Marshal Office of KujawskoPomorskie Region
www.torun2016.eu www.mojregion.eu
News at a glance
No. 6 路 Oct 2010
KujawskoPomorskie Newsletter
Anniversary concert
Kujawsko-Pomorskie Newsletter. News at a glance 3
The 5th
anniversary concert of KujawskoPomorskie in Brussels
On the 6th of October the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Information Office was celebrating the 5th anniversary of its presence in Europe with the great performance of Toruń’s Symphonic Orchestra conducted by internationally renowned maestro Mitsuyoshi Oikawa. Mr. Oikawa is a permanent guest conductor of the China Philharmonic, Beijing and the Film Symphony Orchestra of Shanghai. Toruń Orchestra is one of the best orchestras in Poland which has given almost 2000 concerts in Europe and Asia.
Marshal Office of KujawskoPomorskie Region
Anniversary concert Open Days Toruń’s application
Extremely gifted pianist Szczepan Kończal, a prize-winner of many international competitions (in Milan, Lisbon, Pretoria, Tbilisi and Oslo — to mention only some), was a soloist in the
“Meetings” Spa centres The Three Towers
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Chopin’s “Piano Concerto no. 1”. The orchestra also performed Mozart’s overture (“The Impresario”) and Schumann’s “Rhenish Symphony”. The main theme of our event was the Polish-Japanese cultural and economic co-operation. Amongst the guests were many outstanding political figures such as Japanese ambassador Jun Yokota, Polish ambassador in Belgium Sławomir Czarlewski, the representatives of the Polish Representation to NATO and members of the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the EU. The guests were welcomed by the vice-governor of Kujawsko-Pomorskie region, Michał Korolko, who in the short speech introduced the audience to our region and the city of Toruń, one of the sponsor of the concerts. He stressed that the 777th anniversary of Toruń’s foundation and the 5th anniversary of the Information Office of the KujawskoPomorskie Region in Brussels are reminders of our strong European connections.
Anniversary concert
Open Days
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The Open Days 2010 in multiregional house in Avenue de Tervuren
Marshal Office of KujawskoPomorskie Region
Organized every year by the Commission and the Committee of the Regions, the Brussels week marked the highpoint of the Open Days 2010, which also feature some 260 local events — conferences, cultural events, fairs and exhibitions — taking place across Europe between September and November. This year the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Regional Representation, in partnership with six other regions (from Austria, Finland, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia and Slovakia), organized a seminar around the theme “After the crunch, how to counterpunch?”.
Anniversary concert Open Days Toruń’s application “Meetings”
The workshop was opened by the BBC journalist Denis Gartside, who started by offering the participants a few
Spa centres The Three Towers
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thought-provoking questions and statements, the first being “how the state can effectively fight against social exclusion in the times of the world crisis”. Then the discussion followed between the speakers Mr. Mario Kopljar, dr.sc., Ms. Dorota Olga Olszewska, Ms. Petra Draxl, Mr. Gábor Győrffy, Ms. Merja Salminen and Mr. Branislav Zacharides. Fighting the social exclusion is primordial for the health of the society. The success of a social cohesion policy depends on many factors: education of the population, wealth of the state and more general socio-economic, cultural and environmental conditions. Several of these determinants of social policies can be influenced by public policies. The seminar was a great success attended by European Union’s policy makers but also by the members of the public.
