Odesa

Archaeological findings confirm that the area of today's Odesa has been inhabited since antiquity, and the inhabitants of this territory were strongly associated with the Mediterranean. In the Middle Ages, this area changed hands, being under the rule of the Pechenegs, Polovtsians, the Golden Horde, the Crimean Khanate, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Golden Horde. The first written mention of a settlement on the territory of today's Odesa dates back to 1415 and refers to the Tatar port settlement called Kaczubeiow, which was later renamed to Hajiba.

After the Treaty of Jassy (1791), ending the Sixth Russian-Turkish War, Odesa came under Russian rule. In 1795, according to the decree of Empress Catherine II, the port of Hajiba was founded, the Odessa war and trade port. During the construction of the city, emigrants from the revolutionary France (today the patrons of the main downtown streets) played a key role, primarily Prince Armand-Emanuel Richelieu de La Porte, General Louis Alexandre Andranault Langeron and Joseph Deribas.

The 19th century was a period of intensive development for Odessa as a result of grain export. The city received city rights in 1803, then the number of inhabitants increased from 9,000. up to 500 thousand in 1904, settlers who came from all over the Russian Empire, the Balkans and Greece to the city created an incredible cultural melting pot here. In 1865, the railway reached Odessa - first the line was led to Balta, and in 1870 - to Kiev. Before the revolution, about 500 companies operated here. The Bolshevik rise to power caused a crisis and mass emigration of the city's inhabitants.

From August to October 1941 there was a fierce defense of the Odessa naval base against German and Romanian forces advancing from the land. In the years of the World War II, until the liberation of the city by the Red Army in April 1944, Odessa was occupied by Romanians. After rebuilding the war damage, the city began to develop rapidly. The second half of the 20th century brought significant changes in the ethnic structure of the city's population: Jews emigrated from Odessa. Many of them later settled in New York near Brighton Beach, creating there the so-called "Little Odessa".

Contemporary Odessa is very popular among tourists. Guests from all over the world are attracted by: warm climate, beautiful sandy beaches and a unique multicultural atmosphere. Thanks to the film "Battleship Potemkin", the city is associated with the Potemkin Stairs (this is a vast staircase that creates the illusion, so that only a few large stairs are visible at the top, and at the bottom all the stairs seem to combine into one pyramidal mass), connecting the port with the city.

In 1810 the first opera house was opened (destroyed by fire in 1873). The modern building was built by Fellner and Helmer in a neo-baroque style. The luxurious hall was built in the Rococo style. It is said that thanks to the unique acoustics, even a whisper from the stage can be heard in every part of the room. Many buildings in Odessa have the style of nineteenth-century classical architecture. This is particularly evident in buildings designed by architects such as Italy Francesco Boffo, who at the beginning of the 19th century built a palace and a column for the governor of Odesa and many other public buildings. Many beautiful and impressive buildings are located on the Seaside Boulevard.

Odesa boasts many monuments, including exposed fragments of the remains of a Greek settlement from VI-V in B.C.E., the Vorontsov palace, Belina-Brzozowski palace, the seat of the City Council, monuments to Prince Richelieu and Pushkin, gathered around the UNESCO-listed Seaside Boulevard. Museum lovers will certainly not be disappointed in Odessa's offer: around 20 institutions of this type operate here, including Fleet Museum, Archaeological Museum, Museum of East and West Art.

The city offers a wide range of cultural events, including the Humorina Festival of humor and satire attracting hundreds of tourists every year and City Days. In Odessa there are many parks and public gardens, among which there are Preobrazhensky, Gorky and Victory parks. The city also has a university botanical garden, which recently celebrated its 200th anniversary.

Odessa is also famous for the Soviet violin school, founded by Piotr Stoljarski. Musicians such as Nathan Milstein, David Oistrakh, Igor Oistrakh, Boris Goldstein, Zakhar Bron, and Sviatoslav Richter created his works here (he was only a student at the Odessa school), Benno Moiseiwitsch, Vladimir de Pachmann, Shura Cherkassky, Emil Gilels, Maria Grinberg, Simon Barere, Leo Podolsky and Jakow Zak.

The International Film Festival in Odessa is held annually from 2010 to the present day.

