CULTURAL DIVERSE GDANSK. HOLIDAYS WITH THE CITY CULTURE INSTITUTE

In the summer we propose a series of sixteen meetings, during which children learn about the history and culture of, among others, the Netherlands, China, Italy and Ukraine. Each meeting is part of a workshop at the City Culture Institute headquarters at ul. Dlugi Targ 39/40 and a walk in the footsteps of a given country and its culture in Gdansk – says Joanna Raftopulos from the City Culture Institute. Classes are held in small groups, registration required. The cost of participation in one meeting is PLN 10.

Summer in 2020 is special. We still cannot travel far, but what we we can do is look for traces of different cultures and countries in Gdansk! Twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., at the City Culture Institute, workshops “Holidays at City Culture Institute. Culturally diverse Gdansk.” will be held. They are intended for children aged 9-13. Each meeting is a new adventure! The workshops will be held by experienced cultural animators, guides, culture experts and linguists.

Due to the epidemic threat, the group of participants is small (up to 13 people). Entries are required: joanna.raftopulos@ikm.gda.pl or 798376055.

During the Holidays in City Culture Institute workshop, the rules of staying in the Institute’s hall in the sanitary regime apply. It is available here: http://ikm.gda.pl/2020/06/10/ikm-wraca-do-dzialania/.

Your summer journey at the Institute will start with the Netherlands. Anna Kotula will tell you about the differences between Belgium, Flanders and Friesland and where they can be found on the map. Why today’s Gdansk is built in the Dutch style? What was Hansa and how did Gdansk benefit from belonging to it? Next on the trail is Germany. Marta Szagzdowicz will tell the participants how it happened that German was spoken in Gdansk? Why are German words so long? During the walk, we will see aged monuments, where you can still read German sentences, but also modern facades decorated with German inscriptions from the 21st century.

A walk around Gdansk, following Spanish footsteps, will take us back to the distant times when ships from many different countries docked on the Motlawa River. During the walk we will find out what were the colonial goods and which goods were most often bought by Gdansk residents. Why did the inhabitants of old Gdansk go on a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James the elder? Anna Kotula will explain everything.

Closer regions will also be workshops’ topics, including Kashubia. During the meeting with Beata Jankowska, she will familiarise children with their history and culture. They will see the map, the flag and the crest of Kashubia and hear their anthem. It is worth mentioning that there are two currently sung hymns which words refer to Gdansk! Participants of the classes will see a real Kashubian costume and discover folk art, and they will learn about places related to Kashubia during a walk around Gdansk.

Classes with the Hebrew teacher Monika Bahyrycz will focus on the Hebrew language and Jewish culture. Participants will learn some basic words. They will talk about Israel and its inhabitants, find it on the map, find out what it looks like, how is the living situation there and what Israelis like to eat. During the walk in the footsteps of Jewish people, they will listen to the history of Jewish settlement in Gdansk, learn what they did and where they lived.

Until the end of the summer holidays, children and teenagers will also look for traces of: Italian, Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish, Polish diaspora in the Free City of Gdansk, French, Chinese, Romanian, English, Swedish, Japanese and Latin.

The workshops start on July 6th and run until August 26th. They are held twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Due to the epidemic threat, the group of participants is small (up to 13 people). Entries are required: joanna.raftopulos@ikm.gda.pl or 798376055.