Polish News Translated – Poznan, Oct. 29

Editor's Note: These are courtesy translations of local news provided by the U.S. Army Garrison Poland Public Affairs team for the benefit the military community stationed here. Views or opinions are not endorsed by USAG Poland or the U.S. Army.

Alice in Wonderland - Lumina Park returns

Over 200 light installations and a fairy-tale atmosphere - all this awaits the residents of Poznań in the Dendrological Garden of the University of Life Sciences. This time, when visiting Lumina Park at ul. Warmińska, you will be able to move to the Garden of Wonders and even meet Alice, the title character of Lewis Caroll's book and its film adaptations.

Poznań Lumina Park can be visited from Friday, October 25, in the afternoon. The place will be open until February 16. This year, visitors can expect over 200 light installations that will brighten up the over 1.5-kilometer-long sightseeing path. There will be food and drink points along the way.

- A unique walk surrounded by illuminated fairy tale characters, giggling flowers, singing animals and the Cheshire Cat is an unforgettable experience for the whole family. Let yourself be enchanted - invite the event organizers.

There is also an online game for those interested. People who scan the QR code available in the park will be able to take part in a quiz and test their knowledge of Alice's world. Correct answers guarantee gifts.

Opening hours depend on sunset. From October 27 from 4:30 p.m. The park is open until 9 p.m., last entry is at 8 p.m. The park will be closed on Mondays (except for 11/11, 30/12, 6/01). From Tuesday to Thursday, admission is PLN 35 for a standard ticket, PLN 31 for a reduced ticket, and PLN 120 for a family ticket (2 adults + 2 children). From Friday to Sunday and on holidays, admission is PLN 40 (standard ticket), PLN 36 (reduced ticket) and PLN 136 (family ticket).

Directions to Lumina Park

The only entrance to Lumina Park is located at ul. Warmińska 2 (from the large square near the speedway stadium). You can easily get there by public transport, which we encourage you to do. Coming from the city centre, you can take tram lines 9 or 11, get off at the Sołacz stop and walk through Sołacki Park and the tunnel under ul. Niestachowska to the entrance. You can also get to the Uniwersytet Przyrodniczy stop and change to a bus. The closest to the entrance to Lumina Park is the Wojska Polskiego or Golęcin stop, where buses of lines 160, 164, 170, 182, 193, 195, 835, 836 and 837 arrive.

The number of parking spaces near the entrance to Lumina Park is limited. They are located on Wojska Polskiego Street near the University of Life Sciences and at the entrance to the garden from Warmińska Street.

Poznań residents celebrated the anniversary of the Hungarians' freedom uprising

On the 68th anniversary of the outbreak of the Hungarian Uprising, flowers were laid under the plaques commemorating Péter Mansfeld and Romek Strzałkowski. On October 23, 1956, Hungarians took to the streets to oppose the communist regime and to express their solidarity with the Poles who had protested earlier.

The march of October 23, which started the Hungarian uprising, referred to the Poznań workers' uprising of June 1956. Both of them resulted in many victims, among whom were Péter Mansfeld and Romek Strzałkowski. Therefore, 68 years after these events, flowers were laid under the plaques commemorating the boys who lost their lives as a result of the repressions of the communist authorities. On behalf of the residents of the capital of Wielkopolska, Stanisław Tamm, Secretary of the City of Poznań, laid a wreath.

- We stand here today with a deep sense of responsibility, wishing to pay tribute to one of the heroes of those days, Péter Mansfeld. But not only to him. Memory, respect and homage are due to all those who died for freedom and dignity during the Hungarian Uprising of 1956. We are here to commemorate the 68th anniversary of the historic uprising. An event that changed the course of history not only of Hungary, but of the whole of Europe. The Hungarian Uprising was a manifestation of the desire for freedom against the oppression of totalitarian power. It was brutally suppressed, but its spirit was never broken. Just like the spirit of Péter Mansfeld, whose attitude symbolizes the courage of the young generation of those times. That is why his memory lives on in us to this day - said Stanisław Tamm. - As residents of Poznań, who themselves experienced the bloody events of 1956, we have a special duty to cultivate this memory. The fates of both our nations were inextricably linked, just as the fates of the patrons of the streets we are standing on are symbolically linked today. The Hungarian Uprising was an echo of our own efforts for a better, free life. That is why we are here and will always remember what solidarity and dedication to the homeland mean. So that the sacrifice of the heroes of those days will not be in vain.