Odesa is the seat of several universities (17), the oldest of them was founded in 1865. The most famous and most prestigious university is Odesa II Mechnikov National University. In addition to the National University, the city is the seat of, among others: the National University of Economics, the Odessa Law Academy, the National Telecommunications Academy and the Odessa Maritime University. The last of these institutions is a highly specialized and prestigious university training commercial seafarers, annually about 1,000 newly qualified officers.

In addition to all the universities and state-owned academies mentioned above, Odessa is also home to a large number of private educational institutes that offer high-quality courses in various fields. These universities usually charge much higher fees than state educational institutions.

They following universities are located here, among others: Medical Academy, Academy of Construction and Architecture, Food Academy, Music Academy, Technical University, National Refrigeration Academy. In Odessa, there is also the oldest research institute of Ukraine.

Odessa boasts many monuments, including exposed fragments of the remains of a Greek settlement from VI-V in B.C.E., the Vorontsov palace, the Opera and Ballet Theater, the Belina-Brzozowski Palace, the seat of the City Council, monuments to Prince Richelieu and Pushkin, gathered around the UNESCO-listed Seaside Boulevard. Museum lovers will certainly not be disappointed in Odessa's offer: there are about 20 institutions of this type, including Fleet Museum, Archaeological Museum, Museum of East and West Art.

Odessa is also famous for its excellent violin school, founded by Piotr Stoljarski. Every year, the International Golden Violin Festival is organized.

Many important figures of culture and science come from Odessa, including poet Anna Achmatowa, writer Isaac Babel, creator of the periodic table Dmitry Mendeleev, Igor Tamm (winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1958), Ilia Miecznikow (winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1908), Selman Waksman (winner of the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1952).

From 31 August to 3 September 2019, the annual feast of our partner city of Odessa was held (the 225th birthday of the City).

The programme included, among others, the opening ceremony of the City for residents and tourists and a gala at which representatives of business and culture distinguished for the City of Odessa were awarded. In addition, representatives of Odessa's partner cities were officially welcomed, including Lodz, Regensburg (Germany), Haifa (Israel), Ningbo (People's Republic of China), Lefkada (Greece). The Odessa City Day celebrations were crowned with an open-air concert of Ukrainian artists.

As part of this visit, a bench with a monument to the penguin Pik Pok, the protagonist of the fairy tale from the Se-Ma-For studio in Łódź, was unveiled in the Victory Park. Penguin gained great sympathy among the small inhabitants of Odessa. The children eagerly photographed with him and ensured that they would look after a new friend from Łódź.

This visit was very warmly received by the inhabitants of Odessa. Very positive articles about Łódź appeared in Odessa media, incl. кyльтypomeтp (Culturemeter), Пушкинская (Pushkinskaya), or Yнiaн (Unian).

https://culturemeter.od.ua/v-odesskom-parke-pobedy-poselilsja-polskij-pingvinenok-pik-pok-75845/

https://pushkinska.net/news/v-odesse-otkryili-skulpturu-multyashnogo-pingvinenka-iz-polshi-foto

https://www.unian.net/society/10669692-lodz-podaril-odesse-na-den-goroda-statuyu-pingvinenku-geroyu-polskogo-multfilma-foto.html

In the last week of April, we hosted a delegation from Odesa in Łódź. Both cities are connected by extensive cultural and economic cooperation. Partners from Ukraine willingly use our experience in the field of administration management and implementation of social projects. The purpose of the visit was to familiarize the visitors with the implementation of projects supporting the elderly and disabled people and the use of EU funds for the development of municipal and health infrastructure.

The delegation from Odessa consisted of the representatives of the Health Department, the Department of Municipal Management and the Municipal Health Center in Odessa.

During their stay in Łódź, guests visited the facilities and met with officials. On 24 April, delegates from Ukraine visited the Day Care Center operating at the hospital Jordan on Przyrodnicza St. Mrs. Jolanta Bilińska, representative for development and social communication at the dr. K. Jonscher Municipal Medical Center, presented the main aims for the functioning of the center for the elderly and disabled. Under the care of a professional team of seniors have free access to psychophysical courses and exercises, physical rehabilitation in rooms and outdoor activities, as well as therapy through art, music, dance and social games. They can stay in the center from the morning hours until 5:00 PM, thanks to which the residents' families are able to take up professional activity. The facility, which is a response to the problems of the rapidly growing elderly population, was created thanks to the financial support of the city of Łódź and thanks to EU grants.

