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The band Ryszardy.

The musical level and the successes of this band's musicians could be nothing other than a match for the class of their master - based on solid craft in writing and performing - and such qualities were possessed by the promoter of that group, who effectively watched over its musical development. And he was no ordinary person: an excellent musician, the composer of many simply wonderful pieces and songs, whose musical and artistic mastery is best measured by their timelessness. I think internet users rightly guess that I mean the co-founder and leader of the band "Skaldowie" - Andrzej Zieliński.

Presenting them - I mention this in passing - became an important impulse which gave birth to the idea of writing, in as broad a view as possible, the history of the development of cultural and educational activity in Nowa Huta.

Continuing that subject, I turn to those vocal formations which are the aftermath of the group Margaretki.

So: the younger vocal group Debiuty, and the group called Andromeda, which was based on five secondary-school girls.

Further formations, also proving the absolute supremacy of the girls over the less fair sex, perhaps less talented, were "Erebat" and "Orzeszki".

Listed below are the groups which still appeared at the turn of the 70s and 80s, and also selected hobby sections, for the sake of a formal record:

After attempting to present to internet users the artistic activity at the ZDK (the Lenin Steelworks House of Culture), though not in full, one cannot omit what was happening in this field in the institutions subordinate to it, the so-called branches.

All the more so because, for example, at the "Ognisko Młodych" (Youth Club) such artistic forms were initiated as were not to be found at the ZDK itself.

Perhaps I will begin with those forms which cannot be given the status of exclusivity: the "Estrada Operowa", the "Estrada Piosenki", whose tone of quality was set by Larysa Wdzięczkowska with considerable musical support from Adam Pauliczek, and a jazz band made up of the following musicians, who already had a good reputation: Z.Irzeński, W.Robotycki, Z.Ząbek, Z.Balicki. A vocal quintet led by the excellent jazz musician Alojzy Thomys. I admit with regret that this group did not meet with a lively response from the wider public, even though vocally trained performers took part in it: Larysa Wdzięczkowska, Kazimiera-Katarzyna Florek, Leszek Lechowicz, Edward Zawiliński and Stanisław Florek.

At the same time Italian song reigned supreme ("easy, light and pleasant"). The quintet's programme, however, was kept in the jazz convention, which suited mainly jazz fans.

The "Contest for an epigram about Nowa Huta" - the jury chaired by Witold Zechenter, judging the harvest of the contest, chose the best epigrams, which were then presented at many events.

The authors sent in several dozen epigrams, but my unreliable memory has kept only one: "Nie jedna pała tu się zalała" - it refers to the Nowa Huta reservoir.

The recitation contest - the best participants went on to the "Młodzieżowa Estrada Poetycka", which worked at the ZDK. The "Contest for a song about Nowa Huta" - it was written in golden letters in the activity of the "Ognisko Młodych". It gained not only enormous publicity but also a nationwide reach and an exceptional response. The contest was held under the patronage of the Culture Department of the District National Council (DRN), which funded the prizes for the winners, and of Głos Nowej Huty as the promoting party.

Composers who were very well known at the time, with significant successes already to their credit, took part in the contest.

I know this because many composers demanded the return of their contest pieces. Over 150 songs were entered. The jury consisted of: Irena Garztecka, Alojzy Thomys, Andrzej Czopik, Jerzy Walawski, Adam Włodek, Jan Żabicki - a representative of the editorial office of Głos Nowej Huty. After all the songs had been heard, eight were admitted to the final. The organisers offered eight performers the choice of two items suited to them, so that each song would have two performed versions.

The songs, prepared by the vocalists together with a band, were presented at two public concerts. The first took place in the theatre hall of building "S". The second - in the steelworks' Sports and Entertainment Hall.

On entering the concert, each listener received a list of the song titles, from which - after hearing them - he could pick one that he considered the best. And here are the results of that vote:

• 1st place went to the song entitled "Uśmiechnij się" - lyrics Z.Biegański, music S.Florek,
• 2nd place - lyrics C.Wazyl - J.Olczyk, music A.Wazyl,
• 3rd place - lyrics T.Śliwiak music L.Rzewuski,
• 4th place - lyrics J.Walawski music S.Florek.

The remaining songs, or rather their authors, were also honoured with a distinction and a cash prize.

In this series of artistic forms, as distinguishing marks of a kind of the "Ognisko Młodych", one should mention the Hawaiian guitar group and also the ballroom dancing courses, levels I, II and III, run by A.Szwed.

Changes of the main animators of cultural and educational life in the ZDK's institutions sometimes fundamentally determined the priorities they set themselves in the work undertaken in new places and in a new role, which is also reflected in the example of S.Daniłoś.

After my move to the "Ognisko Dziecięce" (Children's Club) he took over the management of the "Ognisko Młodych". The new head naturally preferred educational forms, which largely set the directions of the institution's work.

The dominant feature was cycles of lectures: "Around the world", "We must be judges", "Technology helps man", "Wanderings among the stars", "Youth and its rights".

