Cultural offer of the city

Poznań City Hall’s archive

The City of Poznań actively supports cultural activities as regards promotion, organisation and through co-financing of projects carried out by cultural institutions, non-governmental organisations and private entities.

Cultural institutions

The City of Poznań is the leading authority for 15 cultural institutions with different profiles of cultural activities. Thanks to the high quality of the organised international events, including festivals, concerts and through the implementation of interdisciplinary artistic and educational projects, Poznań is perceived in Poland and abroad as an open place, friendly to creators and ensuring a good start for beginners.

Municipal cultural institutions include:

• Music Theatre (Teatr Muzyczny),
• Polish Theatre (Teatr Polski),
• Animation Theatre (Teatr Animacji),
• Eighth Day Theatre (Teatr Ósmego Dnia),
• Poznań Boys’ Choir,
• Arsenał City Gallery (Galeria Miejska Arsenał),
• Children’s Art Centre,
• Estrada Poznańska,
• Stokrotka Community Centre (Dom Kultury Stokrotka),
• ZAMEK Culture Centre,
• Posnania City Publishing House,
• Wielkopolska Museum of Independence,
• Poznań Archaeological Museum,
• Raczyński Library,
• TRAKT Centre for Cultural Tourism.

New cultural offer

In 2017, the following cultural events were held for the first time:

• the 1st Poznań Ukulele Festival,
• the 1st Festival of Radio Plays,
• the 1st Festival Book and the City,
• the 1st Festival of Children’s Literature,
• the 1st Lovembal Ball Folk Festival,
• the 1st Film Music Concert on the Warta.

Activities of municipal cultural institutions

Zamek Culture Centre

• In 2017, the Zamek Culture Centre (CK Zamek) carried out:
• exhibition projects:
  • “Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: The Polish Context.” An international exhibition which attracted over 100 thousand people from all over Poland as well as from abroad,
  • “Library,”
  • “Bad Women,”
• a series of photo exhibitions held at the pf Photography Gallery,
• events as part of the artists residencies programme “Residents in the Residency,”
• festivals of an interdisciplinary nature, varied with film projections, discussions and educational activities:
  • “Poznań of the Poets,”
  • Ethno Port Poznań, whose important element was its social dimension – the programme “This Concerns Us” showing our joint responsibility for the situation of the Third World countries and the obligation to get involved in providing help,
  • “Off Cinema,”
• annual event “St. Martin’s Street Name Day.”

An important project carried out by the CK Zamek is the performative programme – “Common Theatre,” in which the important phenomenon of social theatre is brought up. As part of the programme, in 2017, presentations of performances made in the preceding year and three première took place.

The CK Zamek continued its activities also at the Centre for Educational Practices (CPE) as part of the programme of the National Centre for Culture “Very Young Culture.” The CPE educational programme covered all areas of activity of the CK Zamek, was an integral part of the offered programme and was focused on projects and activities aimed primarily at increasing the activity of recipients. The basic scope of the CPE’s activity is the diagnosis of the state of cultural education in the Wielkopolska Province and the organisation of various events and actions in the field of cultural education, supporting and promoting the idea of intersectoral cooperation and active and creative participation in culture.

In 2017, the CK Zamek also carried out many actions in the field of popularisation of culture among children and young people. They included:

• “Fun Zone” – a series of artistic workshops for preschoolers; 37 meetings took place,
• “Winter in the Castle” – a series of performances, screenings and artistic workshops in various fields of arts organised during the winter break; 40 workshops and 4 performances took place,
  • “Summer Castle for Children” – a series of artistic events organised during summer holidays; 11 theatre performances, 12 artistic workshops and a film screening took place,
• “CinemaSchool. National Interdisciplinary Programme of Media Education” – a programme consisting of various educational forms aimed at increasing awareness and media competence among preschoolers, pupils, teachers, parents and seniors; individual thematic film screenings along with the introduction of an instructor revealed to the viewers the world of art, culture and the Internet; sensitised them to social, historical and environmental issues, and drew attention to health and safety issues.