Open Days
Toruń’s application
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The application of Toruń for the European Capital of Culture title The main slogan of 2016 is “Toruń — the Universe of Culture”. The idea behind our application is heavily immersed in cosmic imagery and based on the five Pillars on which the identity of Toruń is built: Copernicus (the distinguished astronomer and brilliant innovator, a true Renaissance man, entered the pantheon of such great European artists and thinkers as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Erasmus of Rotterdam), Gothic (the dominating architectural style of Toruń’s Old Town, which has a profound effect on the atmosphere and perception of the city), Hansa (the original Hanseatic League was an alliance of trading cities that established and maintained a monopoly of trade along the coast of Northern Europe from the Baltic to the North Sea),
Anniversary concert Open Days Toruń’s application “Meetings” Spa centres The Three Towers
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Vistula (Poland’s biggest river flows through the KujawskoPomorskie Region, passing the major urban centers of the region) and Pulsar, a kind of a neuron star which, at regular intervals, sends out impulses of electromagnetic radiation. This is what makes modern Toruń come alive: activity that shows itself in all home-grown initiatives and new trends in art, including alternative art which goes beyond any definition. The application sets ambitious goals, objectives in a European dimension: Toruń would like to invite reflection on European identity and the role that culture plays in building it, the events of 2016 will stress richness and diversity of the European culture as well as emphasize what is held in common, objectives in a national dimension: Toruń intends to be a stage for a nationwide discussion on Polish culture while enriching it with its contribution, objectives in a regional dimension: building a new regional identity and ideas of citizenship centred around the idea of promoting European culture, objectives in local dimension: reinvigorating neglected districts of Toruń outside the historic
centre in terms of infrastructure and culture, expanding the idea of “culture” in public consciousness as a motor for sustainable change through both tangible investment and change in ways of thinking. Innovation, Diversity and Partnership — these three principles constitute for us the essence of Europeanness. We believe that Toruń has what is needed to focus differing currents in European culture. Owing to its extremely rich history, our city has been thoroughly European for centuries and its cultural heritage, preserved to this day, has been influenced by the same factors which for centuries formed most of the cities and regions in Europe. Confrontations of opposing European currents — particularism vs. unification, local government vs. centralism, the pursuit of peace vs. war, innovation vs. traditionalism — have developed Toruń’s special atmosphere, both unique and universal. Bogdan Zdrojewski, Poland’s Minister of Culture and National Heritage, at press conference which took place in
photo Ernest Wińczyk
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October, 13 announced the so-called “short list” of cities that qualified to the second phase of the European Capital of Culture 2016 competition. The list includes the cities of: Gdańsk, Katowice, Lublin, Warsaw, Wrocław.
photo Andrzej Romański
Unfortunately, decision of the Selection Committee is not favorable for us. Toruń is not among the five cities selected for the second stage of the European Capital of Culture 2016 competition. Despite the decision of the Selection Committee is not favorable for us, we still deeply believe in the idea of Toruń as the Universe of Culture and we hope that the strategy we have chosen will be pursued regardless of the bid for the ECoC title.
Toruń’s application
“Meetings”
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The “Flying
Festival”
The latest theatrical productions for children and youth, presentations showing the diversity of expression contemporary theatre were presented during 17th International Puppets Theatres’ Festival “Meetings” which took place from 16 to 22 October in Toruń. For seven festival days at the theatre Baj Pomorski performances for children, adolescents and adults were given by theatrical companies from the Czech Republic, Spain, Lithuania, Slovakia, Ukraine, Italy and Poland. Out of competition were presented two performances of the theatre Baj Pomorski: “Little Swallow”, “The Nightingale” and students’ presentations. Festival was accompanied by the celebrations of the 65th anniversary of the theatre. On this occasion under the slogan “Look into the theatrical wardrobe”, there were special presentations of plays, exhibitions, visits to the theatre, the artistic activities for
Anniversary concert Open Days Toruń’s application “Meetings” Spa centres The Three Towers
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children. At this year’s festival were shown performances, made in the international theatre project “Flying Festival — family and children in contemporary Europe”. Various border worlds between life and death, reality and fantasy, waking and sleeping, evoked this year’s performances for adults: “Hamlet” (Teatro del Carrettto, Italy), “Poe’s Curse” (Teatro Corsario, Spain), “Ship of fools” (Wierszalin Theatre, Poland). Inspired by the character and work of Bruno Schulz was the play “History of illicit imagination” (theatre puppets and actor “Pinocchio” from Lodz, Poland). During the festival were held workshops for parents and children and workshops for young people. For the eighth time an overview of creative people with disabilities was presented. The performances were evaluated by the jury composed of theatre critics which awarded the spectacle “The golden-hair girl” (Divadlo Drak, Slovakia). The children’s jury regarded as the best performance “The orange girl” (Ostrava, Czech Republic).
