An Art Lover’s PolandWarsaw, Lodz, and Kraków

SEPTEMBER 9–18, 2017

AN ART LOVER’S POLAND: WARSAW, LODZ, AND KRAKÓWSEPTEMBER 9–18, 2017

Dear Member,

As the 21st century evolves, Poland continues to emerge as a growing cultural hub within Europe. Few countries saw a more tragic 20th century than Poland, but as the country’s deepening economic and artistic ties to Germany and Western Europe continue to expand, the beautiful cities of Warsaw, Lodz, and Kraków are thriving. Despite this, few Americans have explored the cultural treasures of Poland.

Our one-of-a-kind itinerary is primarily based in the great cities of Warsaw and Kraków, but we also go o� the beaten path to the colorful city of Lodz and beautiful private estates in Tulowice and Lowicz. Learn about Poland’s rich aristocratic and artistic history through specialized lectures, and delve into the history of World War II, the di�culties of the Cold War, and the nation’s ongoing recovery. The program features centrally located hotels with plenty of historic character, a wide array of memorable meals, and the academic leadership of artist and popular Art Institute study leader Regina Mamou. We hope you will join your fellow members on this special journey in September.

Sincerely,

Aleksandra Matic Associate Director of Member Travel

Art Institute Study Leader

Regina Mamou is a visual artist and art lecturer with specialization in photography and contemporary art. Mamou holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. She received a Fulbright fellowship to Jordan and has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and Africa. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in, among others, Show and Tell Projects (Los Angeles), the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts (New York City), the Historic Water Tower

Gallery (Chicago), Action Field Kodra (Thessaloniki, Greece), and Makan Art Space (Amman, Jordan). Between 2006 and 2014, Mamou worked in museum education at the Art Institute of Chicago where she lectured on a wide variety of art and special exhibitions. She continues to lead international travel programs for the Art Institute of Chicago and currently works as a lecturer for Art Muse Los Angeles. As an artist cum educator, she focuses her interests on artwork that addresses geographical and sociopolitical issues at a global level. Mamou lives and works in Los Angeles.

This travel program is specially designed for Art Institute members. For more information or to become a member, please call the Department of Member Travel at (312) 443-3115.

ITINERARY

Saturday, September 9 Departure

Depart on independent overnight fights arriving at the Warsaw Chopin International Airport (WAW) the following morning.

Sunday, September 10 Warsaw Arrivals

Arrive at Warsaw Chopin International Airport and join a group transfer to the Polonia Palace Hotel, a centrally located four-star hotel that has survived war and political crises with dignity, and today stands as a symbol of the best of old and new Warsaw. This afternoon we begin with a walking tour of the Royal Route and Old Town. Admire the lovely tenement houses and the Market Square guarded by the Mermaid, symbol of Warsaw. Walk by the 17th-century Holy Cross Church, where Frederic Chopin’s heart was laid to rest, and the Church of Visitations, where he performed his first concert. Pass by the house where famous scientist Madame Curie-Sklodowska lived and worked. Continue to the Zacheta National Gallery of Art, the largest and most renowned contemporary art gallery in Poland, which exhibits works of recognized foreign artists and actively promotes young Polish creators. Join fellow travelers this evening for a welcome dinner at an elegant city restaurant.

Polonia Palace Hotel, Warsaw (Breakfast, Dinner)

Monday, September 11 Old Town Warsaw

Listen to the first of two lectures by study leader Regina Mamou. Spend the morning at the Royal Castle in Old Town, o�cial residence of the Polish monarchs. The interior consists of many di�erent rooms painstakingly restored after the massive destruction of World War II. The highlight is the Canaletto Room, with 23 Bernardo Bellotto paintings depicting Warsaw at the end of the 18th century. Receive a special welcome from the director of the Castle

museums. Enjoy a memorable lunch of delicious Polish dishes. Continue to the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, located in what was once the heart of Jewish Warsaw. The Nazis turned it into the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II, but the museum’s location and building have become symbolic of the new face of Warsaw. The eight galleries present di�erent chapters of the story of Polish Jews through artifacts, images, first-person accounts, and interactive multimedia. A visit with the director is specially organized for the Art Institute of Chicago. Finish with a private visit to the home of a local art dealer and admire her impressive collection of Polish and European paintings. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

