Will the Wroclaw parks be filled with culture? Will the most beautiful green areas of Wroclaw turn into artistic Hyde Parks? Will we applaud the creativity and inventiveness of Wroclaw inhabitants every weekend? Will the parks become another place of cultural meetings, concerts, performances, stand-ups, mutual inspirations, fun and relax?
Parks to be filled with culture
From now on, there will be a huge opportunity for this. On the initiative of the European Capital of Culture (ESK), the so-called ESK Parks have been established. “Pavilions of culture” – oceanic containers with stage facilities and an auditorium – are installed in three Wroclaw parks: Park Staszica, Park Grabiszyński and Park Południowy.
‘We put them at the disposal of Wroclaw inhabitants and we want to invite them to get organised around them and create cultural events on a housing-estate, inter-estate or district scale together,’ says Krzysztof Maj, Director General of the European Capital of Culture 2016 Office. ‘We encourage inhabitants to utilise the potential of these place and to present their own skills and artistic passions to others.’
The pavilions were installed in Park Południowy (on the clearing near Chopin’s monument), Park Grabiszyński (near ul. Solskiego, close to the playground) and Plac Staszica (near the fountain). Each container is equipped with sound amplification devices with microphones. There is room for exhibitions and the stage, as well as comfortable seats for the audience. It is also important that toilets are available on the spot.
‘We hope that Wroclaw inhabitants will surprise us with their creativity. This place is open to all kinds of social initiatives,’ says Beata Nawrotkiewicz from the Wroclaw Social Development Centre, the co-ordinator of the pavilion in Park Grabiszyński. ‘The ESK Parks project differs from Wyspa Słodowa and some other projects, because what will happen here is only up to inhabitants. Our task is only to co-ordinate all events and make sure that several people do not arrange their lectures, exhibitions or concerts at the same time. The schedule of initiatives planned by inhabitants will be available on our Facebook event page and on the board installed on the spot,’ she adds. For relevant contact details, see the end of this article.
All pavilions will be open during the summer period on every Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. till 7:00 p.m. (or longer, if necessary). ESK Parks will become available from the 11th of July. It is up to inhabitants and visitors to decide how they will function. Theatres, cabarets, concerts, discussion clubs, an open-air reading room, outdoor exhibitions, an exercise area – these are only selected ideas. The organisers hope that Wroclaw inhabitants will surprise them with other purposes for which containers of culture can be used as well.
‘We believe in the potential that lurks in people. Wroclaw is a city of creative persons, so we encourage them to show this creativity also in parks,’ says Dorota Feliks, Director of the Wroclaw Social Development Centre. ‘We want to give everyone the opportunity to become an artist in the European Capital of Culture and extend the cultural offer of Wroclaw.’
The program of ESK Parks will not be determined in advance – everything depends on the inventiveness of inhabitants, who are invited by co-ordinators to come and see new spaces for Wroclaw culture and think how to make use of them and present their own passions to other inhabitants.
We invite you to co-operate!
Municipal parks are at the disposal of all inhabitants, and so are pavilions of culture – everybody can make use of them. It is enough to contact the relevant co-ordinator of one of the ESK Parks and arrange the date and time and the subject-matter:
- Co-ordinator of Park Południowy: [email protected], phone 883 044 377
- Co-ordinator of Park Grabiszyński: [email protected], phone 883 044 378
- Co-ordinator of Park Staszica: [email protected], phone 883 044 372
