Firefighters across Poland were called out almost 800 times after heavy rains and storm winds lashed parts of the country earlier this week.
Strong winds wreaked havoc in the northeastern Warmińsko-Mazurskie province and the southern coal-mining region of Silesia, downing trees and flooding basements.
Forestry authorities are also assessing the damage after an apparent tornado ripped through the Bory Tucholskie forest complex in the country’s north-central Kujawsko-Pomorskie province, uprooting hundreds of trees, according to state news agency PAP.
As of yesterday afternoon, there were no reports of injuries in the aftermath of the extreme weather.
Source: Radio Poland
The Austrian capital of Vienna is hosting a festival in honor of the acclaimed Polish science-fiction writer Stanisław Lem, who was born a century ago.
Lem’s centenary is being celebrated in Poland as the Year of Lem. Vienna, the writer’s home in the 1980s, has also joined in, staging a series of musical events collectively dubbed the Lem Festival.
Poland’s Adam Mickiewicz Institute (IAM) is the driving force behind the project, in co-operation with the ImPuls Tanz festival and the Klangforum Wien ensemble.
One of the highlights of the Lem Festival and the Year of Lem as a whole will be a concert at Vienna’s Odeon Theatre this evening when new pieces by Polish composers Mikołaj Laskowski and Żaneta Rydzewska will have their world premieres.
Lem, who died in 2006 at the age of 85, was one of Poland’s most famous authors. His books, revolving around the future of planet Earth and the human species, were often turned into films, including the 2002 film „Solaris” with George Clooney.
More information on the Lem Festival and Year of Lem can be found on the ImpulsTanz website.
The Virtual Theatre of History project, which highlights milestones from Poland’s struggle to recover sovereignty more than a century ago, is now back on tour.
The virtual reality multimedia show is part of the Niepodległa (Independent) multi-year program of events marking the centennial of Poland’s independence.
The traveling exhibition includes a 3D VR film entitled Victory 1920, which guests can watch via modern VR headsets while sitting in one of 15 swivel armchairs. The program features a cruise on the oceanliner MS „Piłsudski” through the history of the Interwar Period and the Warsaw Uprising events.
The exhibit is currently traveling around the country and will make a stop in Gdynia August 27 – September 1.
For more information and a complete schedule, visit the Koncept Kultura website.
Source: Radio Poland, konceptkultura.pl
Two Balinese starlings, a species threatened with extinction, recently hatched at the Gdańsk Zoo.
The birth of chicks was met with great delight by many zoo employees, with Director Michał Targowski calling it the source of „great joy and pride” and „a great breeding success for our garden.”
The Balinese starling is endemic to the island of Bali in Indonesia, meaning it cannot be found anywhere else. As a result of poaching, the population of Balinese starling was estimated at only 15 birds in the wild in 1990.
Zookeepers hope the birds can be re-introduced into their natural habitat once they have matured. As Izabela Krause, the Deputy Directly for Breeding at the Gdańsk Zoo, explains, „Any offspring of Balinese starlings in closed farms have an impact on the status of the wild population saving this disappearing species relies on breeding individuals that then form breeding pairs in the future.”
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Weather
Today will be partly cloudy and warm with a light breeze coming in from the southwest and little to no chance of rain. Temperatures will peak around a high of 24°C, or 76°F, cooling off overnight to a low of 14°C or 58°F. Sunshine and warm weather are set to continue through the weekend, with a chance for rain returning again on Monday.