Polonia Palace Hotel, Warsaw (Breakfast, Lunch)

Tuesday, September 12 Warsaw’s Artistic Heritage

Spend the morning at the National Museum in Warsaw, the city’s leading fine arts museum and one of the oldest museums in the country. A special presentation discusses Alexander Gierymski’s Jewish Woman Selling Oranges, considered one of the most valuable masterpieces of Polish art. Plundered during World War II, it was rediscovered in Germany in 2010 and eventually returned. After independent time for lunch, continue to Warsaw’s green heart, the delightful Lazienki Park. See the city’s interesting Secessionist-style monument to Chopin before visiting the magnificent Palace on the Island, a former summer residence of the last king of Poland. The complex is a late Baroque wonderland, full of monuments of architecture, paintings, and sculptures. Finish the day with a private two-part Chopin recital performed by a leading Polish pianist in a beautiful historic space. Return to the hotel for an independent evening.

Polonia Palace Hotel, Warsaw (Breakfast)

Wednesday, September 13 Warsaw and Lodz

This morning drive to Tulowice to visit one of the most beautiful Polish Classicist mansions with the manor’s owners. The manor is the first privately owned estate to earn the prestigious Europa Nostra Medal, the most reputable award in the field of historic monuments protection. Continue to Nieborow, a former aristocratic residence. Today, Nieborow houses a museum of historic Polish interiors from the 17th to 19th centuries and exhibits rare furnishings as well as collections of sculpture, paintings, bronzes, silvers, porcelain, glass, clocks, and books. Enjoy Polish delicacies for lunch in Lowicz with owners of the Lowicz castle ruins; the owners live on-site in a wooden cottage at the base of the ruins and aim to preserve Polish tradition and bring back the splendor of the Lowicz castle. The hostess attended the Fine Arts Academy in Lodz and has displayed her works in several exhibitions. Drive to the historic city of Lodz and check in to the Andel’s Hotel. Dinner and the evening are at leisure.

Andel’s Hotel, Lodz (Breakfast, Lunch)

Thursday, September 14 Lodz and Kraków

Spend the morning at the Muzeum Sztuki, one of the oldest and most prominent modern art institutions in Poland. The collection houses a wide selection of 20th-century Polish and international paintings, including a range of contemporary artists. The museum’s connections with the avant-garde date back to the 1920s and ’30s when a radical artist group began gathering works of the most important contemporary artists. As a contrast to contemporary art,

visit the charming “Ksiezy Mlyn” Residence—the Edward Herbst mansion—which houses typical interiors showing how the barons of industry lived in Lodz up until World War II. Lunch is provided at an atmospheric restaurant in the historic core of Lodz. This afternoon, drive to Kraków, the former capital of Poland and one of the most picturesque historic cities of Eastern Europe. Visit the magical interiors of the Franciscan Basilica. The original early Gothic church was built for the Franciscan Order in the 13th century but was destroyed by a fire in the 19th century. Cracovian

Stanislaw Wyspianski won the competition to redecorate the interior and converted the basilica into one of the most spectacularly original churches of its day. He covered the walls with sophisticated floral motifs and designed all the stained glass windows, including the famed God the Father. Set out on an orientation walk of the magnificent Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and visit St. Mary’s Church and its famous Renaissance wooden altar. Finish the day with a private welcome reception on the magnificent terrace of the Cloth Hall, with a splendid view over the illuminated Market Square. After checking into the stylish Pod Roza hotel just steps from Market Square, dinner and the evening are at leisure.

