Description
The project revitalises the turn of the 19th and the 20th century neo-Gothic former Silesian Parliament headquarters. Main object of the project - protection, preservation and sharing cultural heritage with the generations to come through renovation of the interiors in the Bolesław Szabelski Auditorium, renovation of the roof, attic and building façades. As a result the current scope of use will be expanded by introducing a diverse cultural and educational programme for wider target groups, which includes: students, inhabitants of the region, young adults and culture-lovers. The project improves the quality of educational and cultural offer and creates more favorable conditions for its distribution. It increases the attractiveness of the region for locals and foreign tourists , which will result in an expected increase in revenues from tourism and culture. In long-term project will involve extension of the scope of artistic and academic cooperation with the partner from Norway: the University of Bergen. Renewed concert hall will be a meeting point for partners where they can organize concerts, seminars, workshops and conferences.
Summary of project results
The project entitled ‘Revitalization of the Historic Building of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice’ has been implemented in the monumental neo-Gothic building in Wojewódzka 33, in Katowice. The building was built at the turn of the twentieth century (in 1899-1901) as Building Trades School. At a later date it housed the Silesian Sejm. Then came the time of musicians: first, the Conservatory of Music, founded in 1929, then the Academy of Music. At present, the historic building needed to be restored to its splendour. All planned objectives have been achieved. The project included renovation and conservation of the Bolesław Szabelski Auditorium located on the 2nd floor of the building as well as renovation of all the building façades, the fencing, renovation of the roof tiles and replacement and restoration of windows, in particular tripartite contemporary stained glass windows. The most spectacular work took place in the Bolesław Szabelski Auditorium and comprised, among others, conservation and reconstruction of the unique polychromes decorating the Auditorium interior in the interwar period. After the war, the polychrome paintings were painted over several times. Most of the original polychrome was reconstructed successfully. Renovation included also technical rooms as well as installation of a modern amplification system. An integral part of the project was the construction of a pipe organ. As a result of the project the splendour of the historic building was restored and its current scope of use has been expanded by way of introducing a diverse cultural and educational programme for more numerous and more diversified target groups, including: inhabitants of the region, among others those who face marginalization, the disabled, children, students, professionally active and non-active persons, the retired, pensioners, culture-lovers, larger families, persons from marginalized groups, inhabitants of places with no artistic and cultural offer, people from outside Poland - including those from Bergen in Norway. One of the long-term effects of the project involved extention of the artistic and academic cooperation with the Norwegian partner - the University of Bergen. This way, the project contributed to reinforcing the bilateral cooperation of Poland and the donor country.
Summary of bilateral results
Thanks to the Bilateral Cooperation Fund a partnership project with the Musical Academy/ University of Bergen titled "Edward Grieg and His Times" was started and developed. A During the study visit at the Univeristy in Bergen, academic teachers from the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice collected necessary materials for the planned conference and discussed the post-conference publication with Norwegian partners. The goal of the workshop held on 23rd November 2015 at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice was to explore and interpret the vocal and instrumental compositions of Edward Grieg. Students were working under the supervision of the outstanding specialists - musicians, musicologists and lecturers of the Grieg Academy of the University of Bergen and the members of the International Grieg Society. The workshops were dedicated to various issues: the pronunciation of the Norwegian language, text interpretation and finally working on the musical material. The musical conference organized on 24th November 2015 in Katowice was devoted to Edward Grieg himself and his contribution to Norwegian culture and the European heritage. Its main objective was to show the role of Grieg's music in shaping 19th-century European music and the influence it had on the 19th-century and 20th-century composers. The conference attracted excellent Grieg music researchers. Eight lectures were given to the conservatories' students and lecturers. As a result of the partnership, the publication "Edward Grieg i jego czasy" (“Edvard Grieg and His Times”) was released both in Polish and English. It contributed significantly to the existing musicological world literature dedicated to the composer and it is the first scholarly Edward Grieg monograph in Polish. Broadening the awareness of the role he played in the history of music and popularization of him as an artist and his music in Poland are event’s next objectives. During the conference the investment project entitled ‘Revitalization of the Historic Building of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice’“ was presented. The partnership activities during the development of the "Edward Grieg and His Times" project strengthened the bilateral cooperation between Poland and the donor country thanks to the collaboration reinforcement between the Academy of Music in Katowice and the Grieg Academy of the University of Bergen.