When lovely Woman stoops to Crinoline,

she ceases to be Woman, and becomes a Monster.

"Crinoline for Gentlemen". Punch, 31^st October 1857, 183.

Crinoline was a truly vital part of the clothing of nineteenth-century upper-class women. Their distinctive bell-shaped dresses supported on metal cages or whalebone petticoats can easily be spotted today in numerous period paintings, early photographs and costume movies. The trend, which originated in the 1840s, ran strong until the 1860s when dresses gradually grew flatter at the front and on the sides while being more protruding in the back, decorated lavishly with successive layers of fabric.

Poland's biggest celebration of animated cinematography: the 14th International Animator Animated Film Festival in Poznań, is scheduled to take place on 9-15 July.

In keeping with its summer tradition, the Society of the Friends of the Poznań Parish Church will again hold Old Town Organ Concerts.

As in previous years, the I.J. Paderewski Academy of Music Foundation has prepared a fabulous series of concerts.

This year's Malta festival is going to comprise predominantly outdoor events, which is good news for all those who have dreamed to see it return to the original formula of open street theatre that gets intimate with its audience. And yet, the Festival will continue to cater to all those who have followed its Idioms, or leitmotivs, over the years, that identify and reflect key trends in contemporary theatre. This year's edition reconciles both visions.

As soon as 18 June, the winner of this year's Konkurs 30/30 (30/30 Contest) for the best album sleeve art of 2020 will be announced. This will also be the first day of the post-contest exhibition, scheduled to remain open until the end of July.

Short Waves Festival takes off on 14 June. The leitmotif of the thirteenth edition is "Mirror Mirror".

Dear Parent and/or Carer! We are well aware that for more than a year now you have been spending more time with your children than you ever expected and, frankly, probably ever even signed up for. What made things worse is that, for most of this time, you have been cooped up in your home. Schools and cultural institutions did their best to provide respite. However, the best they could do under the circumstances was to offer your kids activities that involved even more computer screen time. This severely tested the limits of your children's attention spans. Luckily, the spring has come and it is time to head for the great outdoors! Where exactly should I go?, you might ask. Here are a few ideas we have been able to pull together.

150 years ago, in a train station restaurant in the village of Jeżyce near Poznań, a bunch of regulars thought of a highly unusual way to mark its owner's 50^th birthday: they gave him "living gifts". These were mainly farm animals: a pig, a ram, a goat, a hen, a duck, a goose and a rabbit, and a few more exotic species such as a peacock, a trained bear and a monkey. They all ended up living in the restaurant's garden. Such were the origins of the Poznań Zoo.

Museums and art galleries are again open to the public. As covid cases decline, restrictions are eased allowing some cultural institutions to return. Most museums reopened on Tuesday, 4 May, with a number of others planning to reopen within days.