Hotel Pod Roza, Kraków (Breakfast, Lunch, Reception)

Friday, September 15 Scientific and Artistic Legacies of Kraków

Listen to a second lecture by study leader Regina Mamou. Start the day’s touring at the Jagiellonian University - Collegium Maius, the oldest university edifice in Poland. The university museum houses astronomical instruments used by Copernicus and the world’s first globe that shows a fragment of the American East Coast. The president of the Czartoryski Foundation provides a special greeting. Stop by St. Anna’s Church, attached to the university; this is the largest Baroque church in Kraków, with beautiful, airy 18th-century frescoes in the dome. After a delicious lunch at a unique restaurant in the university quarter, visit the National Museum, whose mission is to promote international and Polish art, especially the achievements of the Kraków artistic community. Of particular interest here are 20th-century Polish paintings and a beautiful historic decorative arts collection. Finish the afternoon with a visit to the Museum of Stained Glass Works. Learn about the process of making stained glass and participate in a workshop to create a memento to bring home. Return to the hotel for an evening at leisure.

Hotel Pod Roza, Kraków (Breakfast, Lunch)

Saturday, September 16 Wawel Castle and Cathedral

Listen to another private lecture, “The Great Personalities of Poland: People Who Changed Poland and the World,” given by a Polish-American expatriate who has been living in Kraków since 1985 and who is now a leading social anthropologist at the Jagiellonian University. Spend the remainder of the morning visiting Wawel, the Royal Castle, home to three dynasties of Poland’s monarchs. Its stately halls and exquisite chambers are filled with priceless art,

valuable period furniture and rare ancient objects. The collection of monumental 16th-century tapestries is not to be missed. See the famous Da Vinci painting Lady with the Ermine, with a special meeting arranged with the director. Finish the morning with a visit to Wawel Cathedral, whose 18 chapels are true architectural masterpieces. The giant bell dates from 1520 and ranks as one of the largest in the world. This was the site of the coronations and burials of the Polish kings.

This afternoon there will be two options, to be selected prior to departure:

Option 1: Visit Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp, the largest death camp in the history of humanity, and a worldwide symbol of terror, genocide, and the Holocaust. The preserved memorial consists of two parts of the former concentration camp. Auschwitz I features a permanent exhibition of the Main Camp where it is possible to see Block 11—location of the Gestapo ‘court’ hearings on the ultimate fate of many prisoners—the Wall of Death, and the Crematorium. Auschwitz II-Birkenau contains the most important remaining camp objects: the site of the camp, residential barracks, the unloading ramp, the ruins of gas chambers, and crematoria II and III.

Option 2: Visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Created over 700 years by generations of Polish miners, the underground world is exceptionally beautiful with richly decorated interiors and chambers that hold exquisitely sculpted salt statues.

Return to Kraków for an evening at leisure.

Hotel Pod Roza, Kraków (Breakfast)

Sunday, September 17 Schindler’s Factory & Contemporary Art

Begin with a visit to the museum located in Oskar Schindler’s former factory, devoted to the wartime experiences in Kraków under the five-year Nazi occupation during World War II. The museum covers topics such as the fate of the factory’s Jewish workforce, the German invasion in 1939, Kraków as the capital of Poland under the Nazi occupation, the sorrows of everyday living in the occupied city, the wartime history of Kraków Jews, the resistance movement,

the underground Polish state, and the Soviet capture of the city. Finish the morning with a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCAK). The museum’s two most important aims are presenting the art of the last two decades in the context of the postwar avant-garde and conceptual art as well as highlighting art’s cognitive and ethical values and its relationship with everyday reality. Lunch and the afternoon are at leisure to enjoy the beauties of Kraków and to prepare for tomorrow’s departure. Rejoin the group this evening for a celebratory farewell dinner at a gourmet restaurant in the historic core of Kraków.

Hotel Pod Roza, Kraków (Breakfast, Dinner)

Monday, September 18 Depart for the United States

Take a morning group transfer to Jean Paul II Kraków-Balice International Airport (KRK) for independent departures returning to the U.S.