Listeners showed special interest in the cycle entitled "From nebula to man", which covered quite a wide range of subjects, such as geography, technology, law, astronautics, ethics, and also everyday upbringing.

Among the residents of the workers' hostels - but not only them - the hobby clubs were especially popular: the Theatre Lovers' Club, the Good Book Club, the Friends of Art Club, the Song Lovers' Club, and above all the Youth of the World Club. The last of these was run extremely dynamically and attractively - in terms of programme - by Włodek Lipczyński. I too took part in it willingly, because - apart from the chance to get to know the culture of other nations - an additional asset was the trips to various communities, as part of an exchange of experience with other clubs of this type.

Such clubs as the Film Discussion Club, the Photography Club and the Sports Fans' Club, already existing in earlier years, consistently carried on their programmes. The Amateur Film Club occupies my thoughts to an exceptional degree: the scope and rank of its activity and the scale of its achievements deserve a separate documentary study.

I only express the hope that in the near future someone competent in the field of film-making will not allow that phenomenon to dissolve in the expanses of oblivion because of passing time, which mercilessly blurs the sharpness of receding facts and events.

An extraordinarily important role was played by the library with its reading room - located at the Ognisko Młodych.

Of special importance were the effectiveness of its educational influence and the concern for the reach and impact of the library on the working-class community, but also, on a wide scale, on the population of Nowa Huta, including school pupils.

The head of this popularising institution - Helena Lipczyńska - strove hard for that. Her efforts to win the widest possible crowd of readers did not consist merely in giving them expert advice, but also in ensuring a wide offer in the form of meetings with writers, talks on literature and on cultural and educational matters, and also readers' contests.

Despite rooms that were limited - in terms of floor space - the library had 5 thousand volumes, and more than a thousand readers could be counted in its card index.

It is a fact that in the club's new programme educational activity came to reign supreme, which does not mean that artistic forms were abandoned altogether.

The guitar and accordion classes were still run. The work of the song stage was also kept. And even a guitar band was formed, "Wiślanie".

An important part of the cultural and educational work was the artistic events which were organised with unfailing regularity - on days off work - in the concert shell in the park, not far from the club.

At the Ognisko Młodych itself, dance and entertainment evenings were organised, which for the dancers were a kind of lesson in spending time in a cultured way and in the rules of savoir-vivre.

I have already made the reservation that this text - for many reasons - will not give the full range of cultural and educational activity, even in those institutions which are (for the writer of these words) an object of special interest.

Nevertheless, certain forms of activity and certain events cannot be light-heartedly omitted. One of the important forms of raising the level of culture was training the habit of listening to so-called serious music.

No wonder, then, that the Ognisko Młodych ensured wide cooperation with the Kraków Philharmonic, thanks to which - contrary to all sceptical opinions - concerts took place surprisingly often in the hostel club next to the Ognisko.

Also worthy of note is the Club of the Young Intelligentsia, which gathered in its ranks actors, visual artists, doctors, lawyers and journalists. Inhabitants of Nowa Huta, of course.

So let us move on, together with my move, to the Ognisko Dziecięce (Children's Club).

What mattered was that I could carry out my own programme while keeping the already existing forms of work, both artistic and educational. So I immediately set about constructing - as people like to say today - new, interdisciplinary projects. Not in order to dazzle anyone with - let us say - the originality of an idea, but out of the need of the situation and the demand of the moment. But enough digression! - let us get to the heart of the matter by referring to the achievements the Children's Club already had.

After the children's department was moved from the ZDK to a separate building and its management was taken over by Stanisław Daniłoś, the name "Ognisko Dziecięce" was adopted.

Those changes were followed by new artistic formations and hobby sections: a poetry stage, a song stage, the little theatre "Krasnal", a young technician's workshop, an aircraft and boat modelling workshop, and foreign language courses (English, German).

A library was also created, which at that time had over three hundred young readers

The club did have a limited number of rooms, and small ones at that, yet its activity was marked by an ever wider scope and by new successes.

Alongside the significant artistic movement, great impetus was also given to educational forms. Quite a few clubs were created: a readers' club, a stamp collectors' club, the friends of "Czarna Stopa", the friends of the children's stage.

Having taken over the whole inventory of the Children's Club with its surroundings, I set about - as has been said - carrying out what resulted from the need of the moment, and not only that.

It so unfortunately happened that - I also mentioned this when describing the history of the song stage group Margaretki - as a result of several girls leaving the group (to this day nobody knows for what reasons) it became necessary to organise a singing contest as a matter of urgency. Contrary to appearances that undertaking, very absorbing to organise, brought highly satisfying results: a large number of entries and - what was especially pleasing - a high level of contestants, and particularly the participation of boys. And the plan of the contest made possible not only a quick rebuilding of the group but its transformation into a song theatre with boys taking part as well. The conclusions after the contest showed the need to organise this event at least once a year.

