Andrzej Szwalbe

Andrzej Jan Szwalbe (30 June 1923 – 11 November 2002) was a Polish lawyer, social and cultural activist and manager of the musical life in Bydgoszcz. He was the originator and creator of numerous artistic projects outside the region. In 1993, he has been designated as "Honorary Citizen of Bydgoszcz". He was awarded the highest state orders for his contribution to Polish culture.

Biography

Pre-WWI period Andrzej Szwalbe was born on 30 June 1923 in Warsaw. His mother was Eufemia née Sobieraj and his father Sylwester Jan Szwalbe. The latter worked as a tax clerk. His mother had a pivotal influence in the way Andrzej led his life: she believed that his duty was to serve his homeland in the field of high culture and that it was his life's important mission. She loved to read difficult books on national, social and philosophical topics to him.

Andrzej studied in Warsaw at Mikołaj Rej secondary school No. 11 and Adam Mickiewicz secondary school No. 4. Encouraged by his mother to develop and take on self-discipline, he also attended

During the Nazi occupation, while he was completing his first year of law studies at the University of Warsaw, he also worked as a messenger. In 1944, he was arrested and imprisoned by the Germans in the internment camp 121 of Pruszków; from here he escaped to Kraków.

Polish People's Republic years After World War II, Szwalbe lived in Ciechocinek but soon he moved to Bydgoszcz. In 1948, he graduated from law studies at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and for three years he worked at the university in different positions as an assistant, a lecturer and then head of the Human resources department. However, he was more enthusiastic to become a cultural activist rather than develop his career as a lawyer. In 1949, Szwalbe made himself known to the public by giving a spontaneous speech during a concert of the Pomeranian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra (the ancestor of the Pomeranian Philharmonic) at the Bydgoszcz Chamber theatre on Grodzka Street for a petition demanding not to abandon the Orchestra. After collecting thousands of signatures, Szwalbe went to the administrative authorities to make his point. This event made him a recognizable figure in the local society.

In 1951, he was appointed administrative director of the Pomeranian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. A year later, his efforts were rewarded. As by the decision of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage on 15 December 1952, the Pomeranian Symphony Orchestra, operating since 1946, in recognition of its high level and merits in the promotion of music, was nationalized on 1 January 1953, taking the name of Ignacy Jan Paderewski Pomeranian Philharmonic. Andrzej Szwalbe was designated as the head of the Social Committee for the Construction of the Philharmonic . The building was erected three years later, with an inaugural concert performed on 16 November 1956, broadcast on the Polish Radio. The architecture of the newly built edifice in Bydgoszcz, designed by Stefan Klajbor, referred to the National Philharmonic in Warsaw. Szwalbe set up the international festivals and musicological congresses Musica Antiqua Europae Orientalis (MAEO), To house the latter, Szwalbe took control of the historic building of the Prussian administrative region in 1975, located at the corner of Słowackiego and 20 Stycznia 1920 streets.

Taking specific care to the high artistic level of Bydgoszcz ensembles of the Philharmonic, Andrzej Szwalbe commissioned outstanding Polish composers to write dedicated works, such as the piece for baritone and orchestra, Gray Fog by Wojciech Kilar. He intended the Philharmonic to be a cultural melting-pot, combining music with various art disciplines. To achieve this, over the years he built several collections inside the building of the Pomeranian Philharmonic, all related to music: In the former, he set up a gallery of Polish contemporary paintings and graphics from Tadeusz Brzozowski. He envisioned the Palace and park ensemble in Ostromecko to fulfill the role of a Bydgoszcz Wilanów. He expanded the cultural life in Bydgoszcz with consistency, foresight and optimism. He was deeply emotionally connected with the city.

During his lifetime, Andrzej Szwalbe had two books written about him: Andrzej Szwalbe – portret niedokończony by Adam Bezwiński and Życie na przełomie by Krystyna Starczak-Kozłowska.

A street in downtown Bydgoszcz, next to the Philharmonic Hall and the Music School ensemble, was renamed in his honor.

The collection of old and historic pianos in Ostromecko Palace is now exhibited as The Andrzej Szwalbe Collection.

On 18 January 2013, the Andrzej Szwalbe "Heritage" association has been launched. Its goal is to gather people who are close to the ideas and activities of Andrzej Szwalbe, as a "visionary in the domain of the culture and science", not only in Bydgoszcz but also in the entire region.

In 2017, the namesake of Andrzej Szwalbe has been assigned by plebiscite of Bydgoszcz inhabitants to one of the 18 new tramways purchased by the city.

In November 2023, the city of Bydgoszcz unveiled a mural depicting Andrzej Szwalbe at 89 Dworcowa Street.

Honors Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, awarded posthumously by the decision of president Aleksander Kwaśniewski on 15 November 2002, for outstanding services to the national culture; Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta, awarded in 1996, for outstanding services to the Polish culture; Gold Cross of Merit in 1955, on the 10th anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland for merits in the field of culture and art.

Gallery