Moreover, in 2017, the CK Zamek carried out work related to the implementation of the project “Conservation of representative interiors of the western part of the former imperial castle in Poznań and their adaptation for effective use of cultural heritage,” co-financed under the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment.

Children’s Art Centre

The Children’s Art Centre (CSD) plays an important role in organising cultural events for children and young people. In 2017, the CSD organised:

• the 35th edition of the International Young Audience Film Festival Ale Kino!, which had an attendance record – over 22 thousand participants. The festival is a film event for young audience in Poland, having the standard of a professional international festival. It acts as a comprehensive cinema forum for young viewers, promoting Polish and global productions, and provides a platform for discussions on important subjects in the field of filmmaking. The programme of the last year’s Festival included 143 films from 34 countries. The most important part of the Festival was an international competition presenting the most interesting films created in the last two years. In 2017, the competition included 24 feature films and 50 short films.
• the 21st Biennial of Art for Children “Do śmiechu.” This event is an interdisciplinary project, combining various genres of art and integrating communities working with children. The Biennial of Art for Children are selected events including theatre and music, literature and film, tales and painting. It is an event that integrates all fields of art. It also serves artists, animators and teachers, scientists and critics, creating a platform, unique in the world, for the presentation of art and discussion about creation for the youngest. The selection of the issues of last year’s edition of the festival resulted from the conviction of the unusual role of humour in children’s culture. The programme consisted of theatrical proposals, concerts, workshops, creative meetings, etc., presented by artists from Poland and abroad.

In 2017, apart from large international festivals, the CSD organised events such as:

• the 16th Vincent’s Pocket International Creative Anxiety Workshops,
• the 23rd Great Film Adventure,
• Art Seeks the Toddler Festival,
• Small Size Days – minifestiwal dla najnajów,
• the atrical offer of the Common Stage.

Poznań Boys’ Choir

The most important event organised by the Poznań Boys’ Choir in 2017 was the 4th International Early Music Vocal Competition “Canticum Gaudium.” The Competition is a cultural initiative of the Choir addressed to singers from around the world, specialising in the performance of works by composers from the Renaissance and Baroque. A special event of the Competition was the Gala Concert, crowning the event, during which one could hear presentations of the best participants. The Competition was attended by soloists from Poland, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Singapore and Venezuela.

The second important event organised by the Choir was “Signing carols in Poznań – Christmas Music Festival.” Performers from Poznań – choirs, vocal ensembles, folklore groups, orchestras, and singers – were invited to participate in the festival. The festival enjoyed huge interest of the Poznań audience. The concerts were held mainly in temples in Poznań, and the admission to events was free.

Last year, the Poznań Boys’ Choir also organised 120 free rehearsals and music workshops for boys between the age of 10 and 17 to enable musically talented children to prepare for professional musical performances.

Raczyński Library

The Raczyński Library, which makes its library collections available to the residents of Poznań, plays an important role in cultivating culture in the city. In 2017, the services of the main Library and its 38 branches were used by 78.6 thousand registered readers.

At the end of 2017, the library collections reached over 1.8 million volumes. Special collections were the most valuable in scientific and historical terms: manuscripts, old prints, cartography, iconography.
The Raczyński Library also conducted cultural activities in its branches:

• Flat-Studio of Kazimiera Iłłakowiczówna,
• Literary Museum of Henryk Sienkiewicz,
• Studio-Museum of Józef Ignacy Kraszewski.

The Raczyński Library organised cultural events: meetings with authors, shows, festivals, outdoor events, exhibitions, book promotions, and workshops. All events (except for selected concerts of the Festival of Word in the Song FRAZY) were free. The attendance at cultural events addressed to children and adults organised in all branches of the Library in 2017 amounted to almost 58 thousand participants.

In 2017, 249 events promoting culture and reading were organised in the main building of the Raczyński Library. 1.7 thousand events were held in 38 branches in the city. The Library carried out promotional activities also among the youngest. In 2017, 24 thousand children took part in all forms of classes and workshops.

In 2017, the Library also carried out work related to the implementation of the project “Modernisation of the Raczyński Library building in Poznań, and conservation and digitisation of valuable library collections,” co-financed under the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment.

