Minsk

Minsk is a city with a centuries-old tradition, which is also largely associated with Polish culture and history. It was mentioned for the first time in the chronicles of 1067. Minsk around 1300 became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and by the Union in Kreva in 1386 together with Lithuania was formally incorporated into the Kingdom of Poland. In 1441, King Kazimierz Jagiellończyk granted Minsk and other cities considerable privileges, and the significant development of the city over the next years meant that Minsk received from Alexander Jagiellończyk Magdeburg city rights in 1499.
In the 16th century, the cities were destroyed first by the invasion of the Crimean Tatars, then by the Moscow army, and finally by a great fire in 1547.

After the Union of Lublin in 1569, Minsk was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, thanks to which it developed constantly. In 1708, at the behest of the Russian Tsar, Peter I, the city was burned by the Russians. In 1733, the city was occupied by the Russian army for almost two years. After the Second Partition of Poland from 1793 the city belonged to the Russian Empire. In the mid-nineteenth century, the city was multinational - the largest percentage were Poles, Jews, Belarusians and Russians were also large national groups.

At the end of World War I, in January 1918, after the city was recaptured from the Bolshevik occupation, the city was taken over by the Germans. It was not until January 1919, after the Germans retreated, that the city was again taken over by the Bolsheviks, and on 5 January 1919, Minsk was proclaimed the capital of the Belarusian SSR. However, as early as August 1919, Minsk was captured by the Polish army in the course of an operation conducted by General Stanisław Szeptycki and part of General Haller's "blue army". In July 1920, the city was captured by the Bolsheviks during the Polish-Bolshevik war, however, after the victorious German battle for the Polish side, the Poles entered Minsk again, but only for a few days. Finally, under the Riga Treaty of 1921, Minsk was finally incorporated into the Belarusian SSR, and from 1922 to the USSR.

Minsk has been the capital of the sovereign Republic of Belarus since 1991. Minsk is a modern city, political and cultural center of the Belarusian nation and home to people of different nationalities and denominations. According to the 2015 census, the most numerous national minorities of the Belarusian capital include Russians, Ukrainians, Poles, Lithuanians, Jews, Tatars and Armenians.

Today's architectural shape of Minsk reflects its turbulent past. Once completely destroyed by numerous wars and conflicts, today the city impresses with its tiny old town, which consists of the streets of modest but carefully restored buildings and modern architecture worthy of more than one European capital. In the center, elements of pre-war buildings have been preserved. Generally, however, Minsk is a post-war city, a monument to socialist realist architecture.

The most valuable monuments of the capital of Belarus include:

1. Orthodox church of the Holy Spirit - Greek Catholic and later Orthodox church, built in Minsk in the 17th century, demolished in 1937 by the Soviet authorities and rebuilt in 2011.
2. Orthodox church of St. Mary Magdalene - an Orthodox church in the classical style built in 1847 in the Storożowski Cemetery, a gate from the end of the 19th century leads to the church.
3. Town hall - Minsk town hall built in the classical style, demolished in 1857 and reconstructed in 2004.
4. The Wańkowicz Palace in Ślepianka Wielka in the classical style from the end of the 18th century, the Wańkowicz Palace in Ślepianka Mała from the 19th century and the Wańkowicz Manor in the Upper Town in the classical style from the late 18th century.
5. "Europa" Hotel in Minsk - hotel located on the corner of Independence Square and Lenina Street in Minsk, until the revolutionary times one of the city's most characteristic buildings, demolished in 1941 and rebuilt in 2007.
6. Government House of the Republic of Belarus - a monumental edifice in the style of Soviet modernism located on  Independence Square, one of the most characteristic buildings of Minsk, now the seat of the parliament of the Republic of Belarus.

Minsk's cultural life is very rich. There are as many as 16 museums here, including: National Museum of Art of the Republic of Belarus Museum of History and Culture of Belarus and the Museum of Belarusian Art and Folk Architecture. There are also 11 theaters in Minsk, including the Russian State Drama Theater, Belarusian Academic Theater, and National Opera and Ballet Theater. In addition, there are 20 cinemas and 139 libraries in the city, including the Belarusian National Library - a building in a modern style in the very center of the city.

