Tuesday, May 21st sees the grand opening of the Palace of the Republic on Krasiński Square, including with a special gala concert.

The palace, one of the most beautiful in Warsaw, will be opened to the public for the first time in its long history, stretching back to the seventeenth century. The building will house a permanent exhibition of the most valuable objects from the collection of the National Library.

The grand opening will take place on May 21st at 8.30 p.m. with a gala concert directed by Krzysztof Materna on Krasiński Square. It will include a specially composed piece of music by Tadeusz Woźniak entitled Słowo (The Word). Appearing on the stage will be Joanna Kulig, Jolanta Majchrzak, Justyna Schneider, Daniel Olbrychski, Marcin Przybylski, Olek Różanek, Tadeusz Woźniak, Marek Raduli and his Zespół Rocka Progresywnego (Progressive Rock Band) and the Sinfonia Varsovia led by Wojciech Michniewski. The event will be hosted by Dr Katarzyna Kasia and Grzegorz Markowski.

After dark, the façade of the Palace will form the backdrop for a multimedia show with music by Wojciech Urbański, featuring Anna Dymna, Jan Peszek and Wiktor Zborowski.

From May 21st, six days a week, the public will be able to visit the permanent exhibition housed in the baroque interiors of the Palace. This will include the most valuable objects from Polish and global written history, such as the Holy Cross Sermons, the Sankt Florian Psalter, the Old Annals of the Holy Cross, manuscript copies of the Polish Chronicle of Gallus Anonymus and Wincenty Kadłubek and medieval and Renaissance works by European illuminators, including the famous La Sforziada.

Literary manuscripts will be displayed in a special section of the permanent exhibition. The items shown will include the only copy of a work by Kochanowski written in his own hand, Słowacki’s Balladyna, Mickiewicz’s Ode to Youth and several manuscripts by Norwid, Herbert and Miłosz. Priceless items relating to musical culture will also be on display, such as handwritten scores by Chopin and Górecki and original copies of works by Agnieszka Osiecka and Jacek Kaczmarski.

Admission to the exhibition is free of charge. It is expected that the newly renovated Palace of the Republic will become not just a new tourist attraction on the map of Warsaw, but above all a safe and friendly place to for all to visit.