“Posnania” City Publishing House

A variety of projects were also carried out by the City Publishing House, including:

• release of periodical and non-periodical publications, e.g. IKS, Kronika Miasta Poznania, POZnań,
• CYRIL (Local Digital Repository of Poznań) – the number of digitised objects at the end of 2017 was 155 thousand (of which 46 thousand are published),
• creation of the Oral History Archive, whose task is to obtain interviews (contemporary and archival recordings) with the witnesses of history, and making the recordings available to the public through television broadcasts and the website, development of which is planned for 2018,
• running the City Information Centre (CIM) with 5 branches,
• maintaining websites whose purpose is, among others, popularisation of the city’s cultural life, e.g. Kulturapoznan.pl, Biuletyn.poznan.pl,
• completion of the project in the field of tourist information – the Poznań Tourist Barometer (PBT) – conducted in cooperation with the Poznań Local Tourist Organisation. The PBT was a systematic form of tourism market research in Poznań in which the most important players in the tourism industry, such as: hotels, restaurants, carriers, guide organisations, took part. All posts of the CIM systematically collected data on tourist traffic, and then in the form of monthly surveys, inserted collected information to the PBT; this data is an important tool in forecasting development of the tourism market,
• organisation of actions in the area of dissemination of knowledge about the city, its history and culture among the residents of Poznań – 71 workshops and excursions for pre-school children and primary school pupils, as well as 38 lectures, meetings, excursions and internships for post-primary school students and adults were organised.

Archaeological Museum

In 2017, the offer of the Archaeological Museum included, among others, the organisation of:

• 24 temporary exhibitions presented at the Górka Palace and the Archaeological Reserve “Genius Loci” and 6 outside the Museum,
• the 13th Slavic and Cistercian Culture Festival in Ląd, as a co-organiser,
• 10 educational weekends,
• 325 museum lessons,
• 28 popular science lectures and 16 scientific lectures,
• conducting archaeological and excavation research.

The Archaeological Museum also organised numerous events to promote culture among children and youth, such as:

• “Summer academy of Toddler. A small archaeologist and great buildings from the past,”
• “Summer cinema for children,”
• “Winter break at the Museum – a step into the past.”

It is estimated that in 2017, over 71 thousand people benefited from the programmes proposed by the Archaeological Museum.

In 2017, the Museum conducted archaeological research in the cellars of the former J. Struś hospital at ul. Szkolna in Poznań, and excavations in cemeteries in Sudan and Egypt.

Teatr Polski

In 2017, the cultural programme of Teatr Polski included 388 performances, which were watched by over 36 thousand spectators. As a result of cooperation with various institutions, among others, the following events were organised in the Theatre:

• “Touch the Theatre” – is a nationwide project organised on the occasion of the International Theatre Day; spectators get to know the theatre from behind the scenes, they are invited to create together,
• the 4th National Francophone Schools Festival “Drameducation” – performances of theatre groups from all over Poland and an international series of theatre workshops for young people took place as part of the festival,
• the 3rd National Competition of Prison Theatre Art – one of the tasks of the competition is integration with the open environment, presentation of skills of persons deprived of liberty, their potential and overcoming barriers,
• the 9th Congress of Women – on the occasion of the Congress taking place in the city, the Theatre prepared 2 performances which each registered participant could see at a special price,
• “Decyzyjni” – a project whose aim is to teach children and teenagers the ability to refuse to consume addictive drugs; a group of young people living in different districts of Poznań worked under the supervision of an actress and educator from the Theatre; as a result, a performance “Addictive project” was created by peers for peers,
• the Malta Festival Poznań,
• the 21st Biennial of Art for Children “Do śmiechu.”

