Pałac na Wodzie. |
Australian Ambassador visits Muzeum Wychodzstwa Polskiego salons in Warsaw:
On Thursday 24-11-05 the Rt. Hon. Ian Forsyth, Australian Ambassador to Poland, visited the Lazienki Royal Summer Palace in Warsaw and met with the director Prof dr. hab. Marek Kwiatkowski.
He was taken on a tour of the beautiful Palace on the Water which has been dutifully restored since the war to be now regarded as one of the finest Renaissance/Baroque palaces in Europe and is the subject of many architetural documentaries and books.
On the tour he was joined by Exhibitions Manager Mrs. Katherine Szrodt (who has returned after many years in Canada) and Polish/Australian Architect Mark Krawczynski who is curator for the new Pol/Oz Muzeum Wychodzstwa. His father, Zbigniew, was one of the many dedicated architects who prepared most of the drawings for the very detailed reconstruction of the Summer Palace thorughout the '50s in Warsaw.
After touring the magnificent chambers of the glamorous royal palace (whose name Lazienki is related to the building's previous function as a most elegant bathing and leisure pavilion - nowadays we would have called it a salon of Biological Rejuvenation!), the Ambassador was taken to view the new premises for the planned Muzeum Wychodzstwa which will showcase the exploits, hardships and achievements of Polish migrants and visitors to Australia to show what effect they had on Australian culture and to build "intellectual" bridges between our 2 countries.
The exhibition will be housed in the newly restored salons in the elegant Podchorążówka Manor adjacent to the Palace on the Water and is due to open at the beginning of May 2006.
Radio SBS in Australia is currently running an appeal on behalf of this wonderful museum to collect artifacts and pesonal belongings from early Polish settlers in Australia. Contact: 02--9430-2841 or polish.program@sbs.com.au and/or
redakcja@puls.polonii.com
It is hoped that one day this exhibition might also be brought to Australia to pay homage to the human endeavours of both Polish and Australian early settlers.
The Ambassador was very pleased with the concept and the preparations for the new project. Because of its cultural and didactic significance to both countries he offerred to be Honorary Patron for the new Muzeum.
He said that we should act as quickly as possible beacuse for such an elegant endeavour there is a lot of work before May next year. We agree and ask Polish patriots everywhere for their support!!
Best regards,
Mark
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