Anna German Song Festival "Eurydyka" organized every year at the beginning of October. The sixth edition of the festival will take place in 2017, which aims to bring the figure and work of this outstanding singer closer and to promote young musicians from Polish communities operating in Belarus.

There are 34 higher scientific institutions in Minsk. The most important are the University of Belarus, Belarusian University of Technology and the Minsk Linguistic University. There are also 28 specialized vocational schools.
Minsk is a significant center of science and technology throughout the country. 164 research centers are concentrated around the National Academy of Sciences.

Polish Day in Minsk is an outdoor event presenting Polish culture, history and tradition. The festival was organized by the Polish Embassy and the Polish Institute in Minsk. Polish Day is one of many events on the centenary of Poland regaining independence that are to bring our country closer to Belarusians. The event took place on Sunday, August 5, in the center of the Belarusian capital. The main scene of the festival was in the heart of Minsk - right next to the town hall. Accompanying events (kitchen shows, street theater, university presentations, workshops for children) were located on the streets and squares adjacent to it.

The audience was welcomed by the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the Republic of Belarus, Artur Michalski, and Grzegorz Grodek, representing the city of Łódź, who read the letter from President Hanna Zdanowska.

The event was of a very high artistic level. In the evening program, the performance of "Impresario" was performed by actors from the Cracow theater "Nikola", combining elements of pantomime, acrobatics and contemporary dance in their performances. The event was crowned by concerts of the bands "Jazz Band Młynarski-Masecki" and "Motion Trio". Both were received very spontaneously by the audience of several thousand.

The Łódź accent was the presentation of universities and tourist attractions of Łódź. The Academy of Fine Arts, the University of Łódź and the City of Łódź presented themselves under a joint stand. Eco-design workshops were led by lecturers at the Faculty of Textiles and Fashion design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, and representatives of the University of Łódź presented a scientific presentation of process automation in everyday life. The Łódź stand was complemented by the city's tourist offer. Promotional materials were very popular. During the whole event at least several hundred people visited us.

From 8 to 14 June 2018, we hosted a group of Belarusian students from fire-fighting schools in Minsk in Łódź. The opportunity to visit is to participate in firefighters' youth competitions and the 'This is important' safety competition. Young people from the partner city of Minsk have the opportunity to learn about the activities of volunteer fire brigades in Łódź, visit the city and make contacts with their peers.

One of the points of the visit was a meeting with the rescuers of the Search Group operating at the Volunteer Fire Brigade Łódź-Jędrzejów. Belarusian youth could see how training of rescue dogs looks like, as well as to train the provision of first aid to victims.

FASHION FESTIVAL IDEA MIŃSK is an event promoting creative people associated with fashion: designers, young brands, photographers. For the first time a designer from Poland was invited to participate in BELARUS FASHION WEEK. Mrs. Małgorzata Czudak, lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź presented her collection.

From 13 to 15 April 2018, the International Waterpolo Tournament of Partner Cities took place in Łódź.

The tournament was attended by teams from Stuttgart (Bad - Cannstadt), Lviv, Minsk and Łódź (Ocmer Łódź University of Technology). The matches were played in the Zatoka Sportu Centre in Łódź.

The Cup of the Mayor of the City of Łódź was won by a team from the partner city of Lviv. The next places were taken by Łódź, Stuttgart and Minsk.

The teams also had the opportunity to visit Łódź - ul. Piotrkowska, EC1, Manufaktura, Księży Młyn. Łódź made a huge impression on athletes, many of them announced their quick return to Łódź.

A two-year agreement on joint projects between Łódź and Minsk was signed during a visit on 8-11.09.2017 in connection with participation in the celebrations of the 950th anniversary of Minsk and the 25th anniversary of partner cooperation.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of cooperation between Łódź and Minsk, representatives of the authorities of the City of Łódź, the Marshal's Office and the City Council in Łódź went to the capital of Belarus along with a group of 10 entrepreneurs from Łódź and the authorities of universities in Łódź: the University of Łódź and the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź.

