THE CENTRE OF RURAL CULTURE AND FOLKLORE

THE UNIVERSITY OF LIFE SCIENCES CHOIR

THE FOLK SONG AND DANCE GROUP "JAWOR"

THE HOLIDAY RESORT AT PIASECZNO

THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORTS CENTRE
Lublin, 31 Głęboka Street, tel. +48 81 445-68-55
Head: Lechosław Kawecki, M.A.

http://www.sport.up.lublin.pl/

The Centre has existed for 50 years. The turning point in the development of students’ physical education was the year 1952, when universities created physical education centres. Henryk Gerłowski, who played a special role in the sporting life of our University, organised such a centre in the newly created Higher School of Agriculture in 1955. He initiated and organised most enterprises. He was above all an outstanding educationalist of both students and PE teachers.

As early as in 1955, the 1st University Sports Meeting of the City of Lublin was organised on the initiative of the Physical Education Centre and the Academic Sports Association. The Centre was the forerunner in organising ski training camps and in 1959 it already organised them for students from all Lublin universities.

Following the initiative of J. Czerwiński, the Higher School of Agriculture in Lublin was the first organiser of Polish Skiing Championships, although Lublin is not a skiing resort. The year 1962 was very important for academic sports, since then the sports circles of the Academic Sports Association were transformed into university clubs – independent youth organisations subordinate to the Rector and supervised by teachers of physical education.

Nowadays, a great majority of PE classes and training sessions of the sports sections take place on the University premises (gymnasium, fitness room, dancing hall). Swimming lessons and training sessions of the swimming section are conducted in the swimming pools rented at the Academic Sports Centre and in the City Centre of Sports and Recreation.

The University has its own sailing centre at Piaseczno, where sailing and sports camps are held. Besides, students’ cruises on the Mazurian Lakes are organised yearly. In winter, ski training camps take place in Slovakia and Bukowina Tatrzańska.

Sports interests and skills can be developed in the following sports sections of the
University Club of the Academic Sports Association:

• men basketball section (the present runner-up in Polish Academic Basketball Championships)

• women basketball section (where Poland's representative, student of the Faculty of Agriculture, Małgorzata Pietraś is a member),

• cycling and mountain tourism section (with the reigning champion of Poland in mountain cycling, Iwona Szmyd – student of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine),

• men swimming section (the reigning team champion of Polish Agricultural Universities),

• women swimming section (the present runner-up of Polish Agricultural Universities),

• football (the present brown medallist in Polish championships of Agricultural Universities),

• men and women volleyball sections

• martial arts section (the present academic team runner-up of Polish Agricultural Universities), aerobics section, chess section.

THE CENTRE OF RURAL CULTURE AND FOLKLORE
Lublin, 12 Langiewicza Street, Students' House - Eskulap
tel. +48 81 441-14-92
Head: Zbigniew Romanowicz, M.A.

The Centre is a didactic unit including the Folk Song and Dance Group “Jawor” and the University of Life Sciences Choir.

 

THE UNIVERSITY OF LIFE SCIENCES CHOIR
Conductor: Zofia Bernatowicz, Ph.D.
Curator: Professor Jan Matras
http://www.chor.up.lublin.pl/

The University of Life Sciences Choir is one of the oldest in Lublin. Its beginnings go back to the spring of 1952, when a group of several students of the Agricultural Faculty of UMCS formed a vocal-instrumental band, which in autumn of that year was transformed into a choir. The conductor of the choir was its main initiator, a research worker of the Agri-cultural Faculty of UMCS, Bogusław Szot, now a professor of the Institute of Agro-physics at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Lublin, a real lover of choir music. He was the conductor for 15 years. Since 1990, Zofia Bernatowicz has been the conductor, and Professor Jan Matras its curator.

The work of recent years brought the effect of numerous concerts, including the vocal-instrumental ones (Borys Godunow by Modest Musorgsky, Carmina Burana by Carl Orff at the Lublin Philharmonic Hall).

The Choir takes part in university celebrations (for example, the performance of Nelson Mass by Joseph Haydn to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the AUniversity of Life Sciences) and in concerts in the city.

The Choir gives annual concerts abroad (Belgium, France, Germany; in 1996 it took part in the festival in Hungary, where it was a co-performer of Magnificant by John Sebastian Bach); it took part in the 2nd International Choir Meetings in Lublin with the performance of Completorium by Grzegorz Gorczyński , and in a prestigious concert at the Musical Academy of Warsaw.

