May Day in the Royal Łazienki. Picnic, exhibitions, free tours
Come to the Royal Łazienki and enjoy your time during the upcoming May Day holiday. You may participate in the European Picnic, which will be full of attractions, see a masterpiece from Dresden art collections, visit the Museum buildings free of charge and get a taste of 18th century life during shows of games, pastimes, attire and hairstyles from over 200 years ago.
Everyone – children, adults, families, tourists, and history enthusiasts – will be able to find something for themselves during the May Day holiday in the Royal Łazienki. You might want to spend your free time in the gardens, where the European Picnic will take place on 1 May 2017. It will be organized under the honorary patronage of the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, on the occasion of the 13th anniversary of Poland’s accession to the EU. Other events will be held in the Museum buildings, with free entry on 1-3 May, from 10.00 to 18.00.
During the European Picnic, our guests will see colourful orchestra parades in the gardens, with performances of military and police bands, and equitation shows at the Hippodrome. Family games and pastimes will be proposed in two education zones situated near the Old Guardhouse and Trou Madame. The 1st May event will be inaugurated with an official concert of combined orchestras, which will start at 12.00 noon in the Amphitheatre.
Two exhibitions
During the May Day holiday, two unique exhibitions will be held in the Palace on the Isle. The first one will be the exhibition of one painting – the masterpiece "Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus" by Angelica Kauffmann, one of the most important painters of the 18th century. The painting comes from the Dresden State Art Collections (Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden). From 1 to 3 May 2017, it will be displayed in the Palace on the Isle free of charge, and – in addition – on 1 May, our educators will describe the painting to the visitors – guided tours of the exhibition of one painting will take place at 13.00, 14.00 and 15.00.
The second temporary exhibition will feature a copy of the 3rd May Constitution from 1791 (displayed in the Palace on the Isle from 1 to 7 May; free entry on 1-3), borrowed from the Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw. On 2 May – on the Flag Day – between 11.00 and 16.00, our educators will talk about the Constitution, they will explain the role played by Stanisław August in its enactment and tell about the provisions it contained.
Constitution Day
Expectations are high for the celebration of the Constitution Day, which will conclude the May Day holiday in the Royal Łazienki. Join us on 3 May, between 10.00 and 17.00, to experience what 18th century life was like. Members of the Stanislavian Association – performing in historical costumes – will present court games, pastimes, and paraphernalia from more than 200 years ago in the Old Guardhouse and the Officer Cadets School. Attractions will include a coffee table, card table, a game of cricket, and weather predictions made with the use of a barometer.
Displays of hairstyles (11.30) and attire from the second half of the 18th century (13.30) will be held in the Palace on the Isle. In addition, Anna Nurzyńska-Dziemska will hold a lecture about the links between French fashion and politics in the 18th century, and Angela Sołtys, PhD will undertake the topic of political motifs in the Polish fashion of the last years of the 1st Republic. Both lectures are scheduled for 15.30-16.30.
On 3 May, at 17.00, an equitation show prepared by the Colonel Jan Kozietulski’s 3rd Honorary Regiment of Masovian Chevau-Légers will begin at the Hippodrome.
DETAILED PROGRAMME OF THE MAY DAY HOLIDAY (1-3 MAY 2017) AT THE ŁAZIENKI
1 MAY – EUROPEAN PICNIC
10.00 – 18.00 – Free tours of buildings
Palace on the Isle:
– Exhibition of one painting from the Dresden State Art Collections (Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden), "Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus" by Angelica Kauffmann (starting at 12.00 noon).
– Exhibition of the Book of the 3rd May Constitution.
Old Orangery – Royal Sculpture Gallery.
White Pavilion – Royal Gallery of Prints.
Myślewicki Palace – Rooms of Prince Józef Poniatowski.
13.00, 14.00, 15.00 – Guided tour of the Exhibition of One Painting
"Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus" by Angelica Kauffmann.
Education Zone near the Old Guardhouse
11.00, 12.00 noon, 14.00, 15.00 – Illusions show for children, meeting with illusionist Konrad Modzelewski.
11.00 – 17.00 – "Trou Madame" 18th-century game competition for children and adults.