The programme of the visit consisted of meetings with Konrad Pawlik, the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Belarus and Andrzej Szorc, Mayor of Minsk, during which issues of further cooperation between cities and Łódź's efforts to organize the International Exhibition EXPO 2022 were discussed.

In the Centralnyj Cinema in Minsk, lovers of Polish cinema had the possibility to see the exhibition "Kieślowski after many years." This exhibition prepared by the Łódź Museum of Cinematography consisted of posters for the films of the Master. In addition, the Belarusian audience saw two of Kieślowski's films made at the L. Schiller State School of Film, Television and Theater in Łódź: "Tram" and "Concert of wishes." The solemn jubilee evening was honored by the presence of Paweł Lewandowski, deputy minister of culture, and Wojciech Pobóg-Pągowski, representative of the Ministry of Development. Talks will be held on the exchange of performances between the Nowy Theater Kazimierz Dejmek in Łódź and the Belarusian Drama Theater.

The companies from Łódź and the region participating in the visit became acquainted with the possibilities of cooperation with the Technology Park in Minsk and held a series of meetings with representatives of local and economic self-government of the capital of Belarus.

In turn, representatives of universities in Łódź established contacts with their Belarusian counterparts. The authorities of the University of Łódź met on establishing academic cooperation with the authorities of the Belarusian State University and the University of Economics in Minsk. Meanwhile, representatives of the Academy of Fine Arts signed a cooperation agreement with the Belarusian Academy of Fine Arts in Minsk.

The visit of the authorities of Minsk in Łódź is expected in Autumn 2017.

About the visit in media:

https://www.sb.by/articles/kulturnoe-predlozhenie-lodzi.html

http://minsknews.by/blog/2017/03/21/minsk-posetila-delegatsiya-iz-polskogo-goroda-pobratima-lodz/

http://news.21.by/other-news/2017/03/28/1311384.html

https://www.sb.by/articles/zamministra-kultury-polshi-priedet-v-minsk-chtoby-predstavit-kandidaturu-lodzi-na-provedenie-ekspo-2.html

https://lady.tut.by/news/work/537075.html

http://ont.by/news/our_news/polsha-namerena-zarychitsya-podderzhkoj-belarysi-chtobi-prinyat-y-sebya-vse

http://bseu.by/russian/news/201703271.htm

https://www.sb.by/articles/dzhek-nikolson-eto-samaya-vydayushchayasya-stsena-vo-vsem-kinematografe-delegatsiya-iz-lodzi-privezl.html 
http://ont.by/news/our_news/predstavitelnaya-polskaya-delegaciya-poseschaet-minsk

http://www.ctv.by/novosti-minska-i-minskoy-oblasti/naverstaem-poteryannoe-vremya-minsk-i-ego-gorod-pobratim-lodz

During the 950th anniversary of Minsk, the Nowy Theater Kazimierz Dejmek presented the inhabitants of the twin city of Łódź, a performance entitled "Kobro", by Małgorzata Sikorska-Miszczuk. This is the first playwriting attempt to show the phenomenon of a woman and precursor, whose work for many years was talked only in the context of the work of a well-known husband - Władysław Strzemiński, who was born in Minsk. The fascinating story of the world-famous avant-garde artist was shown through the eyes of her daughter, Niki.

Republican Theater of Belarusian Dramaturgy will present a play "Chernobyl Prayer" based on the story of the Belarusian Nobel laureate of the literary prize Swiatłana Aleksijewicz, within the framework of the Fourth Cultures Festival.

From 24 to 30 April 2015 in Minsk (Belarus) the 1st International Festival of Young Talents "New Achievements - 2015" took place. 11-person team representing the Youth Palace in Łódź: 9 participants of the "Tu i Teraz" contemporary dance ensemble led by Katarzyna Matusiak (Marysia Dylik, Emilia Królikowska, Natalia Łęgoszewska, Julia Łozowicka, Ewelina Marciniak, Karolina Osiewalska, Jekatierina Stań, Karolina Strózik, Ania Tokarska) and 2 soloists, participants of HZA "Krajka" (Julia Grenda and Julia Michalik) under the leadership of Aldona zawislak under the care of Żanetta Walkus.

