Editor's Note: These are courtesy translations of local news provided by the U.S. Army Garrison Poland Public Affairs team for the benefit the military community stationed here. Views or opinions are not endorsed by USAG Poland or the U.S. Army.
Angel Beach in Torun
The all-star match with the participation of Toruń Olympians inaugurated the games within the Angel Beach. Until August 24, we invite you to support the team on the Vistula Meadows.
LOTTO Angel Beach, an event accompanying the Bella Skyway Festival, is the second edition of the exceptional volleyball tournament. Fans can expect professional competitions for women, men and mixed teams, held on the Vistula River in Toruń.
For the inauguration, a show match of stars was prepared with the participation of Toruń Olympian Aneta Rygielska , former Toruń Apator speedway rider Adrian Miedziński, CUK Toruń volleyball players: Isbel Mesa Sandoval, Mateusz Podborączyński and coach Krzysztof Stelmach, as well as the director of the Department of Sports and Recreation of the Toruń City Office, Andżelika Dzięgiel-Poślady.
“We have 5 days of joint volleyball fun ahead of us. I invite you to support the players and admire the evening show matches,” said director Dzięgiel-Poślada at the opening of the event.
One of the main attractions of Angel Beach are the night matches related to the Bella Skyway festival, in which players play in fluorescent costumes using a glowing ball and with illuminated pitch lines.
Bella Skyway illuminates Toruń
The 15th edition of the oldest light festival in Poland has started. Until August 24, we invite you to Toruń for a great celebration of light - Bella Skyway Festival!
5 days filled with the magic of light shows, artists from 9 countries, 18 installations in three zones: In the Toruń Old Town, in the Marzen Valley and the Vistula Meadows. This is how this year's Bella Skyway Festival, one of the most important cultural events in Toruń, promises to be.
We started celebrating together on August 20 at the AZS Marina.
Today we begin a beautiful adventure with light, space and darkness that creates an incredible atmosphere. I consider the 15th edition of the Bella Skyway Festival to have begun! Let's have fun! - said the president of Toruń, Paweł Gulewski, opening the Festival.
We are opening a festival with a distinctly artistic character. Among the 18 prepared installations, everyone will find places that will move them, evoke emotions and speed up the heartbeat, it is worth seeing them all - said the deputy mayor of Toruń, Adam Szponka.
Toruń is the most beautiful place in the world, and in the coming days also the most illuminated. Let this light accompany us and show the magic of our city - said Marcin Czyżniewski, representing the Toruń City Council.
Right after the official inauguration, the first show "Lithos" prepared by the Spanish group of artists Voala Company awaited the participants. This aerial visual and musical spectacle combines elements of a concert, acrobatics and a light show. Tickets for the show can be purchased on eBilet.pl and KupBilecik.pl, at the price of PLN 20 (children under 5 enter free of charge). "Lithos" is the only paid presentation during this year's edition of BSF. This magical combination of music, movement and light will create an unforgettable effect, waiting for both younger and older viewers every day of the festival at 8:30 p.m. All other installations can be visited free of charge.
Harvest Festival in Zagan Community – Trzebień and Malomice (near Zagan)
Dożynki, also known as Harvest Festival, have a long-standing tradition in Poland, dating back to pagan times when people celebrated the end of the harvest season. Historically, it was a time to give thanks to the gods for a bountiful harvest and to ensure prosperity for the coming year. The celebration typically took place in late August or early September, following the completion of harvesting crops like wheat and rye.
Culturally, Dożynki is marked by various rituals and symbols. One of the key elements is the making of a wreath, often crafted from the last sheaf of grain, which is a symbol of abundance and the cycle of life. This wreath is presented to the local landowner or, in modern times, to the community leader, as a gesture of thanks.
The festival includes folk music, dancing, and feasting, reflecting Poland's deep agricultural roots. Traditional foods, such as bread baked from the new grain, are central to the celebration. Over time, Dożynki has evolved into a broader community event, celebrating not only the harvest but also Polish rural culture and traditions.
The Harvest Festival will take place in Trzebień and will traditionally begin with the Harvest Mass. Afterwards, there will be time to view the elaborate Harvest wreaths that will be displayed for visitors.
On the harvest festival stage (and outside it) the local folk groups will perform – the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Bolesławiec Region, the Communal Song and Dance Ensemble "Jutrzenka" and the Singing Ensembles from Ocice, Żeliszów and Dobra .
In addition to the contests for the audience, in which attractive prizes are provided, you can also fight for the win in the competition for the best roll. Here, the prizes will be the Instax Mini 12 Camera, Nintendo Switch Lite Console and JBL Xtreme 3 Speaker.
On this day, accordionists will perform polish folk songs - we hope that you will refresh yourselves with the lyrics of these three songs and support the musicians with your singing. We encourage everyone who can play the accordion to join in the joint playing.
But that's not all. We invited owners of tractors to Trzebień - both new and vintage.
The ladies will probably be interested in the display of wreaths, which will be created at workshops organized in Kraśnik Górny. The display will take the form of a fashion show, and people willing to try their hand at making them will be on August 23 (Dom Ludowy in Kraśnik Górny).
Additionally on Saturday, August 24, 2024, a grand harvest festival of the Żagań district will take place at the reservoir in Małomice! There will be the Beaver Trail Run, a harvest wreath competition, a presentation of awards for promoting culture, and there will be no shortage of stars: Paweł Stasiak with the PapaD band. You will be able to get to Małomice by free transport.
In cooperation with the Municipal Transport Company in Żagań, the Żagań district has prepared a free bus ride for all residents for this year's District-Community Harvest Festival in Małomice.
Performances at the Y festival
On Wednesday, August 21, 2024, the first edition of the interdisciplinary music and art festival Y - Festival of Sound and Arts Żagań 2024 began at the Żagań Palace of Culture. The event will last until Sunday, August 25 in the palace and park. On the first day, it was possible to take part in, among others, theater and music workshops and a meeting with Żaneta Chłostowska-Szwaczka, an artist from Żagań.
The artist has many group and individual exhibitions under her belt, including in Warsaw, Paris, Berlin and Rome. Auction houses that sell her paintings describe her art as magical realism. The painter's favorite subject is women. During a meeting with the audience on Wednesday, in the Inter Hall, she spoke about dialogue with the recipient, as well as about the social roles imposed on both women and men.
Żaneta Chłostowska-Szwaczka runs her own art gallery at Rynek 11 in Żagań, on the second floor. - There are many people who paint, draw, etc. wonderfully - she said. - The Żagań palace is a wonderful place for exhibitions, but large and demanding. Hence the idea for exhibitions in almost homely conditions, although with a setting like at "large" exhibitions. The formula works, and many people come to the openings.
We invite you to visit the website www.yfest.pl , where you will find detailed information about the festival events. Admission to the events is free.
Celebrate Princess Dorota's birthday in Zagan
On Saturday, August 24, we invite you to join us in celebrating the 231st anniversary of the birth of the Duchess of Żagań, Dorota de Talleyrand-Perigord. The Duchess was one of the most influential women of her era. We owe the present shape of the extensive palace and park complex and the form of the historic hospital complex of St. Dorota to her actions.
In order to honor the memory of an exceptional resident of our city, together with the Society of Friends of Żagań, we encourage you to learn about the life story of an extraordinary princess. We will meet on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. at the gate of the State Music School to visit the former hospital and the Church of the Holy Cross - the burial place of the Catholic part of the princely family, including the princess herself.
At 6:00 p.m. the exhibition “Palace Rooms in Old Gouaches” will open in the Palace’s Administrative Hall, and at 6:30 p.m. an audio-guided tour of the palace will begin.
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