Denmark in the Castle 2001
18.11-15.12.2001 Poznan, The Cultural Centre ZAMEK. A second edition of the festival of Danish culture Denmark in the Castle, organised by the Institute in cooperation with The Cultural Centre ZAMEK in Poznan, took place from November 18 to December 15. The project was inaugurated by the President of Poznan, Ryszard Grobelny, and the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark, Laurids Mikaelsen. Traditionally, there were exhibitions, concerts, theatre performances and films, as well as literary meetings, a conference and a week of Danish cuisine.
During Denmark in the Castle 2001 one could see a photo exhibition Existence, set up by Galeria Image from Aarhus, presenting 60 works made by contemporary Danish artists. (See Events: Photo exhibition Existence)
The exhibition Our Baltic Neighbourhood, organised by the National Library in Warsaw, presented the reception of Scandinavian cultures in Poland down through the years. (See Events: Exhibition Our Baltic Neighbourhood)
There was also presented an exhibition of Danish Ex libris from the collections of The Raczynski Library in Poznan (See Events: Exhibition Danish Ex libris) as well as a photo exhibition by Nicolas Grospierre, inspired by scenes from the musical theatre Othello, this being the result of cooperation between the Danish MBT Danseteater and The Polish Dance Theatre. (See Events: Photo exhibition Othello by Nicolas Grospierre)
Among the musical arrangements, a concert of the Scandinavian classical music To Hear the North was performed by a chamber ensemble consisting of students from the Music Academy. The younger spectators had the opportunity to see a performance based on H.C.Andersen's fairy-tale The Girl with the Matches at The Musical Theatre. In the castle cinema Palacowe, the following outstanding Danish films were shown: The Celebrity, Mifune, Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark, Babette's Feast, A Place Nearby and The Greatest Heroes.
An important event of the Festival was the conference 10 Years of Danish-Polish Social and Cultural Cooperation. Experience and Prospects. It focussed on presentation of experiences by the Polish representatives of the social institutions established from Danish inspiration and with Danish financial help, as well as guests from Denmark participating in the Danish-Polish projects realized within the last 10 years.
A meeting with poet Erik Trigger Olesen, who presented a recently published volume of poetry in Poland, was also organized. From November 18-27 one could also taste traditional Danish food and beer specially prepared for the festival Denmark in he Castle 2001 by the restaurant Dom Vikingow located at The Old Market. Some of the elements of the Festival, ie. the exhibitions Existence, Our Baltic Neighbourhood and The Danish Exlibris were also presented in other Polish cities throughout the whole year.