Eduction Zone near Trou Madame
11.00 – 16.00 – "Masterpieces of European Painting", activities for children and adults.
11.00 – 17.00 – "European Tales for Children", meeting with storyteller Michał Malinowski.
Parades of orchestras in the gardens
11.30 – 12.00 noon – Youth Wind Orchestra from Mykanów (from the Monument to Chopin to the terrace of the Palace on the Isle via the Royal Promenade).
15.00 – 15.30 – Official Police Band (from the terrace of the Palace on the Isle to Gagarina street).
15.30 – 16.00 – Youth Wind Orchestra from Mykanów (from the Monument to Chopin to the terrace of the Palace on the Isle via the Royal Promenade).
14.30 – 15.30, Hippodrome – Parade of Colonel Jan Kozietulski’s 3rd Honorary Regiment of Masovian Chevau-Légers.
12.00 noon – 15.00, Amphitheatre – Official concert of combined orchestras
– Military Band from Warsaw and Official Police Band.
– Military Band from Dęblin.
15.30 – 16.30, Amphitheatre – Concert of Tadeusz Wrześniak Glassworks Orchestra
16.30 – 17.30, Amphitheatre – Concert and Parade of Vivat! Orchestra (from the Amphitheatre to Gagarina street).
2 MAY – FLAG DAY
10.00 – 18.00 – Free tours of the Palace on the Isle, Old Orangery, Myślewicki Palace and the White Pavilion.
10.00 – 18.00, Palace on the Isle, "Book of the 3rd May Constitution" exhibition; from 11.00 to 16.00 our educators will be talking about the Constitution.
3 MAY – CONSTITUTION DAY
10.00 – 17.00, Diorama – display of typical 18th century court social meetings, games and pastimes near the Old Guardhouse and the Officer Cadets School
Coffee table (near the Old Guardhouse) – presentation of a social meeting around a 18th century coffee table, with special attention to the tableware and decoration details, including confectioneries from the Stanislavian times.
– Card table (near the Old Guardhouse) – presentation of a card game on a special table.
– Picnic (lawn near the Officer Cadets School) – presentation of outdoor pastimes for children aged 3-13, under the supervision of a governess. Activities will include making soap bubbles, reading literature, blind man’s buff, as well as French language and embroidery lessons.
– Cricket game (lawn near the Officer Cadets School) – presentation of a cricket game with the use of replicas of sport equipment and a table, around which the players will be able to rest and register the game results.
– Predicting the weather with the use of a barometer (near the Old Guardhouse) – presentation of the Goethe barometer mechanism with the use of a replica made by Torricelli in 1643.
– Table with paraphernalia (near the Old Guardhouse), presentation of items of everyday use from the 18th century.
11.30, Palace on the Isle, presentation of "Lady in a boudoir", Ludwik Sudawski, expert in fashion and hairstyling, will present the hairstyle of a 18th century lady, i.e. the "à la puff" hairdo. The presentation will include elements of a woman’s boudoir. In addition, Anna Nurzyńskia-Dziemska will talk about the beauty routines of women in the Stanislavian times.
13.30, The terrace of the Palace on the Isle, display of fashion from the 2nd half of the 18th century.
15.30 – 16.30, Palace on the Isle, lectures by Anna Nurzyńska-Dziemska and Angela Sołtys, PhD
Anna Nurzyńska-Dziemska will talk about the fashion of the 2nd half of the 18th century seen as a reflection of social and political transformations in France. People of the Enlightenment, witnesses to historical events, wanted to make themselves heard in important matters and manifested their positions in non-verbal ways as well. Attire became one of the primary ways for people to express their views. During the lecture Król z narodem, naród z królem (King with the Nation, Nation with the King) Angela Sołtys, PhD, will talk about the political motifs in the Polish fashion of the last years of the 1st Republic. She will be accompanied by a group of young women from the local Culture Centre in Raczki, dressed in "chemise à la reine" gowns.
17.00, Hippodrome – Parade of Colonel Jan Kozietulski’s 3rd Honorary Regiment of Masovian Chevau-Légers.
