After years of preparations, long awaited by fans and tourists, the Lech Poznań Museum has finally had its opening.

Through direct references to the tragic history of Lake Rusałka, known as Elsensee during the German occupation, the artists pay homage to the builders of the lake, primarily Jewish prisoners, subjected to starvation, torture, and slave labour beyond human endurance.

Carmen from George Bizet's opera by the same name remains one of the most iconic operatic characters. For some, she is a seductive femme fatale, for others an emancipated, self-aware woman, for others yet a character entangled in patriarchal rules embodied by her lover. How many faces does she really have?

A composition that captivates audiences with its lyricism and subtlety, and another that movingly echoes tragic memories, the former authored by an artist celebrated as Poland's most prominent composer, the latter written by a musician who despite being merely an up-and-coming artist, was held in high esteem by Shostakovich. These very different masterpieces of Polish symphony music of recent decades will be performed by the Wielki Theatre Orchestra conducted by maestro Jacek Kaspszyk.

Having been staged in London, Washington, New York, and San Francisco theatres, the play is now coming to Poznań.

"Defeat sepsis! We play for everyone - the little ones and the big!" and "A healthy life in a healthy world" are the slogans of this year's 31st Finale of the Grand Orchestra of Christmas Charity scheduled for 29 January. In Poznań, the main events will take place on the Poznań International Fair grounds with performances by Peja, Ørganek and more.

The latest photobook by Mariusz Forecki entitled Kurz (Dust) is a terrifyingly topical factual record in which the Poznań-based author seeks to explore the roots of today's superpower Russia. Naturally, the book ponders the causes of the war in Ukraine.

Geological Evidence is a futurological reflection on the impact of advances of industrial civilisation on both the environment and society. Matthew C. Wilson, an American visual artist, experimental filmmaker, and scholar draws on his current research to discuss the helplessness of modern man and explore the environmental crisis. His view brings together the past, the present and the future.

Thirty-four paintings by Jacek Malczewski will be on view at the National Museum of Poznań until the end of March next year. The works come from the Borys Woźnicki National Art Gallery of Lviv. Named I go out into the world and live on, the display is intended to show solidarity with Ukraine and stir deeper reflection on protecting cultural heritage.

As December approaches, so does the next edition of the 1 Page, 1 Look, 180 Seconds festival of the Polish Dance Theatre. For several days, Poznań will throb to the rhythm of story-telling dance that - as every year - will tackle vital, topical, and often difficult issues.

This year marks exactly a century since the founding of musicology department, Poland's third after those established in the universities of Kraków and Lviv. The centennial celebration will feature a scientific conference, an exhibition, and a symphony concert by the Poznań Philharmonic.

More than a mere sports club, Lech Poznań is a social phenomenon. Radosław Nawrot once called it "Lechism". In Poznań, or more broadly, in the region of Wielkopolska, Lech is ubiquitous. A frequent topic of conversation at work, school, the local greengrocer's, or hairdresser's, it may even be raised in a childcare centre by parents waiting for their kids to finish their afternoon tea... The Posnania Municipal Publishing House simply could not ignore an event as socially significant as the club's centenary celebration. Therefore, to mark the occasion, we cordially invite you to the exhibition "Lift Up Your Hearts! 100 years of KKS Lech Poznań".

Here is an event that may not interest everyone but that strives to embrace all. From 8 to 10 December, the WŁĄCZNIK! (or "on switches", a pun on the Polish word "włączać", which is "include") International Engaged Culture Forum will take place in the Zamek (Castle) Cultural Centre.

A month after the cream of violinists battled it out during the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition, Poznań will once again become the scene of a musical competition, this time among choirs. The Stefan Stuligrosz Polish Choral Singing Grand Prix Competition is renowned for remarkable contenders.

Happy Family: A Home Counselling Centre is an exhibition that sums up findings of research on a family carried out by Karolina Balcer, a visual artist who explores painting, video, textiles, and architecture. Balcer embarked on her project in 2020 seeking to understand how one person's addiction and disorders can affect other family members. To that end, she examined Aleksandra (mother and wife), Karolina (daughter and sister), Sławomir (husband and father) and Filip (son and brother).

