Chopin Centre in Szafarnia

In the manor house at Szafarnia the teenage Frédéric Chopin spent his summer holidays in 1824 and 1825. Here he first encountered real folk music, and he wrote funny letters home to his parents in the form of a newspaper – the "Szafarnia Courier". Today the 19th-century manor houses the Chopin Centre, with a concert hall and a park.

History: holidays with a friend

Szafarnia belonged to the Dziewanowski family. The composer's father, Nicolas Chopin, had probably worked as a tutor in the house as a young man, and Frédéric was friends with Dominik Dziewanowski, a classmate from the Warsaw Lyceum. During his stays Chopin listened to village songs and music which, according to many scholars, left their mark on his mazurkas. It is believed that the first version of the Mazurka in A minor, Op. 17 No. 4 dates from that time.

The first Chopin concert here was held on 25 September 1949, the hundredth anniversary of the composer's death. In 1979 a fire destroyed part of the manor and many mementos; after renovation in 1980–1988 the centre reopened. Since 2004 it has been run as a cultural institution of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian region.

What to see

• the museum room devoted to Chopin's stays in Szafarnia,
• the concert hall with a Steinway & Sons grand piano,
• the historic park of about 3 hectares with a pond shaped like a piano and trees that date back to Chopin's time,
• a café in the old cellars of the manor.

Interesting facts

• Since 1992 Szafarnia has hosted the International Chopin Piano Competition for Children and Young People.
• The Polish section of the Way of St James, the Camino Polaco, passes through Szafarnia.

Tripto tip

45–90 minutes is enough for a visit. A ticket costs just PLN 7 (reduced PLN 5), and entry to the park is free. The centre is open Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays. Ideally, come for a Saturday concert, which usually starts at 17:00 – book tickets in advance. Szafarnia lies a few kilometres from Golub-Dobrzyń and its Teutonic castle.