2060 participants from 5 countries took part in the competition - Belarus, Russia, Poland, Ukraine and Lithuania. Polish participants took part in the following categories: on Saturday, April 25 - "choreography: contemporary dance from 16 years and above"; on Sunday, April 26 - "vocals (solo) 10-12 years" and "vocals (bands) 11-15 years."

Youth Palace representatives returned to Poland with the following awards:
- in the category "choreography: contemporary dance for 16 years and above" - I place for "Tu i Teraz" (out of 8 bands) for the dance composition "No name";
- in the "vocal (solo) 10-12 years" category - Julia Grenda - distinction and Julia Michalik - also distinction;
- in the "vocal (bands) 11-15 years" category - Julia Grenda and Julia Michalik - III place, composition "Halny".

In addition, on Sunday 27 April, a concert gala was held with the participation of the winners of the competition, Polish participants also performed at it (2 dance arrangements and 3 songs).

Source: Julian Tuwim Youth Palace in Łódź

From 9 to 10 September 2015, the 3rd Partner Cities Forum took place. The event was devoted to revitalization in the city center. Guests from Lyon, Stuttgart, Szeged and Tampere talked about their experiences in revitalizing and revitalizing city centers. Forum participants had the opportunity to participate in the Congress of Polish Urban Planning "Return to the Center" organized by the Association of Polish Town Planners. On this occasion, specialists from all over Europe exchanged their experiences in the field of spatial planning and revitalization, visited Łódź and got acquainted with the project of Łódź's efforts for EXPO 2022.

Diplomats from France and Finland will support this candidacy.

Video coverage on Łódź's efforts for EXPO from the Forum:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phP7gtpELH0

The vernissage, which took place on 6th October, was attended by Polish and Belarusian representatives of the world of culture and science. Opening the exhibition, the director of the Polish History Museum Robert Kostro emphasized that "the exhibition provides an opportunity to tell about Jan Karski, but also about the Polish underground and the Home Army, which is often depicted in Belarus in negative black colors".

Visitors to the exhibition on over 20 boards can read about Karski's activities, see photos and copies of documents, e.g. the Polish government's note to the Allied states, prepared, among others based on information provided by the Polish emissary.

Minsk, the capital of Belarus, is another city where the exhibition is presented. It has already been shown, among others in the United States (including UN headquarters in New York), Israel, Canada, France, Sweden, Spain, Russia, Italy, Japan and Macedonia.

The exhibition 'Jan Karski. Man of Freedom ", telling about the life and activities of the Polish courier. The exhibition, prepared by the Polish History Museum, will last until 20 October.

Organizers: Polish Institute in Minsk, Minsk History Museum, Polish History Museum.

Photo: Polish Institute in Minsk

Source: www.jankarski.org

Participation of city representatives in the Permanent National Conference on International Cooperation of Local Governments in Poznań.

The conference was focused on the topic of the Eastern Partnership initiative, and its main goal was
to exchange good practices of cooperation between Polish municipalities and partners from the territorial administration of the Eastern Neighborhood countries of the European Union. The conference was attended by representatives of Minsk.

Vernissage of Siarhiej Stelmaszonek's exhibition "Extraordinary cats" at the Museum of Cinematography in Lodz. Siarhiej Stelmaszonok is a recognized Minsk painter, graphic artist, illustrator and writer. His work is directed to both children and adults. The exhibition presents the artist's thirty years of achievements and his unusual point of view on relations between people and cats.

Film recorded by the artist especially for the Museum of Cinematography in Łódź:
http://www.cats-n-dreams.com/index.pl?act=NEWSSHOW&id=2011061301

Participation of Minsk delegation in the  XVI International “At the Crossroads of Cultures” Fair in Łódź.

