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.
Tractors ride through the streets of Toruń
This Sunday at around 4:00 PM, around 20 agricultural tractors will drive through the streets of Toruń. The participants of the ride assure that they will not block traffic. With this action, they only want to draw attention to the problems that Polish agriculture is struggling with.
The ride of 20 illuminated and decorated with Christmas accents tractors is planned for the upcoming Sunday through the streets of Toruń. The organizers of the event announce the ride without blocking the streets.
- We will be moving in a tight column, at a speed of 30 km/h. A police car will be at the front, and the end will be similar - explains Bartłomiej Lipka, one of the organizers of the ride.
New Year's Eve Power of Hits 2024 in Torun - information
Toruń will bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new one during the New Year's Eve Power of Hits with Polsat Television. We have prepared a package with the most important information regarding the organization of traffic around the Old Town Complex, the operation of public transport, parking lots and safety.
The stage, which is already under construction in the Old Town Square, will feature Kayah, Lady Pank, Kombii, Grzegorz Hyży, Golec uOrkiestra, Enej, Doda, Oskar Cyms, Bum Bum Orkiestar, Boys, Karol Kolorek, Dawid Kwiatkowski, Natalia Nykiel, Skolim, Smolasty, Roxie Węgiel, Anna Wyszkoni, Julia Żugaj (one of the hosts of the event), Vix.N, Zenon Martyniuk, Maryla Rodowicz and Sławek Uniatowski from Toruń.
- I can safely say that this is the largest logistical undertaking in the history of entertainment events in Toruń. I think I can say this as someone who has been organizing concerts, large events and events for 25 years. We have been working on the Old Town Square since November, because we had to transport heavy structures before the fair started. It just so happened that two large events occupying a large area coincided in time, but fortunately our cooperation is so good that the fair and our work are carried out without any problems - adds Wojciech Zaguła, executive producer - SOS Music, the event organizer.
Below we publish the most important information regarding the organization of New Year's Eve Power of Hits 2024 in Toruń:
Security
When organising the New Year’s Eve Power of Hits, security measures appropriate to the nature and importance of the event were used.
The public will be allowed to enter the mass event area from 5:00 p.m. on December 31, 2024. It is worth knowing that the mass event area (fenced off with barrier fences) includes: Old Town Square, Chełmińska Street (on the section from Szewska Street to Fosa Staromiejska Street), Żeglarska Street (on the section from Szeroka Street to Św. Jana Street), Różana Street (on the section from Old Town Square to Piekary Street):
- a designated area of the Old Town Square will be designated during the mass event for persons participating in the mass event (for the public).
- the designated area of the Old Town Market Square will be used during the mass event as a technical strip for: possible movement of emergency services and the Police, access for residents (and their guests) to their apartments located in the tenement houses at the Old Town Market Square, access for people to the catering establishments located in the tenement houses at the Old Town Market Square. The technical strip is the area near the tenement houses at the Old Town Market Square. It is not possible to observe the concert from the technical strip at the Old Town Market Square, it must be passable for emergency services and the Police.
- Chełmińska Street (on the section from Szewska Street to Fosa Staromiejska Street) will be used as an evacuation route and an access road for rescue services during the mass event. The sidewalks on both sides of Chełmińska Street (on the section from Szewska Street to Fosa Staromiejska Street) do not constitute the mass event area.
- Żeglarska Street (on the section from Szeroka Street to Św. Jana Street) will be used as an evacuation route and an access road for rescue services during the mass event. The sidewalks on both sides of Żeglarska Street (on the section from Szeroka Street to Św. Jana Street) do not constitute the mass event area.
Różana Street (on the section from the Old Town Square to Piekary Street) will be used as technical facilities for the mass event during the mass event. There will be 4 main entrances to the mass event area from Chełmińska, Szewska, Szeroka and Żeglarska Streets. People with disabilities will be able to enter the mass event area from Panny Marii Street.
There will be two information points at the entrance to the mass event – from ul. Chełmińska and ul. Żeglarska/Szeroka – you will be able to get information about the event there, and parents will be able to collect stickers that can be stuck to their child's jacket (with the option of sharing a phone), so that – in the event of a child being lost – it will be easier to find them.
The area designated for the public will be able to accommodate up to 10,000 people. A crowd counting system will be introduced, allowing for monitoring the current number of people in the area of a mass event designated for the public. No seats for spectators are planned.
For the safety of event participants, bus blockades will be located on Chełmińska Street and Królowej Jadwigi Street.
There will be no fireworks – partner TV Polsat has prepared a special aerial drone show that viewers will be able to see in front of their TVs.
The following is prohibited at the event venue: bringing dogs and other animals, conducting any commercial or other profit-making activity without the organiser’s authorisation, recording the concert using professional sound and image recording equipment, flights using drones and other powered aircraft.
