Chopin in Warsaw
Warsaw, where Fryderyk Chopin, the greatest Polish composer, spent his entire youth, commemorates the great Pole with the most modern biographical museum in Europe. It is housed in Ostrogski Palace – a seventeenth-century mansion of Polish magnates.
The museum’s collection comprises about 7,000 exhibits, including manuscripts, scores, letters, photographs, paintings, jewellery, drawings, graphics, and personal memorabilia of the composer. It is the world's largest collection of documents related to Chopin. One of the most valuable exhibits is the Pleyel piano on which the artist played until the very last moments of his life. In 1999, a part of the collection was entered on the o UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
“Experiencing Chopin” is the motto of the museum. This experiencing takes place in an unconventional way thanks to the support of new technologies: touch screens, projectors and hidden speakers. Since 2010, spectacular multimedia exhibition designed by the famous Italian architecture studio Migliore + Servetto can be seen in the museum.
Already at the entrance, instead of tickets, visitors receive electronic chips which facilitate the access to museum collections. After touching the indicated places with a chip, visitors can listen to recordings, watch photos and videos, flick through virtual manuscripts and scores. In the museum, there are routes designed for the visually impaired and children. Especially for the latter, there is a decorated room where the little ones get to know the person and work of the great Pole in a multimedia game.
In four levels of the restored palace, there are 11 halls dedicated to the most important stages of Chopin's life: his childhood in Żelazowa Wola, youth in Warsaw, creating works in Paris. There is also information about his travels and women related to him.
Every step of visitors is accompanied by music. You can hear it from the speakers at the various exhibits. You can drown in it in solitude in a special cabin. It is a real treat for lovers of Chopin's works.
The castle’s underground is also very impressive. There is a concert hall inside the brick walls, complemented by glass stairs and platforms. Good acoustics is ensured by a huge glass screen above the stage and wooden blinds under the vault.
AS
16.09.2014
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