During the 7th edition of Wrzeszcz Night, we’ll take participants on a journey through Kolonijki. This neighborhood, stretching along Kolonia Żeńcy, Kolonia Uroda, Małoogrodowa, and Daliowa streets, is a historic area of community gardens. Before the war, it was a place of residence, recreation, and small-scale farming for several dozen families. Today, it’s a green, mysterious island. During a guided walk, a concert in an unusual location, and a meeting with residents, we’ll learn about the complex history of this neighborhood. See you there!
Wrzeszcz Night is the first event organized by the Palma Foundation and has been held continuously since 2017. It has a single goal: to explore Wrzeszcz through various means and methods, discovering its hidden corners and history. Previous editions of the event have taken place in various locations throughout the district, and through meetings, lectures, concerts, exhibitions, picnics, and workshops, they have attracted a total of several thousand people.
In 2022, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Gedania Club, we explored Dolny Wrzeszcz! We walked the architectural trail along Legionów and Kościuszki Streets, delved into the history of the sports club, and learned about the Polish organizations that operated in the Polish Quarter during the interwar period. We invite you to listen to the audio guide to this area, created especially for this occasion!
Listen for free online:
Detailed Program: Wrzeszcz Night 2022: 100 Years of Gedania
In 2021, the event took place in the fall because we decided to honor a place that is hard to notice today: the now-defunct cemeteries along Aleja Zwycięstwa. We prepared a film created especially for the occasion, “The Wrzeszcz Realm of the Dead,” as well as two cemetery walks led by Klaudiusz Grabowski. The event culminated in an ephemeral, site-specific concert led by composer and trumpeter Emil Miszek, titled “Requiem for the Non-Existent Cemeteries,” held in Academic Park.
In 2020, the pandemic struck, so we created a six-episode radio drama titled “A Forest Night’s Dream.” The theme of Wrzeszcz Night was the mysterious and historically rich Jaśkowa Dolina Park. Historical and local history texts by authors such as Jerzy Samp and Elise Püttner were read by actors from the Wybrzeże Theater, Małgorzata Brajner and Jarosław Tyrański, with sound design by Paweł Szamburski. You can listen to them on YouTube and popular streaming services. The event was accompanied by a map of the park describing its history and most interesting spots, as well as a quiz campaign displayed on citylight billboards throughout the city.
Wrzeszcz Night #we’llbeplayingdrums
In 2019, we explored the neighborhood following in the footsteps of Günter Grass, a former resident. The highlight of the program was a series of solo concerts by some of Poland’s most interesting drummers, including Hubert Zemler, Ola Rzepka, Miłosz Pękala, Dominika Korzeniecka, and Jacek Prościński. Each performed individually at various locations in Wrzeszcz, followed by a joint performance at Garnizon Kultury. In addition, the program included an exhibition by Anna Królikiewicz (organized by Marcin Zawicki’s Tajna Galeria) and “Grass at Kolonie” at Kolonia Artystów. There were also discussions on the soundscape of *The Tin Drum* (co-organized by *Magazyn Glissando*) and on Polish, German, Kashubian, and Jewish memory in the works of Grass, led by Miłosława Borzyszkowska-Szewczyk. The event program was rounded out by a lecture titled “Holger Czukay—The Revolutionary from Wrzeszcz” by Bartek Chaciński.
Wrzeszcz Night 2018 marked our first foray into the world of architecture. Together with Magda Danaj, we created an architectural map of Wrzeszcz. Together with Ewa Kowalska from iBedeker, we organized an architectural walking tour that drew over… 500 participants! Together with Dziki Styl Company, we staged the dance theater performance “Reality Disappears After Walking” in the incredible space of the former Garrison Club. The cyanotype workshops led by Agnieszka Piasecka resulted in the exhibition “Architectural Details of Wrzeszcz.” The second edition also provided an opportunity for discussion during the event “Wrzeszcz in Transition: On Architecture and Society,” and the whole event culminated in a concert by the duo Marsebo, accompanied by Irek Wojtczak.
In 2017, during Wrzeszcz Night at the Garnizon Kultury, we highlighted the potential of the Strzyża River and how it has shaped the district’s history. We organized an exhibition by Zuza Dolega and a talk with Jakub Szczepański, who spoke about the activities of the Digital Museum of Wrzeszcz. There was also a walking tour of Wrzeszcz and a tour of the Vrest Brewery. The event culminated in a musical segment: a concert by the Lost Education trio (Szamburski/Zakrocki/Piosik), followed by a DJ set by Beniovska.
