19 September 2000 was the saddest day in the history of the National Museum of Poznań. That day, the most valuable piece in its possession, the painting Beach in Pourville (La plage à Pourville) by Claude Monet, was found to have been cut out of its frame and replaced with a copy.
The Poznań Old Jazz Festival has been held in Poznań since 2009 and is a celebration of "good ol' jazz".
The 17th edition of Millennium Docs Against Gravity, Poland's biggest documentary film festival, is going to be a hybrid affair. In addition to the seven cities that are the site of its venues, of which Poznań is one (for the first time ever), selected films will also be shown online making them available all across the country.
Rescheduled from June to September, with its programme reduced almost exclusively to Polish performers, this year's Ethno Port will be different from previous editions. And yet, it promises to be truly fascinating.
The 8th Poznań Fortress Days will be held on the last weekend of the summer holiday. Now is the time for the buffs of dark passages and shadowy places to clear their schedules and get their torches ready.
We are happy to announce that, after its postponement in June, Enter Enea Festival has been rescheduled to August. The event will feature Polish jazz musicians of the young generation, as well as stars from Scandinavia, St. Petersburg and elsewhere. Fixtures from previous editions will also be there, including concerts by the Festival's Artistic Director Leszek Możdżer appearing with guest artists.
Originally scheduled to commence on 17 March, the 12th edition of the Short Waves Festival had been postponed due to the pandemic, not unlike many of this year's other events. Instead, in late May, viewers could get a preliminary taste of short films in Short Waves Online, which was later distinguished in the #kulturanawynos competition organised by Poznań's Department of Culture. Now, five months on, the long-awaited movie festival has finally been greenlighted.
Letnie Brzmienia (Summer Sounds) events were created for those who miss summer music festivals. Good Taste Production and Stary Browar invited top Polish musicians to perform in Poznań on the outdoor stage in Stary Browar Park.
Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the Malta festival has revamped its format on its 30th anniversary to one of a "traveling festival". Scheduled to continue until the autumn, the event will visit various parts of the city, one step at a time. "It will still be the same ol' spirited Malta that reaches out to its audiences, brim-full of theatre, music and conversations, breathing life into Poznań over the last three decades", assure the organisers.
What does the future of the album cover hold in times when the physical carriers of music are being phased out? Will it survive the digital revolution? The covers are certainly in for a thrilling transformation as artists face new challenges in their effort to ensure that the visual arts continue to reach audiences alongside music. Konkurs 30/30 (the 30/30 Contest) aims to chronicle such developments and become a depositary of cover art. Poznań is honoured with its choice as the event's venue.
"The power of colour can impress even a viewer who is unfamiliar with the subject matter," noted Tomasz Łęcki, Director of the National Museum of Poznań speaking at a press conference about an exhibition of posters by Michel Quarez that opened on June 7 after a delay caused by the outbreak of Covid-19.
This year's holiday season will undoubtedly be unlike any other before it. It is predicted that the majority of Poznań residents will spend it in or near their city. Does this mean no attractions? Far from it! The Zamek Cultural Centre, the National Museum and KontenerArt are just a few of the sites that are certain to offer respite and entertainment to anyone thirsting for a holiday experience.
Drawing is the oldest language of art and the most direct record of artists' thoughts, ideas and visions.
As of 12 June, one may again visit the Museum of Wielkopolska Uprising of 1918-1919 in the Guardhouse building in Poznań's Old Market Square (Stary Rynek). The Museum opens from Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 3pm.
As of Friday, 5 June, Porta Posnania is reopening to Poznań residents and tourists. Its visitors will be able to see its main displays and more. Needless to say, all necessary safety precautions apply.
Cultural institutions are gradually returning to normal. On 4 May, selected institutions, among them libraries and art galleries, reopened while observing proper safety precautions. For the time being, not all of the venues we used to visit to seek cultural experience will be accessible. And not all of us will dare to immediately return to those that are. To get you through this transition period, here is our final list of cultural recommendations you will be able to enjoy from the comfort and safety of your couch.
Monday 11 May marked the start of the fourth edition of the Poznań Art Week, the only art festival in the capital of the Wielkopolska region to have packed such a great number of visual art events into a single programme. This year, the majority of the projects will be accessible online.
Arsenal Municipal Gallery has resumed its operations and welcomes visitors.
Poznań's first cultural institution to restore its operations has reopened after nearly two months of closure due to Covid-19. The permanent exhibitions of the National Museum and its nine branches are again accessible to visitors.
Fifty years ago, trolleybuses disappeared from the streets of Poznań. On 29 March 1970, the last trolleybus line, number 103 from Ogrody to Smochowice, was closed. Why did Poznań residents call trolleybuses "a poor man's trams"? Is there a chance they might ever return to Poznań?