Traffic organization
On December 31st from 9:00 a.m. it will not be possible to enter the Old Town Complex area:
- from the side of Jana Pawła II Avenue (Artylerii Square) into Fosa Staromiejska Street and Wały gen. Sikorskiego;
- from Teatralny Square to Fosa Staromiejska and Piekary Streets.
Drivers with a permit, subscriptions, and people commuting to parking spaces at properties, including hotel guests, will be able to enter.
Drivers coming from Niepodległości Square will have the option of turning into Wały gen. Sikorskiego Street.
Drivers exiting the J. Piłsudski road bridge onto Ślimak Getyński will only be able to reach Popiełuszki and Chopina streets.
A barrier will be set up at the intersection of the Old Town Moat and Horzyca. There will be a City Guard patrol at it, which will only allow authorized persons to pass, i.e. with a permit, those with subscriptions, arriving at parking spaces at the properties, including hotel guests. Entry will be possible until 3 p.m. From 3 p.m., total entry is prohibited, except for emergency services.
The change in traffic organization will be in effect until 3:00-4:00 a.m. on January 1, 2025, depending on the situation. The decision on changes will be made by the Police.
Public transport
From 6:00 p.m. on December 31 until 4:00 a.m. on January 1, 2025, public transport is free of charge.
Christmas in Torun!
St. Nicholas Day is behind us, there is a fair in the Old Town Square, the Christmas tree is standing in the New Town Square, and the Christmas tram is racing along the tracks. It's time for the holidays!
December is a special time in our city. Despite the pre-holiday rush, it is worth going for a walk and taking advantage of all the attractions that are available at this time of year.
Look for gifts at the fair
This year's Toruń Christmas Fair features 70 exhibitors in 55 beautiful Christmas booths. Among them, you can find original Christmas decorations, regional products, natural food products, jewelry, and leather goods. Certainly, more than one person will find unique gifts for their loved ones here. Just like in recent years, as part of the event, you can take a ride on the Venetian carousel, the observation wheel, or the Christmas train. The fair is open until December 22nd.
At the nursery…
The Toruń Nativity Scene has already been set up in the New Town Square. It is one of the largest installations of this type in Poland – it has an area of 180 square meters. Inside, there are 25 life-size polychrome sculptures. These are wooden figures (the Holy Family, the Three Kings, angels) and animals that remind visitors of what the biblical place of the Nativity looked like.
The whole is completed by Christmas trees. 40 small trees came from the Golub-Dobrzyń Forest District. The trees are decorated with light chains with a total length of approx. 360 m. The Nativity scene will be open until January 6, 2025.
We also invite you to the Nativity Scene on December 20 for the City Christmas Eve . There will be wishes, warm meals, gifts and singing carols together. Starting at 3:30 p.m.
The ice rink on Skarpa in Torun is already open!
The opening event of the seasonal ice rink Przy Skarpie 2 is behind us.
On Saturday, to the rhythm of the greatest Christmas hits, we handed out lots of sweets, there were games and sports animations.
The event was hosted by Santa's helper, Elf, who invited participants to take part in many competitions. During the event, it was possible to "high five" with a representative of Twarde Pierniki, Rycerze, Piernisław, Miś Nicolaus and Katarzynka from Toruń.
For those who are just starting their skating adventure, demonstration lessons have been prepared by instructors from Team Le Soleil.
There were also penalty shootout competitions, as well as 1x1 hockey duels.
During the animations and competitions, we handed out a whole bunch of invitations from the Municipal Sports and Recreation Center in Toruń to the Toruń ice rink and prizes from Radio GRA.
The event was invited by: the Department of Sports and Recreation of the Toruń City Hall and the Municipal
Sports and Recreation Centre.
Ice rink opening hours:
- Monday - Friday: 08:00 - 21:00
- Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays: 10:00 - 21:00
A fairy-tale world at the Ceramics Museum in Boleslawiec
Christmas is getting closer. The atmosphere of winter holidays has also reached the Ceramics Museum, where characters from various fairy tales have made themselves at home in the interiors of the palace and in the courtyard , as if at Mr. Kleks's ball.
If you want to meet Olaf the reindeer and the snowman (Municipal Public Kindergarten No. 5), Snow White with the seven dwarves (Municipal Public Kindergarten No. 2), the Nutcracker (Municipal Public Kindergarten No. 6), Pinocchio (Municipal Public Kindergarten No. 4), Winnie the Pooh (Municipal Public Kindergarten No. 1), Little Red Riding Hood (Primary School No. 2) and Rudolph the reindeer (Municipal Public Kindergarten No. 7), or take a trip on the Polar Express (Municipal Public Kindergarten No. 3) or learn the story of Philip the butterfly (Primary School No. 3), we invite you to the museum.
