Andrzej Szwalbe

In 2017, the namesake of Andrzej Szwalbe has been assigned by plebiscite of Bydgoszcz inhabitants to one of the 18 new tramways purchased by the city.

On 18 January 2013, the Andrzej Szwalbe "Heritage" association (Polish: Stowarzyszenie im. Andrzeja Szwalbego "Dziedzictwo") has been launched. Its goal is to gather people who are close to the ideas and activities of Andrzej Szwalbe, as a "visionary in the domain of the culture and science", not only in Bydgoszcz but also in the entire region.

During his lifetime, Andrzej Szwalbe had two books written about him: Andrzej Szwalbe – portret niedokończony (English: Andrzej Szwalbe - an unfinished portrait) by Adam Bezwiński and Życie na przełomie (English: Life at the turn) by Krystyna Starczak-Kozłowska. He also had a bronze bust chiseled by artist Michał Kubiak, which is now exhibited inside the Philharmonic building. On 19 April 2007, Kubiak created a life-size statue of Szwalbe, which stands in the main square of the Philharmonic.

On 30 June 2003, a commemorative plaque was unveiled on the tenement house where Andrzej Szwalbe lived at 75 Dworcowa Street. Since 2007, he is the patron of the Primary School Nr.67 in Bydgoszcz.

Andrzej Szwalbe died suddenly on 11 November 2002 in Bydgoszcz, surviving only one month to his wife, Dobrosława. He was buried in the Catholic cemetery of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at 2 Ludwikowo street in Bydgoszcz.

On 18 March 1993, the City Council awarded him the title of Honorary Citizen of Bydgoszcz. It was the first Honorary Citizen title awarded since 1945.

After retiring in 1991 and handing over the director position of the Philharmonic to Eleonora Harendarska, Szwalbe retained his interest in cultural life and spoke on many issues both on a local and national level. He was awarded the title of Honorary Director of the Pomeranian Philharmonic and received the title of Honorary Citizens of Bydgoszcz in 1993.

At the beginning of the 1980s, Szwalbe came up with the idea of restoring the splendor and culture-centric functions to nearby palaces of Ostromecko and Lubostroń. In the former, he set up a gallery of Polish contemporary paintings and graphics from Tadeusz Brzozowski. He envisioned the Palace and park ensemble in Ostromecko to fulfill the role of a Bydgoszcz Wilanów. He expanded the cultural life in Bydgoszcz with consistency, foresight and optimism. He was deeply emotionally connected with the city.

In 1970, thanks to Szwalbe's efforts, a new gallery for the Municipal Art Gallery BWA was erected at 20 Gdańska Street. He played a decisive role in opening a Bydgoszcz branch of the Academy of Music in Łódź in 1974, which afterwards became an independent institution, the Bydgoszcz Music Academy - "Feliks Nowowiejski". To house the latter, Szwalbe took control of the historic building of the Prussian administrative region in 1975, located at the corner of Słowackiego and 20 Stycznia 1920 streets.

In 1966, with the help of musicologist Zofia Lissa and prof. Hieronim Feicht (then manager of the Polish music department at the University of Warsaw), Szwalbe set up the international festivals and musicological congresses Musica Antiqua Europae Orientalis (MAEO), which have become a recognized event in Europe and contributed to the increased visibility and popularity of music from Central and Eastern Europe in the world. The achievements of the scientific congresses partnering the MAEO sessions were compiled into several books (e.g. Acta Scientifica) and through the publishing series Monumenta MAEO promote Polish music and culture worldwide.

In 1962, together with Stanisław Gałoński, a music director and musicologist from Krakow, Andrzej Szwalbe established the Capella Bydgostiensis, one of the leading Polish chamber orchestras dedicated to Early Music. A year later, he inaugurated the Polish Music Festival, which later transformed into the Bydgoszcz Music Festival (Polish: Bydgoski Festiwal Muzyczny).

In 1951, he was appointed administrative director of the Pomeranian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. A year later, his efforts were rewarded. As by the decision of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage on 15 December 1952, the Pomeranian Symphony Orchestra, operating since 1946, in recognition of its high level and merits in the promotion of music, was nationalized on 1 January 1953, taking the name of Ignacy Jan Paderewski Pomeranian Philharmonic. Andrzej Szwalbe was designated as the head of the Social Committee for the Construction of the Philharmonic (Polish: Społeczny Komitet Budowy Filharmonii). The building was erected three years later, with an inaugural concert performed on 16 November 1956, broadcast on the Polish Radio. The architecture of the newly built edifice in Bydgoszcz, designed by Stefan Klajbor, referred to the National Philharmonic in Warsaw.

After WWII, Szwalbe lived in Ciechocinek but soon he moved to Bydgoszcz. In 1948, he graduated from law studies at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and for three years he worked at the university in different positions as an assistant, a lecturer and then head of the Human resources department. However, he was more enthusiastic to become a cultural activist rather than develop his career as a lawyer. In 1949, Szwalbe made himself known to the public by giving a spontaneous speech during a concert of the Pomeranian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra (the ancestor of the Pomeranian Philharmonic) at the Bydgoszcz Chamber theatre on Grodzka Street for a petition demanding not to abandon the Orchestra. After collecting thousands of signatures, Szwalbe went to the administrative authorities to make his point. This event made him a recognizable figure in the local society.

During the Nazi occupation, while he was completing his first year of law studies at the University of Warsaw, he also worked as a messenger. In 1944, he was arrested and imprisoned by the Germans in the internment camp 121 of Pruszków; from here he escaped to Krakow.

Andrzej Jan Szwalbe (1923-2002) was a Polish lawyer, social and cultural activist and manager of the musical life in Bydgoszcz. He was the originator and creator of numerous artistic projects outside the region. In 1993, he has been designated as "Honorary Citizen of Bydgoszcz". He was awarded the highest state orders for his contribution to Polish culture.

Andrzej Szwalbe was born on 30 June 1923 in Warsaw. His mother was Eufemia née Sobieraj and his father Sylwester Jan Szwalbe. The latter worked as a tax clerk. His mother had a pivotal influence in the way Andrzej led his life: she believed that his duty was to serve his homeland in the field of high culture and that it was his life's important mission. She loved to read difficult books on national, social and philosophical topics to him.