Summary 2024: Culture and National Heritage Protection
– “A society that neglects cultural issues has no future. Culture is the foundation of every healthy community, shaping identity, fostering social life, and serving as both a bond and a means of communication,” emphasizes Marshal Piotr Całbecki. The regional self-government’s policy on culture and national heritage protection includes thousands of restored monuments, financial support for major cultural events, and the modernization and development of regional cultural institutions.
The results of our long-standing and nationally unique heritage protection program are visible throughout the region. A special focus is placed on objects located in smaller towns. Last year alone, over 15 million PLN was allocated to nearly 200 projects. Among the funded tasks were conservation and restoration works in churches, palace and manor complexes, tenement houses, buildings, and historic institution buildings listed in the heritage register.
We proudly support ambitious projects undertaken by our flagship institutions. Work is progressing on the construction of the fourth wing of Opera Nova. The investment, valued at over 170 million PLN, includes the purchase of modern equipment and the construction of an underground parking lot. The expansion of Opera Nova entails adding a four-story wing with a usable area of nearly 6,000 square meters. It will feature an opera chamber hall with 500 seats, an exhibition space, and a cinema hall. A viewing terrace overlooking the Brda River (with a view of the cathedral and Mill Island) and a two-level underground parking lot are also planned.
Last year, the director of the Pomeranian Philharmonic, Maciej Puto, signed an agreement with Portico Project Management, which will act as the contract engineer for the planned expansion. This project is one of the most anticipated cultural investments. According to plans, the Philharmonic will gain a new small concert hall with 350 seats, dressing rooms for artists, an underground parking system, and administrative spaces. The existing main concert hall will be renovated and equipped with a concert recording and broadcasting system.
The traditional topping-out ceremony marked the completion of construction work on the new wing of the Copernicus Library. The expansion costs 30 million PLN, with funding sourced from the government-managed program European Funds for Infrastructure, Climate, and Environment 2021-2027 (FEnIKS) and the regional budget.
Following the Copernicus Library, the Marshal’s second major library, the Regional and Municipal Public Library in Bydgoszcz, has also embarked on a large modernization project. Plans include conservation and adaptation of historic buildings, a glass roof over the courtyard, the construction of a storage facility, and the purchase of new equipment. The facility will be enhanced with a year-round event space, an illustrated book workshop for children, and a game room.
A photovoltaic farm and a comprehensive modernization of technical networks and installations are planned for Lubostroń Palace in Lubostroń, źnin County. The project includes modernizing water supply systems, sewage and rainwater drainage systems, park irrigation systems, heating systems, telecommunication networks, and lighting networks, as well as drying the foundations of the palace and the hunting lodge and implementing a new fire protection system.
Conservation renovations and revitalization-reconstruction activities have begun at the palace-park complex in Nawra, near Toruń, which will house the future Museum of Landownership and Rural Life. In December, an agreement was signed with the general contractor.
A 50 million PLN investment in Grudziądz will establish a facility for the future regional cultural and educational institution, run by the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Centre for Education and Innovation. The centre’s mission will be to present and promote the history and cultural achievements of the city and region, as well as to popularize mathematical, natural science, technological, and humanities knowledge.
The house where actress and Warsaw Uprising participant Helena Grossówna lived was demolished and rebuilt from the ground up. The investment was inaugurated in April.
Last year, the Marshal’s Kujawsko-Pomorskie Heritage Centre in Toruń gained a new branch: the Museum of the Tuchola Forests, which was taken over by the regional self-government.
The regional self-government is the governing body for the following institutions:
- Ignacy Jan Paderewski Pomeranian Philharmonic in Bydgoszcz
- Children’s Art Gallery and Centre of Creativity in Toruń
- “Wozownia” Art Gallery in Toruń
- Archaeological Museum in Biskupin
- Professor Maria Znamierowska-Prüffer Ethnographic Museum in Toruń
- The Museum of the Kujawy and Dobrzyń Lands in Włocławek
- Opera “NOVA” in Bydgoszcz
- Chopin Centre in Szafarnia
- Lubostroń Palace in Lubostroń
- Wilam Horzyca Theater in Toruń
- Regional Public Library and Copernicus Library in Toruń
- Dr. Witold Bełza Regional and Municipal Public Library in Bydgoszcz
- Regional Centre for Cultural Animation in Toruń
- Kujawsko-Pomorskie Cultural Centre in Bydgoszcz
- Kujawsko-Pomorskie Musical Theater in Toruń
- Kujawsko-Pomorskie Heritage Centre in Toruń
- Kujawsko-Pomorskie Centre for Education and Innovation in Toruń
Press Office of the Marshal’s Office
January 31, 2025