PDuring the meeting at the seat of the  Business Development and International Relations Bureau, Ms. Iwona Iwanicka, Deputy Director of the Health Department of the City of Łódź Office and Katarzyna Tręda-Pisera, the Senior Citizen's Ombudsman presented the city's activities for seniors, such as the Łódź Senior Card or the 'Box of Life' project , addressed to the elderly, sick and lonely. Senior citizens in Łódź can count on more and more amenities, thanks to which their activity in the social and cultural life of the city increases. The city's activities for disabled people were also discussed, such as "totupointy" for people with visual impairments. This allows people with disabilities to have access to urban spaces on an equal footing with non-disabled people.

Under the honorary patronage of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Odessa, from 2 to 21 November 2018, the Museum of East and West Art in Odessa hosted the exhibition "Between Heaven and Earth." The ceremonial opening of the exhibition on 2 November in the presence of several dozen invited guests was made by the director of the Municipal Art Gallery in Łódź, Dariusz Leśnikowski, director of the Museum of East and West Art in Odessa, Igor Poronyk and the Polish Consul in Odessa, Andrzej Szmidtke. The exhibition is part of the celebration of the Centenary of Regaining Independence of the Republic of Poland and the twenty-fifth anniversary of cooperation between the partner cities of Odessa and Łódź.

The exhibition "Between Heaven and Earth" consists of works selected from the permanent collections of the Municipal Art Gallery in Łódź. The authors are primarily representatives of several generations of Łódź creators - Classics, Masters and great artists of the middle and young generation. The exhibition is also enriched by the works of outstanding Polish graphic designers from outside the Łódź environment, which have an impact on the development of this discipline in Poland. Leszek Rózga, Roman Artymowski, Andrzej Bartczak, Lucjan Mianowski, Andrzej Łobodziński, Joanna Wiszniewska-Domańska are just some of the names of the authors of 46 graphics exhibited for visitors.

Further information about the exhibition:

www.mgslodz.pl/aktualnosci/miedzy-niebem-a-ziemia-477.html

The celebrations of the 25th anniversary of cooperation between the twin cities of Łódź and Odessa were held on 28 September 2018 at the Klub Spadkobierców restaurant (Łódź, Piotrkowska 77). The main purpose of the event was to strengthen Polish-Ukrainian economic, academic and cultural cooperation. The ceremony was accompanied by a business seminar combined with a tasting of Ukrainian cuisine. The meeting was hosted by Mr. Bogdan Wysocki, Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Łódź. An interesting presentation on the Ukrainian economy and investment opportunities was given by Mr. Igor Baranecki, head of the Economics Department of the Embassy of Ukraine in Poland.

A representative of the City of Odessa visited Łódź from 27 to 30 September. Ms. Marina Brovarska, Director of the Organizational Department of the City of Odessa had the opportunity to visit revitalized urban spaces such as: EC1, Rose Passage and Siudmak's yard. The visit's programme abounded in a cultural events related to the Light Move Festival 2018. This year's festival edition was related to the celebration of the centenary of Poland regaining independence.

On 2nd September 2018, representatives of the City of Łódź took part in the celebrations of the City of Odessa Day. The delegation was headed by Ms. Małgorzata Bartosiak, Chairwoman of the Promotion and International Cooperation Committee of the City Council in Łódź. A congratulatory letter was sent to the mayor of Odessa from mayor Hanna Zdanowska.

From 15 to 17 July 2017, representatives of the City of Łódź Office, as well as the Władysław Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts took part in the Odesa Fashion Week Cruise.