Instead of St. Martin (Św. Marcin) Street Nameday, this year's event will celebrate St. Martin's Days. The street's extensive reconstruction in the city centre has compelled the organisers of this unique and popular Poznań event to change its venue as well as its format.

The star of this year's autumn Jazz Era gala is Indra Rios-Moore. Fans of stylish female jazz vocals are sure to be delighted!

The Posters Are Up exhibition in the Courtyard Gallery (Galeria na Dziedzińcu) of the Old Brewery (Stary Browar), curated by Wojciech Piotr Onak, offers an overview of work by Polish poster artists from times ranging from the post-war period to the present day. What is on offer? Is it poster history or a casual, eye-pleasing presentation?

Between 18 and 23 October, the organisers, documentary filmmakers, guests and film experts will meet in the Zamek Cultural Centre to discuss the rapid social, geopolitical, and environmental changes taking place in today's world. The OFF CINEMA Documentary Film Festival will be held in Poznań for the 26^th time.

Spanning from Zbąszyń to Konin and from Piła to Kalisz, and of course, well represented in the region's capital, here comes another edition of Ireneusz Zjeżdżałka Wielkopolska Photography Festival scheduled to kick off on 14 October. Unlike most festivals, this one is more of an artistic review than a great joyful fiesta culminating with a party and musical bacchanalia. Don't count on foreign headliners either. In the end, audiences are invited on tours of local art galleries.

Due to its ongoing remodelling, Święty Marcin is a street that most Poznań dwellers steer clear of and only visit when absolutely necessary. Its intersection with al. Niepodległości will not be restored to full functionality any time soon. For the time being though, we suggest you ignore what you see and shift your focus to what you can hear, and specifically to violin music, which once again will resound in Poznań as the city turns into the world capital of violin.

Fifteen years ago, the Ukrainian Spring Festival of Culture would only draw Eastern scholars, students of Ukrainian philology and members of the small local Ukrainian community. With every successive edition, audiences grew more numerous as more Ukrainian people settled in Poland. This year's edition, set to begin seven months after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, marks another watershed.

Poznań Design Festival organisers see design as a way of thinking and creatively solving social and environmental problems. This attracts the attention of people interested in design. The festival's upcoming edition is scheduled to take place in late September and early October.

Poznań's I.J. Paderewski Academy of Music will hold its fifth edition of the International Piano Competition in memory of Halina Czerny-Stefańska. The event will coincide with the 100^th anniversary of the birth of the competition's patron who is esteemed as an iconic Polish pianist.

An unmistakeable element of perversity comes across in the title of an exhibition coming on view in the Zamek (Castle) Cultural Centre on 10 September. It has been named The Triumph of Colour: French graphic masterpieces from the late 19th and early 20th centuries from the collection of the National Museum in Kraków. Although the predominance of colour identifies more readily with paintings than graphics from that period, colour, of all things, is what has become the focal point of this latest display curated by Krystyna Kulig-Janarek.

Hans von Bülow, conductor, pianist, and composer, and, in his personal life, Richard Wagner's father-in-law, described Verdi's Messa da Requiem as "an opera disguised in liturgical vestments", accusing the author of utterly corrupting the Italian style. In stark contrast to von Bülow, Brahms regarded Verdi's composition as a work of genius.

Whenever reggae and ragga blend with acoustic rock, funk and hip-hop, wonders tend to happen. The kind that today, in times so trying for our eastern neighbours, are desperately needed. This is no news to one of them, Sergiy Babkin, a singer, guitarist, actor, and co-founder of the popular 5'nizza duo, who will take the stage at the Zamek (Castle) Cultural Centre to sing the songs he recorded with Andrei Zaporozhets and especially his solo pieces.

Poznań Old Jazz Festival will convince even the most sceptical that jazz can grow on everyone.

Looming ahead is the sixth edition of the Music in a Well series of old (Renaissance and Baroque) music concerts held in townhouses and townhouse courtyards in the Wilda district of Poznań by youth city's musicians specialising in historical renditions.

The last holiday weekend of the summer is a major celebration for Poznań's fortification buffs. All sorts of military facilities will made available to the public morning to evening.