Poland East

The heart of the singer and song composer Carl Loewe was buried in the cathedral of Szczecin, former Stettin. He died in Kiel in 1869, but Stettin had been his home during the major part of his career. To the first Latin plaque a Polish-German one was added, honoring him as the Kantor and organist of this church.

The composer Max Reger stayed many times(1905, ’07, ’09, ’13) in the summer house of the family Von Bagenski, the parents of his wife Elsa.Elsa was born in Kolberg in 1870.A Reger plaque was placed at the house in 1939. Whether it is still extant has to be found out.

The present Gdańsk is an admirable reconstruction of the pre-war Danzig. It had a flourishing musical life since the Middle Ages, but composers’ traces are absent. The best known name is that of the keyboard virtuoso and composer Joh. Gottlieb Goldberg, which appears in Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Goldberg was born in Danzig in 1727. For sure Bach was informed of Goldberg’s skills and the latter has been in the service of Count Keyserlingk, who paid for the work, but theexact relation between Goldberg and Bach’s opus is unclear.

The Gdańsk Filarmonia was built in 1996-2005 in a 19^th century industrial plant on theOłowianka island. Two concert halls, with resp. 1000 and 200 seats. High quality architecture and design by studio Kozikowski.

In several steps between 1953 and ’82 a former sports hall from 1915 was adapted into a theatre and concert hall for opera, ballet and symphonic concerts.

On his way through Pomerania, Chopin visited the mansion of the befriended Zboiński family in the summer of 1827 (the plaque mentions erroneously 1825).

Chopin probably stayed in August 1827 in this 18^th century palace of Antoni Sierakowski, a dilettante violinist and composer and a relative of the Zboińskis.

In Toruń the composer Kazimierz Serocki was born in 1922, one of the initiators of the Warsaw Autumn Festival.

Chopin stayed here in 1825. It was the house of his godfather, Fryderyk Skarbek.

Historical auditorium, today probably also used as concert hall.

Chopin spent pleasant country holidays in 1824 and ’25 with the Dzięwanowski family. The nice mansion is a Chopin centre and there is a small exhibition.

During his stay in Szafarnia, Chopin visited HieronimRomocki in 1924. Here he attended a harvest festival, a good occasion to get acquainted with rural folk music.

Chopin spent some days of July 1827 with Karol Zboiński.

Fine organ front by Jan Seidler, 1690. Its interior is modernized in 1925, (3 manuals, pneumatic tractions). At the left and right two smaller organ cases after the design of the main organ; they are empty dummies.

Tekla Justyna Krzyżanowska, the mother of Chopin, was born here in 1782. Her birthplace was demolished; she is honored by a plaque at her baptismal church and a monument. Her son is said to have visited the rustic place in 1830.

Chopin visited this village in 1827, traveling to Pomerania with count Zboiński. They visited the Jeżewski palace (in part extant) and in the church attended the Sunday Mass.

Birthplace and museum of the composer, choir master, teacher and critic Feliks Nowowiejski, °1877. Best known work is the oratorioQuo Vadis from 1903. He settled in Poznań in 1919, where he died in 1946.

House of the Lutosľawski family since 1786. Witold, the composer, was born in a Warsaw hospital in 1913 but spent his childhood here until 1918. Today the building houses a museum of natural history.

Monument (A. Hadyna, 2008) of the violin virtuoso and composer Karol Lipiński, born here in 1790. He is considered the greatest concurrent of Paganini. In the Potocki palace, behind the monument, the Lipiński Society has its seat.