Ostrogski Palace in Warsaw
A visit to the Frederic Chopin Museum in Warsaw is an unforgettable experience for tourists, musicologists, music lovers and children. Here, cutting-edge multimedia devices allow visitors to learn about the composer’s life and creative activity through the use of all of their senses. There are touch-screens, audio devices, video projectors and music capsules – all illuminated by specially designed lighting. There are no showcases or arrows showing the way round, as in a typical museum. Here, visitors are each given an electronic ticket-cum-guide which allows them to explore the museum and adapt the route to their own needs, interests and age.
The Ostrogski Palace had been repeatedly remodelled and adapted for different purposes until 1955 when it became the Chopin Museum. The present structure, inspired by the original 17th-century design, dates from the period of rebuilding the Polish capital immediately after the war. In 2007–2010 the castle interior was thoroughly modernized and the exhibition space doubled in size. Now it is regarded as one of Europe’s most cutting-edge biographical museums.
There are a dozen or so rooms, each of which is a separate mini museum devoted to a different period in the composer’s life. The exhibition in the largest room on the ground floor takes visitors back in time to 19th century Warsaw. It features engravings showing Krakowskie Przedmieście and other places associated with Chopin’s childhood and youth. In the centre of the room stand three glass domes with selected scores by the composer. In the Parisian Salon on the first floor, you can hear different sounds from the past – people talking in French, wood crackling in a fireplace and muffled sounds of the street, while the air is redolent with the scent of violets – Chopin’s favourite flowers. The room next door allows visitors to learn more about the women in his heart, and the most representative of the palace rooms offers a multimedia travelogue describing Chopin’s journeys. Visitors are deeply moved by the exhibition in a dark, sound-insulated room showing the final hours of the composer’s life. There is also a room for children with large cushions on the floor and fascinating games and presentations, including a touch-screen jigsaw puzzle showing a portrait of Chopin. Children will also be fascinated to hear the legend of the golden duck who once lived in the castle vaults which, as should be mentioned, are also available for viewing.
The Frederic Chopin Museum is also a venue for numerous cultural events, concerts, lectures, interviews, symposia and educational classes.
The project run under the auspices of the National Institute of Frederic Chopin was nominated for the main award in the 4th contest Poland Even More Beautiful. Seven Miracles of EU Funds in the Venue category.
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