On 3 May 2025, the Polish Culture NL Foundation, in cooperation with the Flower Art Museum in Aalsmeer, organised Polish Culture Day NL. The event took place at the museum’s premises, and its programme was this time primarily aimed at a Dutch audience and delivered in Dutch language. Strongly highlighted were the close historical ties between Poland and the Netherlands, the more distant ones from the 15th and 16th centuries, from the time of the Hanseatic League, as well as the more recent ones from the Second World War. Historical reflections were encouraged by the date of the event. Every year on 3rd May, Poland celebrates a national holiday commemorating the adoption of the 1791 Constitution, the third of its kind in the world. Two days later, on 5th May, the Netherlands celebrates the anniversary of the country’s liberation from Nazi occupation, this year the 80th one.
At 3 p.m., the Polish Culture Day was opened by Constantijn Hoffscholte, director of the Flower Art Museum, who warmly welcomed all the guests. He was followed by Monika Lipert – Sowa, Minister – Counsellor, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Republic of Poland embassy in The Hague who also spoke. Finally, Bożena Kopczyńska, president of the Polish Culture NL Foundation, joined in the welcome.
The programme was arranged to provide the audience with interesting, but not always widely known facts about the common history of Poland and the Netherlands, to listen to Polish music and to learn more about Polish art, namely the history of the Polish Poster School. There were also refreshments full of traditional Polish flavours. So, as promised by the organisers, it was an afternoon of Polish art, music, history and culinary experience.
The event included three presentations. Bożena Kopczyńska talked about Polish traces in Amsterdam, their origins, the history of migration, the flow of goods, ideas, knowledge and skills that has been going back and forth between Poland and the Netherlands for centuries.
Hans Kardol gave a presentation through which our guests learned about the significant contribution of Polish soldiers to the liberation of the Netherlands from Nazi occupation in 1945. The presentation, however, was not limited to facts related to the restoration of Dutch freedom but outlined the fate of the Polish armed forces during the Second World War in a broader political and historical context.
Paulina Matusiak’s presentation provided an opportunity to learn about the history and artistic achievements of the Polish Poster School, introduced the profiles of the artists associated with it, explained what was truly unique about this cultural phenomenon and what distinguished Polish poster artists from their colleagues in other countries. Thanks to the kindness of the collector Magdalena Kamińska, guests could take a close look at several now very valuable authentic posters from her private collection.
In between presentations, the Polish Culture Day audience enjoyed listening to a performance by pianist Anna Ciborowska, who together with saxophonist Cezariusz Gadzina played music by Fryderyk Chopin, Maria Szymanowska, Karol Szymanowski and Krzysztof Komeda.
During the breaks, visitors had an opportunity to view the art exhibition Polish Passion presenting the works of nine Polish artists living and working in the Netherlands. The presence of the exhibition fitted in perfectly with the programme of the event, creating yet another opportunity to get to know Polish art more closely.
Polish Culture Day NL was enthusiastically received, and all tickets were sold out a few days before the event. As co-organisers, we are extremely grateful for all the kind comments from our guests and partners. We have reason to believe that the programme we arranged contributed to the spreading of knowledge about Polish culture and common Polish Dutch history. This knowledge is the foundation for building cultural bridges between Poland and the Netherlands, which is the primary goal of our activities. We already wholeheartedly invite you to the Polish Culture Day next year!