5-7 October 2017 - participation of Łódź delegation in the 5T Promotion and Investment Forum in Odesa. Website of the event: http://2017.odessa5t.com/en/

From 21 to 23 June 2016 - a visit to Łódź of a group of 50 local government officials from Ukraine on the occasion of participation in the educational program 'School of Mayors'. The goal of the programme is to prepare mayors of cities, social and political activists in Ukraine to manage cities in conditions of decentralization. The reform of decentralization in Ukraine is one of the most important and Ukrainian local governments are facing challenges similar to those which Poland successfully met in the 1990s. During the organization of the visit to Łódź, representatives from many regions of Ukraine, including partner cities, obtained information on the following issues:

• opracowanie i wdrożenie strategii rozwoju miasta;
• opracowanie i wdrożenie strategii marketingowej i marki miasta;
• strukturę organów wykonawczych urzędu;
• measures to support entrepreneurship and local economy development;
• attracting investment and public-private partnership;
• development of technology parks and clusters;
• budgeting, on the example of the city of Łódź (income and expenses);
• principles of the civic budget;
• education and health care;
• solid waste management;
• city planning and spatial management;
• revitalization.
  

From 24 to 28 October 2016 - visit to Łódź of the delegation of the Department of Health of the Odesa City Office. Exchange of experience and good practices in healthcare. The delegation from the partner city gained knowledge about the principles of functioning of municipal health facilities, emergency medical services, crisis management and security as well as urban greenery and principles of managing the assets of the City of Łódź.

A Łódź delegation headed by the Deputy Mayor Krzysztof Piątkowski participated in the City of Odesa Festival.

News on the Odesa city website:

http://omr.gov.ua/ru/news/87284/
http://omr.gov.ua/ru/news/87296/
http://omr.gov.ua/ru/news/87301/

An official delegation from Odesa including the representatives of the Health Department of the Odessa City Hall visited Łódź. The purpose of the visit was to continue the cooperation started in June 2015 in the field of emergency medical services, the functioning of municipal hospitals and health clinics.

Guests from Odessa visited, among others, the jonscher Municipal Hospital, where they learned about the principles of functioning of hospital emergency departments. At the Rydygier Municipal Hospital  they became acquainted with the Quality Management System according to EN ISO 9001: 2008 as well as preventive activities and health promotion at the Birth School.

The visit shows that cities' twinning cooperation concerns various fields. At a time when Ukraine was facing a war, partner assistance was particularly needed. Through cooperation at the local government level, Poland expressed its solidarity with Ukraine in a difficult period.

Meetings with the Mayor of Łódź, the Secretary of the City and representatives of the Organization Department of the City Hall, the Legal Department and the Department of International Cooperation were held. The talks were focused on the scope of changes in the structure of the City of Łódź after the implementation of the Act on municipal self-government in 1993.

In addition, the 'Youth in Łódź' and 'New Center of Łódź' projects were presented. Journalists visited Łódź and learned examples of industrial architecture and its adaptation.

A delegation from Odesa is paying a visit to Łódź. Guests from Ukraine familiarized themselves with the Polish emergency medical system and shared their own experience in the functioning of healthcare in Ukraine. Creation of a joint Polish-Ukrainian training center is also planned.

The delegation from Ukraine for 5 days in Łódź got to know, among others, the functioning of the 112 emergency number, the organization of the State Medical Rescue System, visited, among others Provincial Medical Rescue Station, Ambulance Air Base and Mikołaj Kopernik Regional Hospital.

"On 2nd May last year, Odesa underwent a very serious medical emergency test. 43 people died in war clashes and almost 300 people were injured. The city faced a huge challenge and we want to share it with Łódź as well. We need support in gaining experience in crisis management methods and city security in similar situations that took place in Odesa. This is the aim pf our visit to Łódź, we want to learn from the partner city how to act" emphasized Elena Tieriajewa from the Department of Health Protection of the Odesa Regional State Administration.

The Deputy Mayor of Łódź Krzysztof Piątkowski is convinced that the experience, even gained in such crisis situations, must be drawn.

The official delegation of Łódź together with representatives of Falck Medycyna Sp z o.o. took part in the Festival of the City of Odessa at the invitation of Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov. The programme of the stay included many meetings in the City Hall as well as in the Odessa Voivodship Office in the field of building local government structures, their functioning and financing, as well as the principles of the Health Service in Poland. The visit was a continuation of the talks undertaken in June this year, during the stay of the delegation of representatives of the Odesa Health Department in Łódź. The inhabitants of Odesa want to learn not only how to cooperate in emergency medical services, but also broadly understood civil protection. Tragic events of 2nd May 2014, when two opposing political groups clashed in the city center, resulting in 43 deaths. These experiences forced the City and Voivodship Authorities to analyze and take action in the field of health care reform. Because at the time of crisis it turned out that the city was completely unprepared for such events. There was no coordination of rescue and medical services, hospitals were overcrowded, chaos reigned, there was no possibility of segregating the wounded, and these were victims with post-burn and gunshot wounds. Ukraine is currently on the threshold of many state reforms. This is a very important time in the history of Ukraine, therefore Łódź as a partner city supports Odesa and shares its knowledge and experience.