III International Dance Festival in Łódź, organized by the IGO-ART Impression Agency and the City of Łódź Office, in which a group of 5 dancers from the Czabarok group participated.

Participation of runners from the "Szakale Bałuty Łódź" Club and the Councilor of the City Council in Łódź, Mr. Maciej Rakowski, in the International Marathon in Minsk. The competition was attended by the best runners of Belarus and competitors from other countries, including invited representatives of Minsk partner cities.

As part of the Minsk City Day the delegation of the City of Łódź, including: Maciej Rakowski and Zbigniew Kacprzak, participated in the International Marathon at a distance of 42.2 km through the streets of the Belarusian capital. Councilor of the City Council Maciej Rakowski, participant of many marathons around the world, got 28th place, taking the third place in his age category.

The exhibition "Painting, graphics" of the Belarusian painters Rita Cimochawa and Siarżuk Cimochowa at the Museum of Cinematography in Łódź.

Participation of Minsk delegation in the XV International “At the Crossroads of Cultures” Fair in Łódź.

A visit of a group of several dozen young people from Minsk to Łódź. Students of the cadet school general Aleksandra Suworowa viewed the most important monuments in Łódź and visited ul. Piotrkowska. They met with the Mayor Jerzy Kropiwnicki, who talked with them about the city's history, its industrial roots and multicultural identity. Belarusians also visited the Orthodox metropolitan Szymon and met their peers from Junior High School No. 22.

Co-organization of the scholarship camp of the "Work of the Third Millennium" Foundation, which was attended by a group of 20 junior high school students from Belarus.

Young people from Minsk participated in the I Youth Festival of Twin Cities in Łódź. The project was implemented by the Independent Students' Association of the Lodz Region and the City of Lodz Office. The event was attended by young people from: Barreiro, Murcia, Tel Aviv, Rustavi, Tampere, Lyon and Minsk. The main goal of the festival was to co-create alternative techniques and methods of action in non-formal education, learn about the cultures of sister cities, at the same time young people, eliminate divisions. During the festival, the Łódź group encouraged our friends from twin cities to promote Łódź as the best candidate for the title of European Capital of Culture 2016 and encouraged deeper cooperation between our communities. As part of the festival, there were, among others, a meeting with the Mayor of the City of Łódź and the Culture Fair - including a photo gallery, presentation of national dances, games and competitions for the public. The aim of the fair was to bring the culture of our twin cities closer, and to show our national culture through traditional Polish dishes, national dances, the history of the city of Łódź and good international fun, uniting the youth of the partner cities. Guests also participated in a trip to the most interesting corners of Łódź.

Youth teams from partner cities were invited to participate in the 3^rd International Meeting of Musical Theaters of People with Disabilities Łódź 2009, organized by the Society for Musical and Theater Activation of People with disabilities in cooperation with the City of Łódź Office. The group from Minsk took part as well.

Celebrations of the 942 birthday of the City of Minsk, during which runners from Łódź: Jarema Dubiecki and Katarzyna Kubiak took part in the International Minsk Marathon. The route was 42 km and 195 m long and ran along the main streets of the city.

Visit of representatives of the "ABC Entrepreneur" association from Minsk in Łódź to establish trade and cultural contacts.

Participation of footballers from Minsk in the International Football Tournament.

Visit of the Deputy Mayor of the City of Łódź during the celebrations of the 940th anniversary of the city of Minsk.

Participation of representatives of the Belarusian press and television in the International Congress of Partner Cities Journalists in Łódź.

Participation of the Łódź delegation headed by the Deputy Mayor in the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of Victory Day.

Participation of the representatives of Łódź in the celebrations of the Minsk City Day.

Participation of the City of Minsk delegation in "At the crossroads of cultures" Fair

Participation of representatives of the City of Łódź in the International Fair "Bielagra 2003", discussing the possibilities of implementing the economic mission of Łódź and Belarusian companies and a seminar on business cooperation and preparing a visit of representatives of travel agencies to Łódź.