 Icons
of Europe began in 2007 an exchange
of ideas with the City
of Lodz, Poland on
how to reinforce
its bid to become a
European
Capital of Culture 2016 /
Łódź - Europejska Stolica
Kultury 2016 |
Through the Ambassador of Poland to the European Union, Icons of Europe proposed pro
bono to the
Mayor of Lodz that the City could, among other assets, emphasize the 'power of great culture':
Jerzy Kopiwnicki, Mayor of Lodz
acknowledged enthusiastically these ideas in a
letter of 20
August 2007 and in the
Polish press.²
They are now reflected at the
Lodz 2016 website and
BBC News.
A next step could be to make sure that ...
 Lodz competes with
six other Polish cities including Gdansk,
Poznan and Warsaw for the
nomination as European Capital of Culture 2016. The winner
will be put squarely on the map of
Europe.
¹ Paragraph of
our letter published in International Herald
Tribune (21 July 2006) on The state of
Poland makes this point:
"Many countries could learn from Poland's historical
experience in using language and culture to maintain
a strong national identity in turbulent times." |
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Arthur Rubinstein (1887-1982)
Key to Lodz 2016 candidature
Arthur Rubinstein was born in Lódz, Poland. He made
public appearances from the age of six and studied later at
the Warsaw Conservatory.
He is considered one of the
greatest interpreters of Chopin¹ and Brahms, and a champion
of Spanish music.
Rubinstein became a U.S. citizen in 1946. In 1976, he was
awarded the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour of the United States.
¹
Icons of Europe has
researched how Arthur Rubinstein, in Paris during La.Belle
Époque, became
interested in Chopin's music. |
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