 

THE FOLK SONG AND DANCE GROUP "JAWOR"
Lublin, 12 Langiewicza Street - Students' House - Eskulap
tel. +48 81 441-14-92
fax +48 81 533-35-39
e-mail: jawor@up.lublin.pl
http://jawor.up.lublin.pl

Head: Zbigniew Romanowicz, M.A.

The Folk Song and Dance Group has existed since 1960 and is one of the oldest folk groups in Poland. Over the years of continuous activity the group has gathered a large repertoire where authenticity is skilfully blended with stylisation. Apart from national dances, the repertoire includes regional dances from the whole country. The Group is made of four 12-pair dancing groups, the band and the soloists. Most of the members are students of the Agricultural University but there are also students of other Lublin universities as well as high school students. The artists can present the acquired skills during numerous concerts.

Each year the Group takes part in international folklore festivals. So fUP, it has visited six continents. There are few places left in Europe where the Group has not performed. The non-European countries that the dancers and musicians from the Agricultural University have visited include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, India, Israel, Canada, Libya, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, the United States, the Azores, Borneo and the Hawaii. The most unforgettable concerts took part on board the ‘Stefan Batory‘ transatlantic liner, in the gardens belonging to Prime Minister Indira Ghandi and in Walt Disney Centre in Orlando, Florida.

The Group has visited some countries a few times, everywhere enjoying great popularity and receiving rewards. Recent years of the Group’s activity have been very busy and successful. The number of concerts every year exceeds 150, which – considering its amateur character – is an impressive number. Most of the concerts take place in Lublin and its vicinity.

The prizes and awards include:

1. 1st place at the Polish Festival of Students’ Culture in Warsaw,

2. 1st place “Golden Lion” at the International Folklore Festival in Venice,

3. 3rd place at the Polish Festival of Students’ Culture in “Silver Grape” at the International Folklore Festival in Dijon, France,

4. 1st place among Polish groups at the International Folklore Festival and 2nd place “Silver Safety Lamp” at the Polish Festival of Students’ Folklore Groups in Sosnowiec,

5. 2nd place at the International Folklore Festival in Siliwke, Turkey.

6. prizes at international festivals in Andenne, Belgium; Xánthi, Greece; Getting, Germany; Messina, Sicily; Reatvik, Sweden; Carthagine, Tunisia; Kingston, Canada; Ciudad Real, Portugalete and Jaca, Spain; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Haifa, Israel; Passo Fundo, Brazil.

During the tour in the United States (Utah, Idaho, California) in 1999 the Group was a co-organizer and participant of the “Week of Polish Culture” in the Hawaii. Two years before, in 1997, the Group sang and danced at the International Fair of Zagreb. It also took part in Polish festivals. The latest event of this kind was “Interfolk ‘99” in Kołobrzeg, where they represented Poland.

It should be emphasized that in 2002 “Jawor” was the first amateur group to give concerts in Australia and New Zealand. Thanks to that, it is the only group that has visited all the continents. In 2002, too, it took the second place in the total score and won the Cup for the Best Presentation at Istanbul festival, Turkey. A year before, during an international festival on Borneo in Malaysia, the Group won “ Grand Prix” and two other awards: for the best choreography and the most beautiful costume. In 2000 the Group won the cup and the special prize at the festival of Polonia groups in Recklinghausen, Germany.

However, the most important event in all the history of the Group was achieving the Oscar
Kolberg Medal in 2000 for the “Contribution to the Folk Culture”. The event has even greater importance through the fact that the medal was awarded when the category of groups with artistically prepared programme was established for the first time. “Jawor” is then the first Polish group that received such a prestigious award.
 

THE HOLIDAY RESORT AT PIASECZNO
Office: 20-950 Lublin, 13 Akademicka Street
tel.: +48 81 445-69-11
fax: +48 81 533-37-52
tel. to the resort: +48 81 757-51-45
Manager: Anna Larentowska, M.A.

The sports and holiday resort, situated 41km away from Lublin, was founded in the 1970s. It occupies the area of about 4 ha. It lies directly on the shore of Lake Piaseczno, which has the area of 85 ha and the depth of 39 m, in the middle of birch and pine forest full of mushrooms.

The pavilion and camping houses offer comfortable accommodation for 70 people. The canteen offering traditional Polish cuisine can take 140 persons.

There is a possibility to hire sailing equipment and bicycles. The guests can take advantage of a TV room, a sports gym (table tennis, billiards, fitness equipment), a sports-field and a car park.

Children camps, holidays, trips and sailing camps are organized there.

The Resort houses conferences, training courses, banquets and other celebrations.