The ceremony was also attended by Péter Nándor Kertész, deputy director of the Liszt Institute - Hungarian Cultural Centre in Warsaw.

- Today we once again recall the turbulent year of 1956. It was then that Poland and Hungary joined forces in the fight for freedom, writing a common page of history. The outbreak of the uprising in Budapest was an echo of the Poznań June, proof of the solidarity of two nations wishing to break away from the shackles of communism. The youth, inspired by the transformation in Poland, took to the streets, demanding change. Young people, full of hope and courage, stood up for their ideals. Unfortunately, their dreams were brutally suppressed - said Péter Nándor Kertész.

The ceremony was also attended by representatives of parliament, provincial and local governments. The event participants were also joined by a delegation of American soldiers.

The celebrations were graced by an artistic programme prepared by students from Primary School No. 23. After laying flowers under the plaque of Romek Strzałkowski, a lecture and screening of a film devoted to the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 took place at the Rialto cinema.

The Hungarian Uprising began on October 23, 1956. On that day, a student rally was held in Budapest at the monument to General Józef Bem. The demonstrators took to the streets to express their support for the political changes taking place in Poland at the time and to oppose Soviet domination. The Hungarian revolt was brutally suppressed by Soviet troops. According to historians, 2,700 Hungarians died and almost 20,000 were injured as a result of the Soviet intervention.

At the news of the events in Hungary, Poles rushed to help, especially residents of Poznań and Wielkopolska. The most important support was life-saving blood. According to the Institute of National Remembrance, the first two planes with aid departed from Poznań airport on October 29. In total, by air and land, residents of Poznań, in addition to blood, sent to Budapest 100 kg of medicines and dressings, 20 tons of food, 86 items of outpatient equipment and paid into the accounts of the Polish Red Cross over one million złoty at that time.

An extraordinary garden was created in Poznań

This is a publicly accessible space.

Next to Collegium Geographicum UAM, the Demonstration Climate Garden was created. It is a space where walkers, including scientists, students and residents of Poznań, can see a model example of implementing solutions based on natural resources, known as nature-based solutions (NBS). The garden aims to support the adaptation of cities to the effects of climate change.

" In addition to its display functions, the garden is a place of rest and integration for the academic and local community. It is a publicly accessible space that already plays an important educational and didactic role. The furnished educational shelter hosts classes for students and pupils, as well as educational meetings with residents devoted to combating climate change and adapting to the effects of these changes, with particular emphasis on the role of blue-green infrastructure and solutions based on natural resources," says Agnieszka Książkiewicz from UAM.

"These include: vertical greenery (vines), prairie beds and a flower meadow, a rainwater capture and management system and new tree plantings. Photovoltaic panels and a wind turbine were also installed, along with an energy bank that provides power for the lighting in the educational shelter and charging of mobile devices. An educational path was also created in the garden space," he adds.

On Monday, October 28, the official opening of the Garden took place. As reported, the idea of ​​creating a Demonstration Climate Garden was born during work on the "Local Climate Action Plan" as part of the international TeRRIFICA project.

Poznan New Theater invites English speaking people to theater

The Izabella Cywińska New Theater in Poznan is one of the leaders of the Wielkopolska cultural world. The institution has been operating in Poznań since September 1923 - so it recently celebrated pompously its centennial - and from the very beginning it has had its seat in a beautiful Art Nouveau building located in the most beautiful of Poznań's districts: in Jeżyce, at 5 Dąbrowskiego Street. Since 2023, the patron of the place has been Izabella Cywińska - a true legend of Polish theater, who, during her directorship, turned the New Theater into one of the best theaters in the country: open, dialogue-provoking, socially engaged and relying on teamwork.