“Meetings”
Spa centres
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Kujawsko-Pomorskie
for health
Marshal Office of KujawskoPomorskie Region
Kujawsko-Pomorskie has deep-rooted spa traditions. Graduation towers in Inowrocław and Ciechocinek have been visited by health resort visitors for many decades. Their “walls”, with brine flowing down from them, several hundred meters in length and an approximate height of 10 meters, were built from blackthorn. A special mocroclimate has been created in their proximity, which has a therapeutic and prophylactic effect on many disorders.
Anniversary concert Open Days
The main assets of the health resort of Wieniec Zdrój include mineral waters and therapeutic mud, first extracted as early as a hundred years ago. Not many people know that even Grudziądz offers brine springs rich in minerals.
Toruń’s application “Meetings” Spa centres The Three Towers
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In the health resorts of the region Kujawsko-Pomorskie, tradition blends with progress. Besides spa and wellness treatments, one can participate in various forms of recreation. Specialists oversee proper progress of treatment and offer assistance in case of doubts.
Spa centres
photo Daniel Pach
The Three Towers
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Three historic towers become art studios Adaptations of ancient city gates and towers as art studios and offices for non-governmental cultural organizations. A growing revival of creativity has been taking places alongside the city’s efforts to become a European Capital of Culture 2016, and projects to support this have been developed involving the preparation of infrastructural facilities to be used as art studios and offices of non-governmental organizations. To this end, the implementation of a comprehensive project involving the adaptation for cultural purposes of three gates and towers Baszta Gołębnik (Dovecote Tower), Krzywa Wieża (the Leaning Tower) and Brama Klasztorna (Monastery Gate) is planned.
Anniversary concert Open Days Toruń’s application “Meetings” Spa centres The Three Towers
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The Leaning Tower was adapted as the first and is now the seat of Municipal Institution of Culture Toruń 2016. The value of the investment amounts 87,000 €. Pursuant to the tender announced by the President of Toruń, NGO’s dealing with cultural activities, can find a seat in Dovecote Tower and Monastery Gate. The Monastery Gate is one of the eight gates, which defended the access to the area of Old Town in the Middle Age. The gate takes its name from Benedictine monastery standing next to her until the seventeenth century. Since the nineteenth century, after the reconstruction the gate begun to be used for residential purposes. Dovecote Tower, in turn, is one of the several towers which are preserved in the town walls on the side of Vistula river. The tower takes its name from carrier pigeons placed there in the nineteenth century. The carrier pigeons were used by the Prussian garrison for information purposes between the
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fortress cities. Whereas The Leaning Tower was built in the fourteenth century as a simple tower immersed in a system of defensive walls. At first the tower was straight, but during years it started to lean because of the soft ground. As a result of ground giving it is leaned about 1,4 m out of the vertical. In the eighteenth century the tower ceased to play a defensive role. The back was built to the full height, the ceilings were levelled and the building become a prison for women. In the nineteenth century it was rebuilt and functioned as a smithy. In the second half of the XX century, it became solely an apartment building. The Leaning Tower is one of the most emblematic places of Old Town in Toruń.
Municipal Institution of Culture Toruń 2016 ul. Pod Krzywą Wieżą 1, 87-100 Toruń, Poland phone: +48 56 621 0 333 fax: +48 56 651 02 37 e-mail: info@torun2016.eu www.torun2016.eu Information Office of Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region Avenue de Tervuren 84, 1040 Brussels, Belgium phone: +32 2 734 12 17 fax: +32 2 734 29 96 e-mail: brussels@kujawsko-pomorskie.pl www.mojregion.eu
Marshal Office of KujawskoPomorskie Region