The selected institutions supporting the promotion of Polish culture abroad:
The Fryderyk Chopin Institute is the largest Chopin center in the world, which fully and comprehensively promotes, protects, researches and disseminates the heritage of Fryderyk Chopin.
Versatile and the diverse activities of the Institute is a response to the work and life of the composer – rich, ambiguous, and sometimes challenging the next generations of listeners, performers and scientists fascinated by this music and the figure. NIFC is the organizer of one of the oldest and most prestigious music competitions in the world – The International Chopin Piano Competition and the initiator of The International Music Festival Chopin and his Europe.
In addition, the Institute cooperates with other Chopin competitions as part of the the platform for cooperation of competition organisers – Chopin Competitions Conference.
The International Cultural Center in Krakow in its activities it focuses on history, art and architecture, the phenomenon of memory, protection of cultural heritage and acpects related to its management. Thanks to the contribution the International Cultural Center made to the international debate on heritage and its role in the contemporary world, and through the networking activities, it carries out the mission to strengthen Poland’s position as an important entity of the international community (UNESCO, V4, Barcelona Process, Berlin Process) and an important partner in cultural and intellectual cooperation.
The International Cultural Center has dynamic exhibition activity and organizes international summer courses in cooperation with partners from Europe and the USA. It implements the Thesaurus Poloniae scholarship program dedicated to foreign scientists conducting research on the culture, history and multicultural heritage of the Republic of Poland and Central Europe. Moreover, it is the faciliator of post-graduate studies in the field of cultural heritage management at the Academy of Heritage. The International Cultural Center also runs a wide-ranging publishing activity, an example of which is Polish-English interdisciplinary quarterly Herito. Heritage, culture and the present day. The International Cultural Center is also the publisher of the popular science online encyclopedia, Polish Petersburg, and the International Cultural Center Library has a rich collection of the academic literature on cultural heritage.
Adam Mickiewicz Institute (IAM) specialises in promoting Polish culture abroad by initiating international exchange between Polish and foreign cultural institutions, co-producing artistic events, organizing study visits and ensuring the presence of Polish artists internationally. To achieve its goals, the Institute uses a variety of tools, conducting offline (exhibitions, performances, film screenings, concerts, presence at festivals) and online activities. Thanks to the cooperation with prestigious foreign institutions, the Institute managed to reach 60 million foreign recipients through implemented projects on 6 continents and in 70 countries, including Great Britain, France, Russia, Israel, Germany, Turkey, USA, Canada, Australia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Hungary, Czech Republic, as well as in China, Japan and Korea.
Culture.pl, created and run by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, is a daily updated website informing about Polish culture. In addition to information about events organized in Poland and around the world, you can find there numerous profiles of artists, reviews, essays, descriptions and information about cultural institutions. The website is run in Polish, English and Russian, and is expanded with articles in Asian languages: Chinese , Japanese and Korean.
The Polish Book Institute aims to promote Polish literature around the world, and popularise reading in Poland. In its activities on foreign markets, the Book Institute informs, encourages and persuades: translators of Polish literature – to translate Polish books; foreign publishers – to publish their translations; and the organizers of the most interesting literary events – to include Polish writers in their program. The institute runs the © Poland Translation Program and organizes Polish stands at the international book fairs. Every year the Institute awards the Transatlantyk Prize to an outstanding popularizer of Polish literature abroad.
National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute – it digitize, collect, restore and promote Polish audiovisual heritage and disseminate the most valuable manifestations of film culture. Moreover, by making the archives available, it is a partner of international projects promoting digital archival collections in various contexts. The Institute has a vast collection of the archival achievements of Polish cinematography, including a unique collection of pre-war films. The Institute specializes in the conservation and restoration of films and the co-production of new audiovisual materials (films, radio and TV broadcasts and film publications and music). As the first film archive in Europe, it launched the full technical path in 4K technology. It has a wide range of devices and software, adapted to all film formats used in Polish professional and amateur cinematography.