A two-person delegation from Odesa visited Łódź. We have been connected with partenrship with the Ukrainian city since 1993. Tatiana Herasymenko, Secretary of the City of Odessa and Ivan Pozdniakow, Director of the Department of Municipal Property of the City Office of Odesa City Office, participated in the meetings with the secretary of the city of Łódź Barbara Mrozowska-Nieradko. They also discussed the practical functioning of Łódź's self-government, including municipal programmes encouraging to invest in Łódź, or ways of implementing electronic document circulation. A large part of the visit was devoted to the types of property of the Treasury in Łódź, methods of their management and privatization, and plans to sell municipal property.

Visit of the official delegation from Odesa and implementation of the project "Odesa comes to visit" - a screening of Ukrainian films at the Museum of Cinematography in Łódź, a presentation of films promoting Odesa, a photo exhibition, an outdoor screening of silent cinema along with live music show.

The performance of soloists from the Odesa Musical Theater at the Musical Theater in Łódź as part of the jubilee concert "Fiddler on the Roof" on the 30th anniversary of the Polish premiere.

The contest about the life and work of Julian Tuwim took place in Odesa - a partner city of Łódź. This year, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of cooperation. In a competition conducted among children from Odesa schools, children showed enormous knowledge about the life of the poet. The winners received awards, diplomas and, most importantly, an invitation to Łódź.

The awards were presented by the director of the Promotion, Tourism and International Cooperation Office, Bartłomiej Wojdak. During the meeting, Adam Kocher, director of the Julian Tuwim Palace of Youth was also present.
In addition, as part of the Polish Days in Odesa, a photo exhibition entitled "Białowieża National Park", which interested many walking families with children. The sport accent was the match of school football teams played at the Spartak Stadium. The winning team received the Cup of the Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Odesa.

We invite you to watch the reportage from the jubilee (part I):

https://youtu.be/YJYpO6nlGws

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of partner cooperation between Łódź and Odesa, from 30 August to 4 September, a delegation with representatives of the Promotion, Tourism and International Cooperation Office,along with the City Council in Łódź, and the W. Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts, the Museum of Cinematography, the SAMOKHIN BAND and the Youth Inter-school female choir IUVENALES CANTORES LODZIENSES presented a wide cultural and artistic offer to the inhabitants of Odesa.

At the U-Cinema, for the fourteenth time the Office of Promotion, Tourism and International Cooperation of the City of Łódź in cooperation with the Museum of Cinematography, organized a presentation of the best Polish films (XIV Panorama of New Polish in Odessa), which began traditionally on the Day of Odesa Day, i.e. 30 August. Film screenings and meetings with authors took place mainly in U-Cinema - a cinema located on the premises of the legendary film studio and several other cultural centers in Odesa. The event was opened by a concert of the Samokhin Band and the screening of the movie "1920. The Battle of Warsaw". The programme of the festival included: "Roundup" directed by Marcin Kryształowicz,"The Fifth Season of the Year" by Jerzy Domaradzki,"80 million" by Waldemar Krzystek,"Wymyk"- the drama of Greg Zgliński. Each screening took place with a complete audience.

