edition money, which can be used buy things in Warsaw’s shops. Warsaw coins would have an image of Frederic Chopin on them. These denar would be an interesting souvenir of Warsaw and an object of interest for coin collectors. It would be possible to pay for things with them and currency exchange offices would exchange them according to a set price.
A sweet memoir from Warsaw
Cities have their own local treats. For instance, Vienna has chocolate „Mozart” balls, Naples has Neapolitan pizza, and Wadowice, the city of John Paul II, has its own „papal creampuffs”. And Warsaw? Recently, Cech Rzemiosł Spożywczych (the Guild of Culinary Craft) in Warsaw announced a competition for bakers to create a recipe for a new kind of cake that will become the symbol of Warsaw. In the meantime, it turned out that it was not necessary to think up anything new, because Warsaw has already had its own cake, called „wuzetka”. It is recognizable for its chocolate sponge cookie base and whipped cream. Master Chef and owner of the famous Blikle company says simply, „it is a sponge cookie soaked in chocolate or with a chocolate coating, with cream.” The name of the cake (a very tasty name) came from the WZ (East-West) highway in Warsaw which was opened 60 years ago, with a new tunnel and the longest escalator in the city. Songs were sung about this highway which nobody remembers anymore, but the „wuzetka” survived. And the next generation is enjoying it
„Infinity” – the new album by Kapela ze Wsi Warszawa (Warsaw Village Band) which is celebrating its 12th anniversary this year, proves that they are a world-class group that alongside other bands like Behemoth and Vader has become one of the most important ambassadors of Polish culture. „Infinity”, as reviewers emphasize, are „Oberki (dances), Kujawy regional music, funk and hip hop – in other words, unique music that does not have complexes in the face of western music.” In the beginning, their musical activities were more famous outside of Poland than in their own country. They won over audiences in many nations around the world. Today, they also have numerous enamored fans on the Vistula. „Infinity” is already successful.
An event at the Congressional Hall
Two excellent concerts will take place in April at the Congressional Hall in Warsaw. The first one, on the 21st of April, is „a captivating Cuban show that is sure to kindle your hearts,” in other words, Pasion de Buena Vista – the wonderful Cuban band that takes their audiences on an exciting musical voyage through the backstreets of Havana and other parts of the Caribbean island. These kinds of hot rhythms and vital energy will stay in your memory for a long time. The second concert, on the 26th of April, is a recital by the great French singer Patricia Kaas, who has been in Poland many times and has a devoted group of fans in our country. The performer will sing songs which are a mixture of pop, jazz and chanson. Patricia Kaas is also a film actress, who has acted alongside Jeremy Irons (among others) in the film „Piano bar”, where she played the role of a terminally ill jazz vocalist.
French painting at the National Museum
An exhibit at the National Museum devoted to French art, which once again shows the historical and traditional relations between Poland and France, is enjoying great popularity. The exhibition is called „Le siecle francais. French paintings and drawings of the 18th century from Polish collections.” It presents 74 oil paintings and 98 drawings, watercolors, and pastels. Among the French masters, there are names like Francois Boucher, Hubert Robert, and Antoine Watteau, among others. These are works spanning from the late Baroque period, through Rococo, to Classicism. It covers historical and religious painting as well as portraiture and landscapes. The works come from collections belonging to Polish aristocratic families and found in Polish museums. Some of these works have stories that are as complicated and dramatic as the history of Poland. The exhibition lasts until the 26th of April.
A wonderful gift
Priceless maps, letters and manuscripts of great Poles, among them Frederic Chopin and the greatest Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz, as well as a letter from the Russian tsarina Catherine the Great (about the last king of Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski), will soon be found at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. This collection, which includes a few thousand items, comes from one of the most esteemed European collectors, Tomasz Niewodniczański, a Pole who lives in Germany. Among thousands of unique drawings, manuscripts, and letters, there are genuine treasures – original, old maps of Poland and its individual regions, or royal documents signed by king Kazimierz Wielki (1310-1370) and Jan III Sobieski (1629-1696), among others. Nobody is able to say at this stage how much this wonderful gift is worth. Its value has been estimated at as much as a few tens of millions of zloty. 75-year-old Tomasz Niewodniczański, a physicist by profession, collected these papers over a period of 40 years. They will find their way to the Royal Library at the Royal Castle.
Americans appreciate Warsaw
The Californian newspaper „Los Angeles Times” has named Warsaw one of 29 places in the world which are worth visiting this year. According to the editors of this paper, the attractiveness of our city is due to its reasonable prices, high quality services for tourism, excellent cuisine and the Chopin Year celebrations that are coming up soon. American tourists are visiting our country more and more often. They enjoy the food, architecture, and hospitality. They feel safe here, and the Chopin concerts at Łazienki Park are one of the must-see points.
Warsaw will have its own currency
Warsaw is envious of the many other Polish cities that have issued their own collectible coins. The city council wants the capital of Poland to have its own special edition money, which can be used buy things in Warsaw’s shops. Warsaw coins would have an image of Frederic Chopin on them. These denar would be an interesting souvenir of Warsaw and an object of interest for coin collectors. It would be possible to pay for things with them and currency exchange offices would exchange them according to a set price.
A sweet memoir from Warsaw
Cities have their own local treats. For instance, Vienna has chocolate „Mozart” balls, Naples has Neapolitan pizza, and Wadowice, the city of John Paul II, has its own „papal creampuffs”. And Warsaw? Recently, Cech Rzemiosł Spożywczych (the Guild of Culinary Craft) in Warsaw announced a competition for bakers to create a recipe for a new kind of cake that will become the symbol of Warsaw. In the meantime, it turned out that it was not necessary to think up anything new, because Warsaw has already had its own cake, called „wuzetka”. It is recognizable for its chocolate sponge cookie base and whipped cream. Master Chef and owner of the famous Blikle company says simply, „it is a sponge cookie soaked in chocolate or with a chocolate coating, with cream.” The name of the cake (a very tasty name) came from the WZ (East-West) highway in Warsaw which was opened 60 years ago, with a new tunnel and the longest escalator in the city. Songs were sung about this highway which nobody remembers anymore, but the „wuzetka” survived. And the next generation is enjoying it
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Information published at 6 April 2009