New Theater audiences have three stages at their disposal: the Tadeusz Lomnicki Main Stage, with an auditorium that can accommodate 345 people, as well as, located in a renovated building at the back of the theater, the Slava Kwasniewska Stage (150 seats in the auditorium) and the Third Stage (76 seats in the auditorium) - they are accessible via the picturesque Krystyna Feldman Alley. All stages are adapted for the disabled. There is also a restaurant in the basement of the building.

The rich repertoire of Teatr Nowy currently includes about 30 performances. Among them are both attractive productions of Polish classics (works by Adam Mickiewicz, Stanislaw Wyspianski or Witkacy) and world classics (productions of dramas by William Shakespeare, Eugene O'Neill, Anton Chekhov), as well as novelties, in an interesting and intriguing way for the audience, diagnosing the contemporary world: from the shocking Flight Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, dir. Maja Kleczewska, through the seemingly focused on the story of a certain 14th century epidemic RED NOSES by Peter Barnes, directed by Jan Klata, to the rigorously framed meeting of the council of ethics THE LAW OF CHOICE by Ferdinand von Schirach, directed by Piotr Kruszczynski. The New Theater's cultural offer also includes no shortage of musical or documentary plays, often inspired by local stories, and the festival successes of many of them testify to a deep, universal message.

Taking care of the needs of foreign visitors to Poznań, the New Theater is constantly developing its offer of plays with English subtitles. Every month 2-3 titles with this facility appear in the repertoire. For larger groups of viewers, there is a possibility to organize projections also on other playing dates of a given title or to develop subtitles on request.

* * *

Performances with English subtitles on offer at the New Theater:

- ALTE HAJM / OLD HOUSE - a family of several generations arrives at an old mansion to celebrate the 45th birthday of one of the family members; however, a mysterious visitor from the US sets in motion a chain of events that lead to terrible discoveries from the past;

- YOU WILL BE HAPPY, OR THE THING ABOUT THE LAST WEDDING IN THE VILLAGE OF KAMYK - a bravura and engrossing story about a seemingly typical village wedding, which for all its participants quite quickly turns into an uncompromising game of life and death - with a solid portion of unusual folk beliefs in the background;

- RED NOSES - a medieval Europe ravaged by a plague epidemic, but in a quite contemporary, colorful and enriched with excellent music, is the backdrop for the story of a humble priest Marcel Flote, who experiences an epiphany and establishes a traveling group of comedians - the "Red Noses" of the title, intended to bring comfort to people in their suffering....

- PRESIDENT'S WOMEN - a much-loved, outstandingly acted and remarkable story about how dangerous unfulfilled dreams and ambitions hidden for years can be: and it all starts with an afternoon meeting of three elderly ladies over tea....

- PORNO - a moving and passionate monodrama - the story of an actress who tries, on her own, to win a little freedom for herself and her loved ones in a communist party-ruled country;

- THE RIGHT OF CHOICE - a play framed as a meeting of a council of ethics, discussing the problem of a citizen's right to determine his own death; a display of the acting capabilities of the New Theater company and a topic that will soon become a worldwide issue;

- A Midsummer Night's Dream - the most famous of Shakespeare's comedies in an ultra-modern, somewhat dark and musically outstanding version: the amorous adventures of four young Athenians are intertwined here with the no less complicated relationships of the magical creatures inhabiting the nearby forest....

* * *

New Theater stage location: https://teatrnowy.pl/sceny-teatru-nowego-w-poznaniu/

Repertoire: https://teatrnowy.pl/repertuar/

Dates of performances with English subtitles in the current repertoire: https://teatrnowy.pl/for-foreigners/

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.