The unquestioned star of this year's edition was Jerzy Hoffman, extremely warmly welcomed by the inhabitants of Odesa at any age. The director's meetings with the audience enjoyed great success: twice with viewers watching the movie '1920. Warsaw Battle "(in 3D and 2D), as well as before the movie "Ukraine. Birth of a Nation". During the master class, young people were interested not only in the details of film production, but also in the artist's creative path. His documentary film "Ukraine. Birth of the nation" also had its screening in the open air. An exhibition of works by students of the Department of Workshop Graphics at the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź was presented in the Municipal Gallery of the Odesa City Hall. The exhibition will be open until the end of September. Cooperation between the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź and the Painting Department was established and Graphics of the Academy of Architecture and Construction in Odesa. The official agreement in this regard was signed by the rector of the university Prof. Jolanta Rudzka-Habisiak and the Dean of the Ukrainian university. Concerts of the Łódź band Samokhin Band, which performed at the Greek Square in the center of Odesa during the partner cities festival, and a unique performance with Jurie Kuzniecowy, the famous Ukrainian jazzman at the popular jazz club "Bernadazzi" in Odesa, enjoyed great interest among the audience.

Łódź delegation also met with Mayor of the city Aleksiej Kostusiew.

We invite you to watch the video coverage (part II)     

https://youtu.be/O0FfMmGvcT4

Children and young people from Szeged and Odesa, our partner cities, came to Łódź. Arrival was the main prize in the poetry competition of Julian Tuwim. In Łódź they could see Piotrkowska, Manufaktura, EC-1 and the fairy tale museum. They met with mayor Hanna Zdanowska. - I hope you will get to know and like Łódź, and a visit to our city will be a good opportunity to learn Polish - said Mayor Hanna Zdanowska.

Cooperation between Łódź and Odesa, our partner city, is developing well. A group of school pupils from Ukraine came to our city as part of the prize for participating in various competitions dedicated to Poland.

In the Secondary School Complex No. 5 at Drewnowska Street organized workshops for them in the form of economic games. The meeting was attended by the Deputy Mayor of Łódź Krzysztof Piątkowski, who welcomed Ukrainian youth from friendly Odesa. The children received gifts with Teddy Floppy Ears, and the rich stay program also included participation in events related to the feast of Łódź. Guests leave home on Sunday evening.

From 5 to 7 September, the Ukrainian audience had the opportunity to watch the productions  important for Polish cinematography, distinguished at national and international festivals.

The review is organized annually to celebrate the Odesa City Day (celebrated on September 1 and 2), and will last until 7th September. The screenings of the latest Polish films are a special kind of gift that Łódź offers to Odesa - a partner city. Among the invited guests are: Włodzimierz Niderhaus, producer and co-producer of the films "Rose" (the title that opened the review) and "Galerianki" (the famous directorial debut of Katarzyna Rosłaniec) and Dorota Kędzierzawska - the director of the picture "Tomorrow will be better". After the screeing of "Rose" there was a concert of Russian war songs "Two banks" performed by Lech Dyblik, Alexei Siemieniszczew and Ilya Zmiejew.

The programme also included "In Darkness" (a picture directed by Agnieszka Holland, nominated for an Oscar in the category: best foreign film), "Suicide Room" (directing debut of Jan Komasa, one of the most talented directors of the young generation) and "Entanglement" (example a crime novel in Polish cinema).

- The presentation of Polish films in Odesa is always awaited by numerous admirers of our cinema, of which Poles living here constitute a significant part. For us, the organization of the event annually raises great emotions and brings unforgettable impressions - says Mieczysław Kuźmicki, director of the Museum of Cinematography in Łódź.

The organizers of the event are: the Museum of Cinematography in Łódź, the Office of Promotion, Tourism and International Cooperation of the City of Łódź, the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Odesa and the "U-Cinema" cinema in Odessa. The Film Portal is the media patron of the event.

On the occasion of the 2nd Forum of Partner Cities in Łódź, delegations from 7 partner cities visited the city: Russia (Kaliningrad, Ivanovo), Ukraine (Lviv, Odessa), Finland (Tampere), Georgia (Rustavi), Mexico (Puebla).

This year's theme of the forum was to stimulate local entrepreneurship and attract foreign investment. In addition to a special programme for representatives of the city of Puebla, who were particularly interested in the business environment for innovative companies introducing advanced "clean technologies", especially companies from the automotive sector and foundations developing civil society with the use of EU funds, the rest of the delegation implemented the prepared programme.

The programme for 25.10.2012 included study visits to the city and meetings with the head of the Łódź Regional Science and Technology Park, W. Reymont Airport, Barry Callebaut company, the New Centre of Łódź and Manufaktura.

