Professor Jerzy Limon wins the 21st edition of the Professor Aleksander Gieysztor Award
On 25 February 2020, during the ceremonious Gala held in the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Aleksander Gieysztor Award was granted for the 21st time. This prestigious award was granted to Professor Jerzy Limon, Director of the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre. The award was granted for creating a unique place where tradition meets modernity, a place that promotes modern art in an understandable way and presents it in the context of traditional and classical references.
It is a special year for us as we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of establishing Bank Handlowy. We are the oldest bank that has been contentiously operating in Poland and progress has always been included in this institution's mission. I am all the happier that in this jubilee year, the prestigious Gieysztor Award organized by our Foundation is presented to a man who embodies support for development. While respecting tradition, with passion and determination Professor Limon restored the heritage of Elizabethan theater to Gdańsk and established the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre, where classic elements meet modernity. We believe that such approach to heritage does not only protect our rich history, but also helps design a valuable tomorrow," - emphasizes Sławomir S. Sikora, President of Citi Handlowy.
Professor Andrzej Rottermund, Head of the Award Jury, emphasized that Professor Jerzy Limon received the Professor Aleksander Gieysztor Award for initiating and creating the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre. This theater refers to the first public theater in Poland, existing in Gdańsk from the beginning of the 17th century and operating for nearly 200 years. The award was granted also for creating a vibrant place of cultural heritage - a place where top quality plays and concerts, and also happenings and exhibitions are held - events that create a new dimension of art by taking inspiration from the past.
"Receiving the Award was not only a surprise to me, but also a great honor. The Award Jury considers establishing the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre and making it an important center of artistic and educational activities an achievement, but one should bear in mind that this would not be possible if it wasn't for the engagement and untiring efforts of many people and institutions. The Theater was not created by a single man. The unique character of this place derives from tradition. Over 400 years ago, English actors began travelling to Gdańsk. It is here that the first public theater in the Republic of Poland operated. What makes me the most proud is the fact that we are bringing back the tradition of international theatrical and cultural contacts of Gdańsk and Poland with the whole world," said Professor Jerzy Limon, Director of the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre.
The Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre is a universal, international center of culture and art. This place hosts several dozen theatrical and musical events annually, together with the Theatrum Gedanense Foundation organizes the international Shakespeare Festival, runs international educational projects and several hundred Shakespearean lessons and workshops for students from the whole Poland. The Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre (GTS) presents not only the legacy of the most important Polish and foreign creators, but also supports independent artists. The theater hosts events of performing arts, literature and visual arts. It is also a place for educational activities engaging children and teenagers as well as groups of students and senior citizens. The theater building is considered one of the greatest architecture pearls of the recent years. At the same time, it is the only theater in the whole world with a retractable roof that enables performing plays on the Elizabethan stage in daylight. Throughout the whole year, everyday, the theater is open for visitors, who can discover its amazing history and architecture with the help of a guide.
The Professor Aleksander Gieysztor Award has been granted by the Citi Handlowy Foundation since 1999 for outstanding achievements in the field of protection of the Polish cultural heritage in such areas as: museology, art conservation and libraries; international promotion and protection of the Polish cultural heritage; local government initiatives to protect the cultural heritage; individual and joint initiatives to collect and protect the remains and monuments of the cultural heritage; popularization of the need to protect the cultural heritage in Poland and methods to achieve this goal. The list of previous winners includes, among others, Elżbieta and Krzysztof Penderecki, Leon Tarasewicz, Anda Rottenberg - a prominent art historian, critic and exhibition curator, Professor Norman Davies - distinguished British historian and inquisitive researcher of the history of Poland. The Professor Aleksander Gieysztor Award is also awarded to institutions such as the Social Committee for the Care of Old Powązki or the National Ossoliński Institute in Wrocław. 21st edition of the Award is held under the honorary auspices of the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda.
