Mazovian culture

Mazovian culture

is the product of interplay between a variety of traditions. The region used to be a melting pot, a meeting place for representatives of various visions, currents and nationalities.

Mazovia occupies a very special place in Polish literature: Warsaw and the surrounding towns boast many literary connections. In the 16th century Jan Kochanowski, the father of Polish poetry, wrote at his Czarnolas estate. In the 17th century, the art of memoir-writing and the literature created by the nobility flourished here.

Żelazowa Wola is the birthplace of Frédéric Chopin, the greatest Polish composer. Many of his pieces were inspired by the folklore of the region. Chopin's music, appealing to every listener, is a quintessence of Polish Romanticism.

A number of Polish artists: painters, composers and writers have been connected with Warsaw because of its status as the national capital. Today, Mazovia's cultural offer includes both the rich heritage of the past that has shaped the Polish nation for over ten centuries, and modern culture. Works of art on display in museums throughout Mazovia offer an opportunity to experience the past (the painting collection at Warsaw's National Museum, Art Noveau Museum in Płock, Poster Museum in Wilanów, Warsaw's Ethnographic Museum).

Warsaw's art galleries (Zachęta, CSW Centre for Contemporary Art) exhibit works by contemporary artists. The province has a rich concert offer, including the Mozart Festival, the Warsaw Autumn International Festival of Contemporary Music and the Jazz Jamboree. Info: poland.gov.pl