A major investment gets underway at the Pomeranian Philharmonic
Modern design, original architectural solutions and immersive sound technology combined with the traditional elegance of the neoclassical building dating from the mid-20th century, as well as extensive glazing and plenty of greenery – this is what the new Pomeranian Philharmonic complex in Bydgoszcz will look like in just three years. The PLN 380 million expansion and modernisation project, financed primarily from the regional budget, is already underway. Today (7 September), Marshal Piotr Całbecki is visiting the construction site.
“The concept for the expansion is bold, while at the same time showing great respect for the building that is already here. A temple of art should also speak through its architectural form. I believe we will achieve that effect,” says Marshal Piotr Całbecki.
The new part of the complex will include, among other things, a small concert hall with 350 seats, a stage for a chamber orchestra and a 30-member choir, as well as professional sound and lighting systems, a rehearsal room and dressing rooms for artists. The hall will be built underground, directly beneath Krzysztof Penderecki Square, beneath the feet of concertgoers making their way to a performance. It will be illuminated by skylights set into the ceiling along the side walls and behind the stage. Seen from above, they will form the shape of a lyre in front of the main entrance. The walls will be surrounded by a planted moat.
The chamber hall’s outstanding acoustics will be achieved using state-of-the-art immersive sound technology based on a system of microphones and loudspeakers, as well as advanced algorithms and processors that handle digital audio signals in real time. Audiences will hear concerts as if they were seated in the Wiener Musikverein, Carnegie Hall or Tokyo’s Suntory Hall – with music surrounding them from every direction and crystal-clear sound.
See: The expansion of the Pomeranian Philharmonic gets underway
The project is being financed from the regional budget (PLN 325 million) and the centrally managed European Funds for Infrastructure, Climate and Environment (FEnIKS) 2021–2027 programme (PLN 50 million). The Pomeranian Philharmonic is being supported in carrying out the project by the Marshal’s Office’s special-purpose company, Kujawsko-Pomorskie Inwestycje Regionalne (KPIR). The expansion is being carried out by the Polish company Unibep.
Although the musicians of the Pomeranian Philharmonic – the FP Symphony Orchestra and the chamber ensemble Capella Bydgostiensis – have had to leave the building on Szwalbego Street for the duration of the project, the Philharmonic is continuing its work at full pace. Concerts are being held at other venues, both in Bydgoszcz and elsewhere.
Preparations are also in full swing for the 64th edition of the Bydgoszcz Music Festival (18 September–11 October), which, as always, is eagerly awaited by music lovers. Festival concerts will be held at the Bydgoszcz Exhibition and Convention Centre, the new campus of the Academy of Music, the Copernicanum Auditorium, the Municipal Cultural Centre and Bydgoszcz Cathedral. The opening event will feature a recital by internationally acclaimed opera star Aleksandra Kurzak, accompanied by the FP Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rafał Janiak. The programme will include some of the most beautiful soprano arias from operas by Puccini, Verdi and Francesco Cilea.
Beata Krzemińska
Press Spokesperson, Marshal’s Office
7 September 2026