(Breakfast)

TOUR PRICEPrice per person (based on double occupancy): $4,995 Single supplement: $995 Deposit per person: $1,000

Tour price is per person based on double occupancy, with a minimum of 15 paying participants. Land prices are calculated as of December 2016 and are subject to change.

ACTIVITY LEVEL Moderate; city walking tours

DEPOSIT AND FULL PAYMENT A deposit of $1,000 per paying participant is required to guarantee participation in the program. This deposit may be paid by check or by Visa or MasterCard. Final payment will be invoiced and is due on June 1, 2017 by check only to International Seminar Design, Inc. To pay your balance via credit card, please call the Art Institute’s Department of Member Travel at (312) 443-3115. Registrants will be accepted beyond this date on a space-available basis.

FLIGHTS Airfare is not included in the tour price. Participants are responsible for all aspects of their air arrangements, round-trip into Warsaw and out of Kraków.

TOUR PRICE INCLUSIONS8 nights as outlined; breakfast daily, 4 lunches, 1 reception, 2 dinners, wine at dinners; services of Regina Mamou as Art Institute of Chicago study leader; services of an ISDI Tour Manager; entrance to all visits on itinerary; land transportation by private coach; 1 group transfer to and from airports upon arrival and departure; gratuities to local guides and drivers.

TOUR PRICE EXCLUSIONSAirfare, airline taxes, and fuel surcharges; individual transfers to and from the airport for individuals not using the group transfers; excursions, activities, or meals marked optional on the itinerary; personal items; personal services; travel extensions; personal insurance for health, baggage, and tour cancellation; any other items not specifically included in the itinerary.

TERMS & CONDITIONS International Seminar Design, Inc. (ISDI) acts only as an agent for the participant with respect to transportation, accommodations, and all other services relating to this tour. ISDI, the Art Institute of Chicago, and/or their agents assume no responsibility or liability for any act, error or omission, or for any injury, loss, accident, delay or irregularity, which may be caused by any defect in any aircraft, ship, train, bus, or other carrier, or through neglect or default of any subcontractor or other third party, which may be used wholly or in part in the performance of their duty to the participants of the tour. ISDI and the Art Institute of Chicago reserve the right to cancel any tour prior to departure for any reason including

insu¢cient numbers of participants, as well as the right to decline to accept or retain any person as a member of the tour at any time. If bookings fall below the minimum required, passengers will be advised of additional costs or itinerary alterations before departure date.

CANCELLATIONS & REFUNDS All cancellations must be received in writing by ISDI, and are subject to a non-refundable administrative fee of $500 per person.

On or before June 1, 2017: Full refund minus $500 per person administrative fee

Between June 2 and July 26, 2017: 50 percent of tour cost per person

On or after July 27, 2017: No refund

After the tour has commenced, it is not possible to issue any refunds. No refunds for any unused portion of the tour including, but not limited to, occasional missed meals or any missed sightseeing tours. Costs for promotion, sta£, and other group expenses are not refundable. In the case of cancellation, substitutions are not accepted. The tour cost is non-transferable. If ISDI or the Art Institute of Chicago cancels the tour, active registrants will receive a full refund of all tour payments. A package of cancellation, baggage, and medical insurance is strongly recommended.

TRAVEL INSURANCE All tour participants are strongly encouraged to purchase travel insurance, regardless of present good health. Should one need to cancel participation in this travel program, trip cancellation insurance may be the only source of reimbursement. ISDI must strictly abide by the cancellation terms outlined above. Purchasing travel insurance is the best way to protect your financial investment in the trip against unexpected complications. A travel insurance brochure will be sent upon receipt of registration and deposit.

WAIVER AND RELEASE In order to participate in this travel program, you will be required to complete an Art Institute of Chicago Waiver and Release form that will be provided to you prior to departure.

© 2017 International Seminar Design, Inc. / CST 2072963-40

AN ART LOVER’S POLAND: WARSAW, LODZ, AND KRAKÓWSEPTEMBER 9–18, 2017

An Art Lover’s Poland:Warsaw, Lodz, and Kraków

SEPTEMBER 9–18, 2017

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