On 26.10.2012 the representatives of the cities took part in a conference devoted to stimulating entrepreneurship and attracting foreign investments, presenting their solutions in this area. During each of the meetings, the guests of the Forum saw the possibilities of applying examples of solutions applied in Łódź to their country - among others, participation of companies from the innovative technology sector from their country in the Łódź Regional Science and Technology Park, establishing air connections between the cities, cooperation in joint projects supported by EU funds or youth and academic cooperation.

TVP3 Łódź television made a coverage from this meeting.

We invite you to watch the reportage:

https://youtu.be/VBK2-A_M0zE

A two-day workshop for partner cities in Łódź was held at the Committee of the Regions headquarters in Brussels. Delegations from Odessa, Lviv, Kaliningrad and Ivanov took part in the workshops. The delegates took part in seminars on the idea of the activities of individual European institutions and the possibilities of obtaining funding for EU initiatives. Representatives of the partner cities also met with the Ambassador of Ukraine to the Kingdom of Belgium, Igor Dolhov, the Ambassador of Poland to the Kingdom of Belgium, Sławomir Czarlewski and Minister Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, a member of the Euronest Eastern Partnership Parliamentary Assembly in the European Parliament. At the end of the visit, the guests participated in the Łódź Club, a meeting of Lodz citizens working in European institutions in Brussels.

Delegation from Łódź, which included, among others the Łódź Voivode Jolanta Chełmińska and the Vice President of the City of Łódź Krzysztof Piątkowski took part in the celebrations of Polish Days in Odessa, related to Poland taking over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Delegates attended a.o. in the meeting with the Deputy and Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation of the City of Odesa, opening of the exhibition about Łódź at the Literature Museum. As part of the visit, the "SE-MA-FOR On Tour - Oscar animation from Łódź in Odesa" project was also implemented in Odesa, the latest puppet films were reviewed.

Sergey Kalinczuk the director of the Helathcare Department along with the deputy director Wiaczesław Polasnyj came to Lodz for a study visit. The delegation from Odessa met with the deputy Mayor of the City Krzysztof Piątkowski and as part of learning about the functioning of municipal health care facilities visited, among others K. Jonscher III Municipal Hospital, Family Service Center and MOPiTU.

Continuously since 2000, always in the first decade of September and always with the help of the Museum of Cinematography in Łódź, the inhabitants of Odesa in Ukraine have the opportunity to see the latest Polish films. A special occasion for these presentations is the Festival of Odesa, celebrated on September 1 and 2; this year it will be the 217th anniversary since the city was founded. Polish film screenings are a special kind of gift that Łódź offers to Odesa - a partner city.

This year's presentation includes titles important for Polish cinema, distinguished and awarded at national and international festivals; several of them are important for the tradition of Łódź as film city. Among these, of course, there will be Andrzej Wajda's "Promised Land", a great film epic showing the beginnings of the great industrial Łódź with unforgettable creations by Daniel Olbrychski, Wojciech Pszoniak and Andrzej Seweryn playing the roles of Lodzermensch. Łódź roots also have the latest film by Ryszard Brylski "Wonderful Summer", entirely filmed in Łódź and the surrounding area, and produced by Opus Film. It will be shown at one screening with "The Ballade of Tree Felling", Feridun Erol's medium-length debut from 1972. in turn, an absurd, a bit grotesque comedy kept in the atmosphere of early paintings by Roman Polański and Marek Piwowski with the participation of once popular actors in Łódź. For the director of this film, a representative of the artistically strong (and not only) Erol clan, the presentation of the film in Odesa will be at the same time a sentimental journey of a special kind: the father of the director, a confectioner known in Łódź for years, the owner of the popular "Turkish Confectionery" at Pomorska Street, started his professional career in Odesa, from where he came to Poland before the war.
Other titles are exclusively new productions from 2010/11: "Joanna" by Feliks Falk, "Baptism" by Marcin Wrona, "Lullaby" by Juliusz Machulski, "Erratum" by Marek Lechki, "Venice" by Jan Jakub Kolski and "Female-Male War" by Łukasz Palkowski.

The festival, prepared by the Museum of Cinematography in Łódź, was carried out with the participation of the Office of Promotion, Tourism and International Cooperation of the City of Łódź Office, the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Odessa and the "U-Cinema" cinema in Odesa, and was held from 1 to 7 September 2011.