Teatr Polski also carried out many projects related to the popularisation of culture among young residents of the city. In addition to cooperation with teachers and workshops taking place during the winter break and summer holidays, the Theatre organised, among others, the following initiatives:

• “Theatre strolls” – this activity was aimed at familiarising the spectators with the theatre wings; the sightseeing programme – adapted to the needs of the visitors’ group – combined the history and tradition of this place with the possibility to see the whole theatrical base
• “Children’s atelier. Creative and joyful theatrical plays” – are performances for parents with children. While parents could watch the show, the children were under the care of qualified animators and took part in free workshops; during the workshop children created theatre scenes with previously prepared puppets, and participated in outdoor, word and music and art games,
• “Teatranki” – are theatrical games for children and parents, during which they could learn different forms of theatre activity.

Teatr Ósmego Dnia

In 2017, Teatr Ósmego Dnia prepared a total of 101 events, including 12 taking place outside of its seat (in Poland and abroad). The number of recipients of events is estimated at 9.2 thousand people. There were two premières:

• outdoor performance “Children of the Revolution,”
• 2 premières shows of the indoor performance “Paragraph 196 of the PC (Exercise in Terror).”

The Theatre also continued its culture-producing and educational activities by organising and co-organising cultural and social events: festivals, concerts, meetings, debates, workshops, film presentations, exhibitions, among others, as part of the cycles: “Questions about Poland,” “History against the current,” “Alternative Theatre School.”

In 2017, the Theatre hosted performances of Polish and foreign theatre groups – Czech, Catalan and Hungarian.

Similarly to previous years, the Theatre was involved in the creative activities of communities at risk of exclusion from cultural life. This action was carried out, among others, in cooperation with the Detention Facility in Poznań (including the 4th National Competition of Prison Theatre Art) as well as the Centre for the Homeless.

A very important cyclical event in the Theatre’s programme was the 6th competition “OFF Theatre Scenario: Premières/Presentations,” as part of which three premières of young independent theatres took place.

New spaces for culture

In 2017, the City of Poznań took on many tasks related to the creation of new spaces for culture, including the culture of everyday life. The Raczyński Library, which opened two branches in 2017, at ul. Rubież 14a/37 and os. Zwycięstwa 125, took action in this regard. In addition, at the main building of the Library at Al. Marcinkowskiego 23, two new inspiring spaces were adapted for conducting cultural activities. A summer reading terrace was opened, creating a friendly place for readers and the organisation of meetings, and an adequately adapted space of the library car park was used to organise the nationwide event, namely the “National Reading.”

Teatr Polski in Poznań implemented the project “Polish Playground.” It is a concept of shaping the holiday space around Teatr Polski and at the square in front of it. The space was filled with platforms, seats, dance floor, plane trees in pots and other vegetation. Meetings with the residents, dances, concerts, workshops for children and literary and theatrical meetings took place there. The opening of this space to the city and its residents has an extremely important place in the project.

In 2017, a new stage of Poznań – the Cortique Theatre – began its activity. It is the only institution in Poland permanently associated with students of stage arts. The new stage allows students and graduates of art schools and universities gaining stage experience during performances side by side professional performers. The Theatre is located in the building of the Jeżyce Centre for Education and Business. Cultural education and support for cultural activity of the residents of Poznań is one of the objectives of the Cortique Theatre. It educates not only artists, but also spectators, inviting schools to cooperation as well.

In 2017, conceptual work on the creation of a new headquarters of the Music Theatre and preparations for the construction of the Wielkopolska Museum of Independence began. Work was also carried out to create the “Enigma” Cipher Centre at ul. Święty Marcin, the reconstruction of the former building of the A. Mickiewicz University for this purpose for began. In 2017, the construction of the new seat of the Armoured Weapon Museum and preparations for the construction of the Museum of Polish Communication with the Cultural Centre in Madalin also continued. The Museum of Applied Arts was opened in the rebuilt building of the Royal Castle of Przemysł II.

Estrada Poznańska became the operator of the Tram Driver’s House at ul. Słowackiego 19, continuing to manage the space used by NGOs and entities operating in the sphere of culture from Poznań.

The Arsenał City Gallery begun preparations to take over “Pawilon” at ul. Ewangelicka 1, which since 2018 has been an additional space for institutions, private entities and NGOs operating in the field of visual arts, implementing social or music projects.