The Institute of Music and Dance in Warsaw supports professional musicians, dancers and artistic institutions in fulfilling their mission. Works for the development of a professional music and dance community in Poland by organizing the Polish Music Convention and the Dance Congress, events opening a wide field of experience exchange and in-depth self-reflection for both arts. At the same time, it organizes thematic conferences and workshops and training courses for professionals in the field of dance and music. The Institute prepares specialist reports and expert opinions and participates in the exchange of information and experiences between national and international industry organizations.
Theater Institute Zbigniew Raszewski takes care of documentation, promotion and animation of Polish theater life. The Institute supports the public debate on contemporary Polish theater, broadens the perspectives of the accompanying scientific reflection, and conducts research and educational activities. It also develops its long-term and multi-directional undertakings within the platform of permanent international and transnational cooperation of researchers and artists interested in theater from Central and Eastern Europe. It has the most extensive thematic archive in Poland, collecting documentation of contemporary theater. It runs the largest website devoted entirely to Polish theater, a Polish-English scientific journal and an online encyclopedia of Polish theater.
The Polish History Museum in Warsaw presents the most important threads of Polish history – state and nation – with particular emphasis on the subject of parliamentary traditions, institutions and civic movements, the fight for freedom and independence. The Museum is active in the field of shaping the international image of Poland, presenting Polish history and culture to foreign recipients in an interesting and understandable way. For this reason, it participates in international dialogue, with particular emphasis on neighboring nations. The Musem carries out its mission in an open manner, promoting the widest possible availability of cultural heritage and scientific resources in order to use their digital potential. The Museum is the organizer of the Historical Event of the Year plebiscite, the aim of which is to honor the organizers, creators and initiators of the most interesting historical projects.
The National Center for Culture initiates and leads in a number of activities for the development and promotion of Polish culture. It conducts educational, research and training activities. It manages grants and scholarship programs, as well as cultural projects and the Kordegarda gallery. The Center also carries out large, cyclical projects with the participation of cultural creators and artists from the region of Central and Eastern Europe. An example of its activity is the East of Culture Festival, the aim of which is the cultural cooperation of cities in Eastern Poland with the Eastern Partnership countries, and the Eufonie Festival – the International Music Festival of Central and Eastern Europe, referring to the tradition of the regional community and presenting music of various periods and styles.
National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning is designed to shape social awareness, promote architectural and urban culture, and to undertake efforts to preserve the national architectural heritage of the 20th century. In addition, the Institute conducts research, exhibition and educational activities, and publishing. One of the main missions of the Institute is ongoing cooperation with architects, local governments and users of public space in order to improve its quality, find a balance in its development and understand the its design and planning.
National Heritage Institute promotes Polish heritage both nationally and internationally by collecting and disseminating knowledge about heritage, shaping social awareness in the field of values and preservation of cultural heritage. The Institute also issues expert opinions on activities related to monuments as well as analyzing and monitoring threats to heritage. The Institute cooperates with many international institutions and organizations (including UNESCO) working to preserve the national heritage. Moreover, it coordinates the process of recognizing the monument as a Historical Monument and the largest one in Poland in Europe, the social and educational project European Heritage Days – a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Union aimed at promoting monuments.
The National Institute of Museology and Collection Protection specializes in collecting and disseminating knowledge about museums and museum collections, and in co-creating standards in the field of museology and protection of collections. In addition, it participates in setting development directions in the field of management of Polish museums and the dissemination of the latest development trends in the world museology in Poland. It also promotes the most important Polish museum achievements in the international arena. The Institute conducts publishing activities and a series of training courses aimed at improving the professional qualifications of museum employees.
The National Institute of Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad POLONIKA focuses its activities on research, protection and popularization of Polish cultural heritage abroad. Conservation, research, and educational projects and popularizing it have an impact on both the preservation of material cultural heritage and increasing the social awareness of its importance as an essential part of European and world heritage, as well as an element shaping national identity. An example of international cooperation is the protection of the common cultural heritage of Lviv.
The Polish Film Institute aims to disseminate knowledge about Polish cinematography around the world. The Institute carries out international cooperation in the field of film, in particular aimed at initiating co-production and promoting the film industry. It specializes in expanding the availability of Polish films abroad and increasing the recognition of Polish films on international markets by organizing reviews, retrospectives, special shows, conferences and exhibitions. The Institute also awards foreign scholarships to support authors and film professionals at industry events around the world.