End of the Multiannual Governmental Programme „Niepodległa” and plans for the future

The end of 2022 for Biuro Programu „Niepodległa” (BPN) was not only the end of the next year, but also the end of the Multiannual Governmental Programme „Niepodległa” (MGP) for the years 2017-2022, dedicated to the national celebrations of the Centenary of Regaining Independence and restoration of statehood of the Republic of Poland.

Multiannual Governmental Programme „Niepodległa”

From the very beginning the leading institution in supervision was the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The creation and implementation provisions of the MGP was an unprecedented intention in the recent history of Poland. The main goals of BPN activity during the MGP were to encourage Poles to intensify ties with homeland, reinforce their awareness of a civic community and strengthen their national identity. We have been involved in numerous cultural, historical, and educational campaigns, both locally and nationwide, mostly in co-operation with governmental institutions, local authorities, and non-profit organisations. Events such as the annual celebration of the National Independence Day, Commemoration Of The 100th Anniversaries of the Regaining Independence (1918), Outbreaks of Silesian (1919, 1920, 1921) and Greater Poland Uprisings (1918-1919), and The Battle of Warsaw (1920), were a combination of multifaceted work between state institutions and local governments. These actions have developed multilateral relationships and allowed to build an integrated network of committed people bound together by a common objective.

A significant number of projects were running in parallel to aforementioned celebrations. In the first place we should highlight our international campaign #niepodlegladohymnu and nationwide #mojaflaga, which year by year have been encouraging participants to celebrate public holidays together on 2nd of May (displaying of the flag on the National Polish Flag Day) and 11th of November (singing an anthem on the National Independence Day).

Celebrations of Polish independence

 Additionally, we have been conducting the grant programmes, which were an important part of the responsibility entrusted to BPN by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. In total, we have awarded grants to various entities for over 2000 projects to support grassroots initiatives, including wide range of local events (among others: reenactment groups, exhibitions, workshops, etc.).

Attention should also be paid to how we have made an effort to meet the needs of the local community in Warsaw. On the premises of the Royal Łazienki Museum we have established a pavilion under the name: „Niepodległa. Miejsce Spotkań” (eng. „Independent. The Meeting Place”), where visitors can participate in many interdisciplinary educational workshops and cultural events. BPN has created a friendly space which triggers creativity in it’s visitors.

Furthermore, it is important to point out that a special emphasis was placed on the innovations and unique technological solutions in BPN projects. The most vivid example of these measures was the creation of a „Wirtualny Teatr Historii” (eng. „Virtual Theatre of History”) located inside the mobile truck, which took a route all over Poland and have been visited by a wide-ranging audience from more than a 50 cities and towns. Another flagship and still on-going project is „Niepodległa w kadrze” (eng. „Independent in the frame”) focused on the production of short movies developed in Virtual Reality technology. It has resulted in five films released so far: „Dża Dża”, „Not to love in such a night”, „Victory 1920”, „Cinema”, and „MS Piłsudski” (in the latter case BPN was a co-producer). The aforementioned titles were presented during organised shows and are also available free of charge on the „Niepodległa” channel on YouTube as an attempt to increase the availability of culture on the internet.

Plans for the future

The crowning moment of this six-year period of our existence was the „Congress Niepodległa” held in Warsaw in January 2023. With the participation of more than a 70 representatives of various institutions and people dealing with culture and over 500 guests, we had an opportunity to exchange opinions on the latest trends, summarize efficiency of our projects, and discuss ideas for the future. Where something ends, there also something new begins and a next chapter of our activity is emerging on the horizon.

On the doorstep of 2023 BPN has changed the name of the institution for „Biuro Niepodległa” (BN), but beyond this, our mission has not changed. We are still eager to inspire Poles and celebrate national events together. Our team has far-reaching plans and has been working in full swing, therefore we encourage everybody to be up-to-date with our website and social media accounts. Stay tuned! There is still a lot to discover with us!