1.12.2025, The Faculty of Music Education of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz (Poland).
An exceptional event combining the history of railways with the magic of music will take place on 1 December 2025 at the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Special Educational Centre No. 1 for Visually Impaired and Blind Children and Youth named after Louis Braille in Bydgoszcz.
The concert and accompanying lecture have been prepared to mark the 190th anniversary of the premiere of Johann Strauss’s Eisenbahn-Lust-Walzer – the first waltz in history inspired by the sound of the modern train – as well as the international celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway (Railway 200).
In our lecture we will be discussing the first manned railway journey on a public line which took place on 27 September 1825, when George Stephenson’s steam-powered Locomotion No. 1 travelled 26 miles between Shildon, Darlington and Stockton. Our event will transport listeners back to the era of the railway’s emergence, allowing them to explore the musical fascinations of the time and discover how the technological revolution of the 19th century resonated throughout culture.
The programme includes a historical and musicological presentation and a concert performed by students and members of the Artes Liberales Scientific Association, operating at the Faculty of Music Education of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz (Poland).
The academic and artistic direction of the event is provided by Dr. habil. Anna Szarapka, Professor at Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz.
“KOLEJ NA MUZYKĘ” (“ON TRACK FOR MUSIC”) is not only a meeting with history and art but also an initiative open to the local community, promoting access to culture and music education for people who are visually impaired or blind.