That in turn even made it possible to form a choir, led with an able hand by a musician well known in Nowa Huta - Ludwik Czech. It is hard not to mention - since this is the achievement of our community - that to his credit were the creation and the significant successes of the group "Smarkule", though it worked at the Youth House of Culture.

In the seventies this group came to the ZDK under the changed name "Ad Libitum", and likewise - under changed leadership. When I mentioned that I took on the role of managing the Children's Club together with its surroundings, I had in mind the nearby courtyards around the institution, where the loud romping of shouting children sometimes noticeably disturbed the classes and events taking place in the club. No wonder, then, that in this situation an effective solution had to be found. By a strange chance I hit upon this idea: I decided to programme special events, meetings with interesting people and interesting film screenings, addressed exclusively to those children who completely shunned what the Children's Club had to offer.

The plan thus hatched was preceded by talks with the children of the courtyard, especially those who led the way in their groups. They were also invited to classes open to them. At every opportunity of contact with them I tried to stress that the programme devised for them was especially attractive and meant exclusively for the club of the "Podwórzanie". That difficult undertaking not only - to put it colloquially - saved the day, but became a spectacular event and an object of special interest for the so-called authorities, both of culture at a higher level and of other bodies.

What astonished the organisers, and above all the jurors of this event, was not only the number of works entered but their substantive value. The contestants most often presented people worthy of the name of hero who were active in the Nowa Huta community or outside it. But some authors of the contest works (mainly girls entered) presented members of their own family as heroes. Among this group was the daughter of Ryszard Filipski, who won first prize. The winner's work was very mature for her age not only intellectually but also in style.

The works were judged by a committee consisting of: Maria Buttyter, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Głos Nowej Huty" - Roman Wolski - and my humble self. The contest was held under the patronage of the editorial office of "Głos Nowej Huty".

And this clearly enriches the range of exercises and leads easily into performing various rhythmic structures, that is, it equips the children with musical knowledge as well. Eurhythmics at the Children's Club was run in this convention. Children prepared in this way went not only to the ballet but also to the Teatrzyk Piosenki. These groups were led by K.K.Florek, and the musical accompaniment was provided, with her musical talent, by Stanisława Piątkowska.

The Children's Club, despite very inconvenient premises, carried on very wide artistic activity through its various groups, which equipped their members with vocal, musical, dance, acting and recitation skills, awakening a love of art.

The clubs, study rooms and hobby sections, in turn, stimulated particular passions of their members and sometimes set the direction of their further education, and perhaps in the future of their choice of profession.

In addition, the club organised a whole series of various talks, meetings with interesting people, film screenings, and also artistic events with its own and invited groups.

Moving on to describe the standard programme work in the workers' hostels, that is, the Young Worker's House (DMR) - it was in this building that the great cultural and educational campaign began, aimed at the culture-creating development of the Nowa Huta community, and especially of that part of the incoming population which was housed, among other places, in the DMR. Here, in the clubs that were formed, with such names as "Antynuda", "Szkrab", a programme of events was carried out which consisted of talks of various kinds and meetings with well-known representatives of culture and art, the press, writers, popular actors and globetrotters, who illustrated their travels with slides or film screenings.

In the Young Worker's House, which consisted of several blocks, there were common rooms next to the club; they served as quiet places for study (its residents were gaining qualifications at various technical schools and colleges) and also as reading rooms. The House also had a theatre hall, where one-actor shows and artistic events were organised, educational films were screened and the winners of contests were presented: poetry, music, singing and ballroom dancing contests.

As has been said: the residents of this hostel were continuing their education - and there were about 3000 of them - and they also had access to a library richly stocked with books.

There were no suitable conditions here for running numerous groups, yet several existed: a music and entertainment group, an accordion group and a recitation group. In addition, a Correspondents' Circle worked here, and an English course and a ballroom dancing course were run. The trips under the name "We visit the monuments of Kraków" were very popular with the hostel residents.

It remains to add what resulted from the source material - ".. responsible for the events and programme were, in turn: Stanisław Florek, Franciszek Daniel, Kazimierz Moskwa..".

Having covered the activity of the individual institutions that were integral parts of the ZDK, I return to the educational section, which is also an inseparable part of it.

The dominant feature of educational activity at the ZDK was talks and lectures in psychology and pedagogy, also taking in technical knowledge. In connection, for example, with the 1000th anniversary of the Polish state, lectures on archaeology and history were held.

An advice centre on furnishing home interiors was also organised. The vision of a tasteful, quasi-aesthetic furnishing of flats was, for the incoming population from rural backgrounds - in urban conditions - an important visual lesson. Of exceptional importance in the educational campaign run by the ZDK were such lectures as: "An introduction to the knowledge of art", "On the development of the species" - this subject was discussed in 62 lectures combined with films, attended by about 1200 listeners.

With each cultural and educational season the following forms were run in turn: an evening school of aesthetics, a theatre lovers' club, a space club, a radio and television club.

New cycles of meetings with lecturers concerned, in turn, such subjects as: "The accused", "We ask for the floor" and "Decades of culture of the neighbouring countries".