Wyspianski 2000 opens in center

On Saturday, June 2, Mayer of Krakow Jacek Majchrowski opened the Wyspianski 2000 Exhibition and Information Hall at pl. Wszystkich Swietych, the Press Office of the Krakow Municipality informed.
Stanislaw Wyspianski was a Polish playwright, poet, painter and architect, as well as a skilful cabinetmaker. He combined trends in modernism with themes from Polish folk traditions and Romantic Polish history. Wyspianski?s main concern was the renewal of Polish independence and individual freedoms, as he lived in Krakow from 1869-1907.
Wyspianski designed the stained-glass windows portraying King Kazimierz the Great (King of Poland from 1333-1370, whose image is on the 50 zloty banknote), St. Stanislaw (Bishop of Krakow, known chiefly for having been slain by Polish King Boleslaw ?The Bold? II in 1079) and Prince Henryk the Pious at Legnica (who died in the battle fought by the Polish army against the Mongols at Legnica in 1241), for the presbytery of Wawel Cathedral in 1901. However, they did not receive the approval of the church authorities of that period.
They are found in the collection of Krakow?s National Museum. It was Andrzej Wajda, the most famous Polish film director and Oscar laureate, who came up with the idea of displaying them in an exhibition and information center in 1998.
Architect Krzysztof Ingarden has designed a small, two-story pavilion (380 square meters) on a site not far from Wielopolski Palace. The municipal authorities turned a 380-square-meter site for the project to the Wyspianski 2000 Foundation. Now the stained-glass windows have been reproduced on the glass panes of the pavilion where tourists are able to find different information about Krakow, especially its culture, art and monuments. The hall houses a branch of the Tourist Information Network, a multimedia exhibition hall and a conference hall.
?Wyspianski Pavilion is an investment that Krakow waited on for many years,? said Majchrowski at the grand opening. ?I am glad the project, whcih was initiated by Andrzej Wajda and continued by the Wyspianski 2000 Foundation, has been completed.?
The total cost of the modern structure was 10.6 mln zloty. The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage provided an investment of 3 mln zloty. The remaining sum was paid from the town’s budget.

The Wyspianski 2000 Exhibition and Information Hall is open every day from 09:00-19:00.

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