A short report from the Saxon Garden Festival

The Saxon Garden Festival is a unique outdoor event in Poland’s oldest public park. On 25 May 2024, the garden alleys and the neighbouring Piłsudski Square hosted tens of thousands of people for the third time, who for one day had the opportunity to travel back in time to the inter-war period. Parades of vintage cars and bicycles, performances by brass bands, orchestras and re-enactment groups, an evening dance and the premiere of the educational path “Around the cellars of the Saski and Brühl Palaces” were just some of the unusual attractions on this day.

The Saxon Garden’s main avenue full of old-time charm

As a reminder, the Saxon Garden Festival is a tribute to the history of the place, whose gates were opened to the citizens of Warsaw almost three hundred years ago, on 27 May 1727!. Once again on the last Saturday in May, at the stroke of 10 o’clock, a parade of musicians, artists and re-enactors set off at a brisk pace to the rhythm of the marching band. Meandering through the alleys of the Saxon Garden accompanied by antique bicycles, the parade participants reached the Great Fountain known from postcards, after which they dispersed towards the stands set up in the park.

Each of the stands was arranged in the old-fashioned way, so that the visitors could see what a shoemaker or tailor used to do, what items were bought by travellers and porcelain collectors, and what pre-war surgeries, cafés and photo shops looked like.

The Children’s Playroom and screen-printing workshops on the stage by the garden pond provided plenty of excitement for the youngest.

The unconventional “Kapota” shop and the inter-war fashion show performed by GRH Bluszcz and Piotr Krukowski’s re-enactment group undoubtedly drew the attention of the promenading elegant ladies and gallant gentlemen. Fashion, however, has many names, as was demonstrated by law enforcement officers from the National Police station during a show presenting the history of uniforms, as well as by members of the Military Staff. We cannot also forget about the medical re-enactors, which presented old medical instruments next to the historic ambulance at the stand called the Field Hospital.

In the Saxon Café

Among the stands with old-time attractions, there were two cafés, although only one of them - the Garden Café - performed its function in keeping with its suggested name, namely it was possible to see a coffee-making demonstration there. Even though there was no coffee in the second one, it enjoyed unwavering interest throughout the day. It was well worth queuing, as the Saxon Café offered a wide range of attractions. One of these was virtual time travel. All you had to do was sit comfortably at a table and put on your VR goggles to take a carriage ride around inter-war Piłsudski Square and see the famous colonnade of the Saski Palace up close.

In addition, postcards with spaces to collect stamps were available at the café. Participants in this game collected stamps at different stands, and when they had completed them all, they could return to collect their gifts. They could choose from educational materials related to the ongoing investment in the reconstruction of the Saski Palace, the archaeological research carried out last year on the grounds of Brühl Palace, and wild rose seedlings associated with the garden itself.

Unusual rides and live music

In addition to exhibitions and demonstrations, the main avenue of the Saxon Garden also turned into a place of learning and fun. Participants had the opportunity, under the watchful eye of instructors from the Bicycles and Velocipedes Factory, to learn how to ride these historic unicycles, play chess in Peter’s Game Room and watch performances by the Warsaw Song and Dance Ensemble “Warszawianka” in Cyrulik Warszawski.

The same band also provided a surprise for dance lovers. At one point, elegantly dressed couples began to emerge from various corners of the garden and, together with all those willing to dance, set off dancing the polonaise. And all this in a place where, more than two centuries ago, one could meet the young Fryderyk Chopin, a resident of the neighbouring Saski Palace.

A completely different music programme, although equally inviting, was prepared by the excellent bands AllDęte, Wah-Wah Brass, Marcin Brassband and Kataryniarz Jan. However, as it turned out in the evening, these were not the only events for music lovers and dancers…

Dancing by the pond in the Saxon Garden

At 6 p.m., a parade of artists once again made its way through the alleyways of the Saxon Garden, and a moment later, a band inspired by the golden age of Polish popular music appeared on the stage by the pond, playing sometimes forgotten, but very lively songs from pre-war revues, cabarets and films. During the dance, the Warsaw Sentimental Orchestra performed its own arrangements of songs by masters of the baton and pen, Petersburski, Gold, Tuwim and Hemar. Songs formerly sung by, among others, Adam Aston and Hanka Ordonówna, heated up the dance floor. After an hour, it was time for a moment’s rest with a short quiz on the knowledge and history of the immediate surroundings and the ongoing restoration of the palaces and townhouses - once again, our congratulations to the winners!

By this time, other musicians had already appeared on the stage. CzessBand, with two decades of experience, performs famous songs about Warsaw and popular Warsaw hits. However, the group was not alone on stage; the seniors from the band “Cała Praga Śpiewa” also made a guest appearance. As you can imagine, both those who were on and around the dance floor once again danced happily to the rhythm of the upbeat music!

Accompanying attractions

There was also a lot going on outside the main avenue of the Saxon Garden. A real treat for classic cars fans was waiting in front of the Europejski Hotel - an exhibition of vintage automobiles prepared by the Museum of Technology and Motorisation in Otrębusy, as well as hourly trips around the Saxon Garden in cars from the Blitz Team collection. On the way between the exhibition and the Saxon Garden, in addition to receiving the latest issue of “Ogrodnik Saski” [The Saxon Gardener] newspaper, which introduced the history of both the Saxon Garden and the Saski Palace, two glass pavilions awaited the participants of the events. The first presents the “Treasures of the Brühl Palace”, i.e. the findings from the archaeological work carried out last year, and the second presents a brand-new model of the entire western frontage of Piłsudski Square, which shows the shape of the Saski and Brühl Palaces that are being reconstructed, as well as three townhouses at Królewska Street.

Opening of the educational path “Around the cellars of the Saski and Brühl Palaces”

Next to the glass pavilion which houses the architectural model, there is a secret gate in front of which groups of people curious about the history of the site gathered every 20 minutes. After checking their free tickets from the Saxon Café, visitors entered the reconstruction project area and followed the educational path “Around the cellars of the Saski and Brühl Palaces” with licensed guides. During the 3rd edition of the Saxon Garden Festival, over 600 people heard the most interesting stories from the history of the complex of palaces and townhouses. Those who did not manage to do so on Saturday, as well as all those wishing to take part in the second season of the educational path extended to the area of the Brühl Palace, are invited to register on our website. The free tour will be available until at least the end of September.

Thank you for participating in the 3rd edition of the Saxon Garden Festival, see you next year on the last Saturday in May!

Co-financed from the funds of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland "Reconstruction of the Saski Palace, the Brühl Palace and tenements at Królewska Street - preparation works".