On the last weekend of October, October 25–26, 2025, Sopot will pay tribute to one of the most important phenomena in the history of post-war Polish art – the Sopot School. Under the slogan “80 years of the Sopot School,” a series of lectures, walks, and debates will be held, devoted to its history, artists, and influence on the artistic, social, and architectural life of the Tri-City.
The Sopot Promenade could not be missing from the map of events – our Raw Space will become a place for inspiring meetings, conversations, and memories of a phenomenon that still forms the foundation of Sopot’s artistic identity.
What was the “Sopot School”?
This term refers to the State Institute of Fine Arts, operating in Sopot since October 1945, later transformed into the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, based in Sopot.
Classes were held, among others, in Berger’s villa at 24 Obrońców Westerplatte Street, in the former Kunsthalle (today’s Sfinks) and in the “Pavilion” by the pier.
However, the “Sopot School” was not only an institution – it was also an artistic movement and creative community that developed its own style and attitude towards the doctrine of socialist realism. Its founders included Józefa and Marian Wnuk, Hanna and Jacek Żuławski, Krystyna and Juliusz Studnicki, and Janusz Strzałecki. In the following years, they were joined by artists such as Artur Nacht-Samborski, Władysław Jackiewicz, Stanisław Teisseyre, and Kazimierz Śramkiewicz.
EVENT PROGRAM
Saturday, October 25
12:00 p.m. – “Feliks Dzierżyński and the Sopot School”
Lecture by Prof. Dariusz Markowski
📍 Stan Surowy, Sopot Promenade, ul. Boh. Monte Cassino 63
About the extraordinary discovery of a monumental painting by artists associated with the Sopot School, found during renovation works in the Warsaw Citadel.
3:00 p.m. – “The urban space of the Sopot School”
Lecture by Prof. Jacek Dominiczak, PhD, Eng. Arch.
📍 Stan Surowy, Sopot Promenade, ul. Boh. Monte Cassino 63
Reflections on the “Sopot triangle” – the layout of the university buildings, which allowed artistic life to permeate the everyday life of the city.
Sunday, October 26
12:00 p.m. – “In the footsteps of the Sopot School”
Walk along Obrońców Westerplatte Street
Guided by: Olga Krzyżyńska
📍 Meeting place: Berger Villa, 24 Obrońców Westerplatte Street
A walk with history in the background – about the places that witnessed the birth and development of the Sopot art school.
2:00 p.m. – “The Sopot School. An artistic, political, and social phenomenon”
Debate with Prof. Jacek Dominiczak, Prof. Anna Reinert-Faleńczyk, and Anna Zelmańska-Lipnicka
Moderator: Anna Świtajska
📍 Stan Surowy, Sopot Promenade
A conversation about the significance of the Sopot School – how it influenced contemporary artists, the history of the city, and the identity of the Tri-City.
🟠 Admission to all events is free.
We invite art lovers, students, historians, and anyone who wants to experience the unique artistic atmosphere of Sopot.