Film promoting the festival in Odesa (Film)

Visit of journalists from Odesa in Łódź.

The audience in Odesa enthusiastically and emotionally received the spectacle "Fiddler on the Roof" prepared by the Musical Theater in Łódź. The musical was the artistic culmination of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The event took place in the evening of 17 December at the Musical Comedy Theater.

A group of about 100 artists and technical support went to Odesa, as well as a delegation from the City of łódź Office headed by Deputy Mayor Agnieszka Nowak. The visit was held at the invitation of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Odesa.

- We are proud that in such a beautiful city we were able to open and close the Polish Presidency together - said Agnieszka Nowak, Deputy Mayor of Łódź, during a press conference. - I wish that the bonds between our cities are even closer. Łódź has the ambition to be a city of culture and creative industries, and our cultural exchange perfectly fits this vision.
The director of the Musical Theater, Grażyna Posmykiewicz, emphasized that over the last four years, due to the renovation of their seat, the artists often traveled.

- We thought it was the end of our trips, but these intense years end with a great accent here in Ukraine - said G. Posmykiewicz.

The performance of Łódź artists at the Musical Comedy Theater emphasized the friendly relations of Łódź and Odesa - partner cities since 1993. At the premiere of "Fiddler on the Roof" - one of the most famous musicals played in Łódź continuously for several years, not only representatives of the Polish diaspora appeared, but also Russians and Ukrainians. People who did not speak Polish could use the inscriptions displayed during the musical with a text in Russian. The theater hall filled to the brim with loud applause rewarded the artists after a nearly 3-hour performance. The Music Theater crew also received flowers from the mayor of Odessa Alexei Kostusiew and representatives of the consulates.

Pokaz „Skrzypka na dachu" to jeden z wielu wspólnych projektów, które w 2011 r. udało się zrealizować Łodzi i Odessie. W dniach 1-3 lipca w związku z objęciem przez Polskę przewodnictwa w Radzie Unii Europejskiej odbył się przegląd najnowszych filmów lalkowych „SE-MA-FOR ON TOUR OSKAROWA ANIMACJA Z ŁODZI W ODESSIE", a w dniach 1-7 września miała miejsce XII Panorama Kina Polskiego w kinie U-Cinema w Odessie, zorganizowana wspólnie z Muzeum Kinematografii w Łodzi.

The show "Fiddler on the Roof" is one of the many joint projects that were successfully implemented by Łódź and Odesa in 2011. Between 1-3 July, in connection with Poland taking over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the latest puppet films of "SE -MA-FOR ON TOUR OSCAR ANIMATION FROM ŁÓDŹ IN ODESA", and Between 1-7 September the 12th Panorama of Polish Cinema took place in the U-Cinema in Odesa, organized jointly with the Museum of Cinematography in Łódź.

The effects of cooperation between cities were presented in a special film material, which showed TVP Łódź television on the second day of Christmas at 17.15.

A group of 6 dancers participated in the 3rd International Dance Festival in Łódź, at the invitation of the City of Łódź Office, organized by the Impresario Agency IGO-ART and City of Łódź Office.

The Łódź delegation took part in the 216th anniversary of the Odessa City Festival.

XI Festival of New Polish Cinema in Odessa, promoting the City of Łódź as a center of film art.

Winners of the competition "What I Know About Poland" visited Łódź. Three young residents of Odesa took part in artistic workshops at the Academy of Humanities and Economics, celebrated together with Łódź residents during the Łódź Festival, visited Łódź museums during the Night of Museums. They also met with the Deputy Mayor of Łódź Halina Rosiak.

Mayor of the City of Odesa, Mr. Edward Gurwicz, together with a 5-person delegation participated in the solemn celebration of the 65th anniversary of the liquidation of Litzmannstadt Ghetto.

The City of Łódź delegation took part in the 215 anniversary of the City of Odessa.

The 10th Polish Film Festival took place in Odesa, organized by the City of Łódź Office and the Museum of Cinematography in Łódź.

An official delegation from the City of Łódź Office participated in the celebrations of the Odesa City Festival, during which the 9th Polish Film Festival in Odesa took place.