Suwałki – Borderland City (About the Yotvingians, Camaldolese, Orphan Marysia, Wajda, and the Cold Pole)

O wydarzeniu

Suwalszczyzna is one of the most beautiful places in Poland. Some may joke that it is the "Polish Cold Pole," though it is more accurate to say it is the pole of diversity and beauty! The word "suwałka" (from Russian) means something like a collection... This region lies at the border of Poland, Lithuania, and Belarus (formerly also East Prussia) and for centuries has been a place where people of different languages and faiths have crossed paths. During this one-day trip, we will tell you about the mounted warriors – the Yotvingians, as well as the Lithuanian community and Old Believers, Orthodox and Evangelicals, who make up Suwałki's diversity. On this day, we will also visit the Maria Konopnicka Museum and the Stara Łaźnia Gallery! 📝 REGISTRATION: https://poludnik21.pl/.../suwalki-miasto-pogranicza-o.../ 📅 PROGRAM: - Gathering of participants on February 21, 2026 (Saturday) at 6:00 AM in the parking lot in front of the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, opposite Kinoteka. - Departure towards Suwałki at 6:10 AM. - Planned return to Warsaw around 10:00 PM - SUWAŁKI – a borderland city, jokingly called the Polish cold pole. Here, while walking through the historic center, we will learn about the circumstances of the city's founding, which are connected to the Camaldolese monastery in Wigry. During the walk, we will meet Suwałki residents with complex personalities, such as the still mysterious Maria Konopnicka, painter Alfred Wierusz Kowalski, and Andrzej Wajda. The city's most important monuments, murals, and dwarfs also await us! - MARIA KONOPNICKA MUSEUM – we will also visit the Maria Konopnicka Museum. For many participants of this micro-expedition, the biography of the author of "About the Dwarfs and Orphan Marysia," "Rota" may be a big surprise. - LUNCH/COFFEE BREAK – about 1 hour and 15 minutes (we will advise where to eat well) - STARA ŁAŹNIA GALLERY – in the walls of the former city bathhouse, we will see, among others, an exhibition of works inseparably connected with the Suwałki land by Andrzej Strumiłło. - SUWAŁKI OF MANY RELIGIONS – during our stay in Suwałki, we will also encounter the multiculturalism of this borderland city. Its reflection is the Orthodox church, the Evangelical church, and the Old Believers' molenna. - Departure back towards Warsaw, planned return around 10:00 PM. 💰 Price: 250 PLN/person + donations in temples 📝 REGISTRATION: https://poludnik21.pl/.../suwalki-miasto-pogranicza-o.../ We cordially invite you!