7 Wonders of Wrocław and Lower Silesia
The Book of Henryków, the earliest document to include a sentence written in Polish, as well as the Scorpio III Mars rover can be viewed during the 7 Wonders of Wrocław and Lower Silesia exhibition. The exhibition in the Old Town Hall is a part of the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016’s programme.
According to Wojciech Mrozowicz, one of the curators of the exhibition, its goal is to present Wrocław and the region’s contributions to European culture and science. Mrozowicz continued:
We present historical items of great significance to Polish culture, including the Book of Henryków, containing the first sentence ever written down in Polish. There are also artefacts from the periods of Czech and German cultural dominance in the region. We want to present this contribution in a comprehensive way.
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The eponymous seven wonders include six areas of culture (landscape, language, art, science, architecture, and religion) and an additional category: 'meeting', reflecting the city’s slogan ‘Wrocław – The Meeting Place.’ Another curator, Wojciech Kucharski, added:
We wanted to show the multicultural legacy that has always been important in Wrocław.
The landscape section showcases Silesian castles, while the language category features the rarely exhibited Book of Henryków, which in 2015 was listed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme. Madonna under the Fir Tree, a painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder is one of the masterpieces exhibited under the banner of Silesian Art. The main topic of the architecture section will be the Centennial Hall, designed by Max Berg in the 1910s. The building was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006.
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The science section will present the achievements of scientists such as serologist Ludwik Hirszfeld, who discovered the inheritance of blood types, and mathematician Hugo Steinhaus. New scientific developments will also be shown, including Scorpio III, a Mars rover constructed by students of Wrocław University of Technology and awarded in the University Rover Challenge by the Mars Society.
The section on religion brings back the figure of Saint Hedwig, Duchess of Silesia and wife of Henry I the Bearded. Her life story is described in the Codex of Lubin, as well as the Hornig’s Codex, Konrad Baumgarten’s Legend about St. Hedwig and Bull of Canonization of St. Hedwig.
The exhibition organized by Ośrodek Pamięć i Przyszłość is housed in the Old Town Hall and will be opened between 4th February and 14th May 2016. It is a part of the European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016 programme.
Source: PAP, compiled by PW, translated by OK, 2 Feb 2016