Education and Culture of Warsaw

Warsaw has made important contributions to European culture. Chopin studied at the musical academy.

Chemist and physicist Marie Curie was born Maria Skłodowska in Warsaw in 1867.

Famous writers associated with Warsaw include Bolesław Prus, whose novel Lalka (1890; The Doll, 1972) is set largely in the city; his contemporary Władysław Reymont, who won the Nobel Prize in 1916; and 20th-century novelists Jerzy Andrzejewski, Marek Hłasko, Andrzej Szczypiorski, and Tadeusz Konwicki.

Ludwik Zamenhof, who in 1887 invented Esperanto (an artificial international language), was also a Warsaw resident.

As the capital of the Russian-controlled Congress Kingdom of Poland (also called the Kingdom of Poland) from 1815 to 1831, Warsaw flourished culturally.

The principal institutions of higher education—the University of Warsaw, the Warsaw Agricultural University, and the Warsaw Polytechnic University—were founded during this time.

Eventually about 40 other educational institutions and research institutes opened in Warsaw, including the Warsaw School of Economics.

Major libraries include the National Library, the Library of Warsaw University, and the Library of Parliament.

There are about 30 museums and art galleries.

The National Museum has a collection of Polish art from the 14th to the 20th centuries.

Wilanów Palace, built in the late 17th century, houses the Poster Museum, and the Center for Contemporary Art is housed in the Ujazdowski Castle.

The 19th-century Great Theater stages major ballet and opera performances.

Since 1927 Warsaw has hosted the Chopin Piano Competition, which is held every five years.

Major annual events include the Henri Wieniawski violin competition (started in 1935); the Warsaw Autumn, a contemporary music festival; and the Jazz Jamboree.

The International Book Fair takes place each May in the Palace of Culture and Science.