Actions aimed at creating new local spaces for culture, accessible to all the residents, were taken up in Poznań. The following were continued:

• the Activator. Culture for Space project,
• Space for Culture with the KontenerART initiative,
• local projects, such as:
  • Mobile Cultural Centre,
  • Cultural Old Market,
  • Local Zone for Culture at Łazarz with the Piraeus Culture Incubator,
  • In the Middle of Śródka.

As part of the project “Kultura na Wolnym,” a series of cultural events #NAWOLNYM was organised, including the Teatr Na Wolnym project and music, film and dance events which took place in the courtyard of the Poznań City Hall.

“Cultural needs and potentials of the residents of Poznań’s housing estates”

A research project “Cultural needs and potentials of the residents of Poznań’s housing estates,” financed from the City budget, was implemented. The project covered 6 estates on the outskirts of the city: Antoninek-Zieliniec-Kobylepole, Fabianowo-Kotowo, Górczyn, Morasko-Radojewo, Jan III Sobieski i Marysieńka and Piątkowo.

Awards for the cultural community

In 2017, the City of Poznań founded the Artistic Award and artistic scholarships. As part of the promotion of publishing houses about Poznań, the Poznań Literary Award, the Posnaniana Józef Łukaszewicz Award were awarded and the 5th edition of the Fantasy Poznań competition was organised.

Three prizes were granted to the Archaeological Museum in the “Izabella” competition for the most outstanding museum event of the year in Wielkopolska:
–  in the category “Exhibition activity” – Grand Prix and statuette for the temporary exhibition “Archaeological secrets of the Palatium and the Cathedral of Poznań Ostrów,”
–  in the category “Educational, promotional and marketing activities” – first prize for the educational programme “Generation 966 – the dawn of great changes,”
–  in the category “Conservation, protection of cultural heritage, investments” – second prize for the restoration works “Conservation of monuments from archaeological research on the Old Town Square in Poznań.”

The “Angel of Culture” prize was awarded to the City Publishing House by the Cultural and Sport Association “Integracje” for many years of involvement of the IKS monthly in reporting on the World Folklore Review “Integration,” organised by the Association.

“Senior-Friendly Place” Certificate was granted to the Raczyński Library by the Centre for Senior Citizens Initiatives in Poznań.

Poznań was the first in the category of culture development and the second in the category of cultural life among Polish cities in the monitor of cities of culture and creativity made available by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.

17 projects, out of 80 submitted, were selected in the “Centrum Warte Poznania” competition. The City of Poznań allocated PLN 350 thousand for their implementation. The projects put into effect will contribute to the revitalisation of the city centre through cultural, educational and social activities attractive and accessible to the residents.

Poznań was the third in the ranking of Creators of Urban Culture Development (in the country), developed at the request of the National Centre for Culture (NCK) by the City DNA Team from the Res Publica Foundation in cooperation with external experts.

The third edition of the Poznań Literary Award is a joint prize, unique in the country, of the City and the A. Mickiewicz University. It is awarded in two categories:
– for outstanding contributions to literature and culture – in 2017, the A. Mickiewicz prize was awarded to Prof. Tadeusz Sławek,
– for significant, innovative achievements in the field of literature, the humanities and popularisation of literary culture for authors up to the age of 35 – in 2017, the Prize – Stanisław Barańczak Scholarship – was awarded to Małgorzata Lebda.

In 2017, over 330 projects in the field of culture implemented by NGOs (small grants, annual and multi-annual projects) were co-financed by the City of Poznań with a total amount of PLN 12.5 million.

The Raczyński Library in 2017:
• 78,623 readers,
• 1,811,201 shared collections,
• 57,988 participants of cultural events.

Artistic and entertainment mass events in 2017:
• the number of events: 136 (including 21 in outdoors), including: 88 concerts, 8 performances and shows, 6 festivals, 7 cabarets, 1 circus show
• the number of participants: 295.9 thousand, including 225.9 thousand paid admission

Cultural institutions in Poznań

Source: Polish Central Statistical Office

Culture in the largest cities in Poland (2016)

Source: Polish Central Statistical Office