Poland in Canada

On September 15th, 2021, at 11:00 o'clock, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland together with Ottawa City Hall, National Capital Commission, Global Affairs Canada, diplomatic corps, and many other distinguished guests, inaugurated a tree (Bur Oak) and a special plaque in memory of MaestroKrzysztof Penderecki.

You can find this special place in Confederation Park, in the heart of Canada’s capital, in close proximity to federal, municipal, and cultural institutions: the Parliamentary Hill, the City Hall, and the National Arts Centre.

Krzysztof Penderecki, a Polish composer was one of the most prominent figures in the history of 20th-century music, composer of the “Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima”, “De Natura Sonoris”, St. Luke Passion, Polish Requiem and Symphony No. 7 (Seven Gates of Jerusalem) and many other works passed away on March 29th, 2020.

Planting a tree dedicated to Krzysztof Penderecki in Ottawa is part of a global project "Penderecki's Garden", carried out by a Polish cultural institution – @InstytutAdamaMickiewicza and consists of growing a virtual interactive garden inspired by the works of Penderecki. www.pendereckisgarden.pl is a virtual space inviting you to explore the composer’s achievements from diverse and complementary perspectives. The main motif of the digital project is one of Penderecki's greatest passions - gardening. Most important for him was the park and arboretum in Lusławice, which the composer designed, developed and cultivated for half his life. “Penderecki's Garden” includes an outdoor component - trees planted in memory of the composer in selected places around the world - in Brussels, Leipzig, Vilnus, Singapore and Ottawa so far.