The Pomeranian Philharmonic that was established on 1 January 1953 is a true pride of the inhabitants of Bydgoszcz. It is not only a place of music, but culture in its wider meaning. Both inside and outside the stately edifice of the Philharmonic we can admire numerous busts of composers, in the interiors there is a splendid collection of tapestries ordered by Andrzej Szwalbe from outstanding Polish artists, there also used to be a collection of 19th century pianos, but it has been moved to the Palace in Ostromecko. The Philharmonic concert hall has the best acoustics in Poland and some of the best in Europe. Hence, outstanding musicians make recordings in it, and in interviews they often express admiration for the acoustics of the concert hall in Bydgoszcz. It is a place that hosts some of the oldest music festivals in Poland. One of them is the Bydgoszcz Music Festival that has been held since 1963 and takes place every three years, another one is Musica Antiqua Europae Orientalis – Festival of Early Music of Central and Eastern Europe. It has been organised since 1966, and hosts artists and musicologists with truly encyclopaedic names. MAEO was born at the time when religious music was rarely performed in concert halls. During 3 weeks of September lovers of music listen to songs written for church purposes, but also pearls of symphony and chamber music. Only then can we admire almost next to each other works by the medieval German composer and mystic Hildegard of Bingen and Krzysztof Penderecki – a frequent guest in Bydgoszcz and Honorary Citizen of the City. The unique character of MAEO lies not only in the original repertoire performed by leading Polish and European musicians, but also in discovering the common past of this part of Europe. The festival is accompanied by musicological conferences with the participation of scientists from academic institutions around the world. This combination of music and science occurs only in Bydgoszcz.
