In May 1945, Wrocław was still a burning pile of rubble. Of the 30,000 houses that stood before the siege of Festung Breslau, 21,600 turned into ruin.

Already in December 1945, a factory repairing musical instruments was opened in Wrocław, so you might think that there were many music lovers among the new inhabitants.

Wrocław makes a nightmarish impression [...] of the home where someone left,” noted Maria Dąbrowska in her diary in February 1950.

When the Wrocław Symphony Orchestra began its regular activity in 1954, it had six positions. And the prospect of a hungry future.

The 1960s were like a rollercoaster for the Philharmonic – going up and down. The audience listened to Helena Majdaniec singing about the ruddy saffron milk cap and applauded the brilliant pianist Svetoslav Richter.

The 1970s were the era of Tadeusz Strugała in the musical history of the Philharmonic. He was not only the General Director of this institution, its Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, but in 1976 he also took over Wratislavia Cantans, replacing Andrzej Markowski.

In the 1970s, Wrocław’s music life was undoubtedly the most thriving element in the city’s cultural landscape. Success followed success, although there were also painful losses at times.

During martial law, culture was in retreat. Cinemas, theatres and concert halls were locked down, newspapers ceased to come out, and the citizens had to obey the curfew, which was in force from 10 pm. to 6 am.

A tour in Spain, successes at concerts in Germany, Midori playing a Guarneri in Wrocław – the 1990s were not so bad, although the political transformation in the world of art was very painful.

The Philharmonic entered into the third millennium with a belief in a lucky turn of the wheel of Fortune.

The Witold Lutosławski National Forum of Music is an institution founded in 2014 as a result of the merger of the International Festival Wratislavia Cantans and the Wrocław Philharmonic.