Avenue of Stars in Busko-Zdrój

On the promenade of the Spa Park in Busko-Zdrój, between the main façade of the old Bathhouse (today the Marconi Sanatorium) and the fountain, a row of commemorative slabs is set into the paving. Each carries a bronze "Little Sun" bearing the name of an artist who has performed at the Krystyna Jamroz International Music Festival. It is a spa-town take on a walk of fame – more modest than Hollywood's, but full of names any lover of classical music will recognise.

How the Avenue of Stars came about

The festival has been held in Busko every year since 1995, usually at the turn of June and July. Its patron is the soprano Krystyna Jamroz, born in Busko in 1923. The idea came from the opera broadcaster Bogusław Kaczyński in 1987, when a memorial plaque to the singer was unveiled on the "Krystyna" sanatorium. The avenue is a lasting record of successive editions: invited artists unveil their own slabs in person, usually after a festival concert. On one such evening, after a recital by the Lithuanian pianist Lukas Geniušas, the soprano Roma Owsińska unveiled her Little Sun.

What to see

The bronze Little Suns are the work of the sculptor Jacek Kucaba from Tarnów. Those honoured include Krzysztof Penderecki, Bogusław Kaczyński and the composer Leopold Kozłowski, while the festival line-ups have also featured Wiesław Ochman, Piotr Paleczny, Konstanty Andrzej Kulka, Grażyna Brodzińska and Małgorzata Walewska. Hunting for familiar names easily turns into a walk around the whole park: a few steps away, on the promenade in front of the "Krystyna" sanatorium, there is a bench sculpture of Krystyna Jamroz by Sławomir Micek, its backrest shaped like a musical stave.

Tripto tip

The avenue lies in the freely accessible Spa Park, so there is no ticket office and no opening hours – 10–15 minutes is enough to look at the slabs. It is most lively during the festival, when concerts take place in the hall of the Marconi Sanatorium and on the park promenade, and new names are added to the avenue. Extend your walk to the brine graduation tower in the western part of the park and to St Anne's Chapel.