Wonderful fairy-tale, Christmas installations were prepared by Bolesławiec kindergarteners and students under the supervision of teachers. Congratulations and thanks are due to the communities of Municipal Public Kindergartens No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 and Primary Schools No. 2 and 3 in Bolesławiec. In addition to artistic installations, children, together with their guardians, prepared wonderful radio plays and songs that can be listened to in the temporary exhibition hall, where currently, among the fragrant Christmas trees, Karkonosze nativity scenes are presented.
We cordially invite all young fairy tale lovers and their guardians to celebrate the pre-Christmas time together and watch and listen to fairy tales . Free admission to the museum is valid from December 19, 2024 (Thursday) to January 6, 2025.
An extraordinary concert in Żagań! In gratitude for people fighting the 2024 flood
The Crystal Hall of the Żagań Palace of Culture was bursting at the seams during the concert "We Need Each Other". This is how we thanked everyone who fought the flood in September 2024. The local government officials were also joined by the Lubusz Voivode Marek Cebula.
- The idea of thanking the volunteers came right after the flood ended - emphasizes Anna Michalczuk, the Żagań district governor. - I was wondering how to thank people of good will and I thought that a concert performed by students of the music school would be a beautiful thank you, especially since during the flood the beautiful school building was also threatened and many people made great sacrifices to secure it. The school's director, Hubert Dziedzic, accepted the idea with enthusiasm and suggested that the concert should take place during the holiday season, introducing a festive atmosphere.
Three months since the flood in Żagań County
Only 3 months have passed since the flood that began in our area on September 15, 2024, and we are already starting to forget about that very difficult time. - I would like to thank all the residents of Lubusz who stood on the embankments and actually saved us all - said Marek Cebula, the governor of Lubusz, who came to the evening concert at the Żagań Palace of Culture, entitled "We need each other". - In many places, such as in the vicinity of Nowogród Bobrzański, the water overflowed the embankments and if it were not for the efforts of the services and volunteers, we would have had much greater losses.
We need each other
During those days, many people helped, including those from outside the Żagań district. It is worth recalling that volunteers came from Żary, among others, and American soldiers stationed in Żagań and the surrounding area also helped.
The mayor of Żagań saved the city together with its inhabitants
The concert was co-authored by the mayor of Żagań, Sławomir Kowal, who shortly after being sworn in (May 7, 2024) had to deal with dramatic events. - When I started my term, there was a fire on Bema Street, where families lost their homes - he recalls. - Then there was a flood.
The mayor says he didn't sleep or wash for five days. Fortunately, the city's residents rose to the occasion and thanks to them, the water caused less damage than it could have. - It is worth adding that after the flood wave rolled through Żagań, we helped other towns along the river, including by providing sandbags - the mayor adds. - Currently, thanks to an agreement with Polish Waters, we have the river banks tidied up.
The work was performed, among others, by sappers from Krosno Odrzańskie.
"Hogwarts" was in danger
During the flood, the music school in the buildings of the former surgery and gynecology at Żelazna Street in Żagań was also seriously threatened. The historic "Hogwarts", renovated from the state budget for over PLN 30 million, is located right on the Bóbr River. Teachers and employees were taking valuable instruments and other things out of the basements, and sandbags were being placed by the school by soldiers, among others.
Fortunately, the miraculous building was not damaged and after the flood the students were able to return to it.
Thanks to uniformed and civilian personnel
The audience in the Crystal Hall of the Żagań Palace of Culture was filled with many city residents and local government officials. Among them was the mayor of the rural commune of Żagań, Leszek Ochrymczuk, and his wife, as well as representatives of the Black Division, the police, the fire department, etc.
After the concert, Voivode Marek Cebula thanked everyone who took part in the flood control action, while Director Hubert Dziedzic presented several people with angel statuettes made by a resident of Wilkanów. They were received by Mayor Sławomir Kowal, District Governor Anna Michalczuk, Mayor Leszek Ochrymczuk, Voivode Marek Cebula and a uniformed officer.
Żagań Christmas Fair on Saturday
This coming Saturday we invite you to the Żagań Christmas Fair. Come and feel the magic of the holidays, discovering the festive stalls full of unique gifts, handicrafts, delicacies and Christmas decorations.
A wonderful atmosphere, music, the smell of gingerbread and other surprises await you, which will put you in the holiday spirit. Local artists will perform on stage - both small and slightly bigger. Join us on December 21st at the City Christmas Eve and experience unforgettable moments in the heart of Żagań! This is a great opportunity to spend time with your loved ones, enjoying the atmosphere of the upcoming Christmas. Let us be united by singing carols together.
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