British Council Jubilee

On 10 December, Mayor Aleksander Miszalski received a visit from Rachel Launey, Director of the British Council Poland, and Alicja Grymek, Head Education British Council Poland, who leads the Kraków branch.

The conversation focused on the activities of the British Council and the programme of the UK/Poland Season 2025, which is being prepared. Planned from spring to autumn 2025, the cultural season will be a festival of a wide variety of cultural, social and educational events organised in the UK and Poland. Activities in Poland will be organised by the British Council and in the UK by the Polish Cultural Institute in London and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute. In our country, events will take place in Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk, Lublin, Łódź, Katowice, Poznan, Wroclaw and Boleslawiec. Following an open call in 2024, around 40 UK and Polish arts organisations were awarded travel grants to gather creative ideas and engage with potential partners. These have resulted in a programme of exhibitions, workshops and a variety of arts and education initiatives to be implemented in 2025. The British Council will announce a detailed schedule on 10 January 2025 that will be available at: https://www.britishcouncil.pl/ukpoland-season-2025.

The British Council was founded in 1934 and celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2024. British Council aims to initiate and develop international contacts between the British and the citizens of other countries. It is operating in more than 100 countries around the world. The history of the British Council in Poland dates back to 1938. Warsaw was among the first five cities in which the British Council established foreign posts. After a few years' break in activity caused by World War II, the British Council has been operating continuously until today. The British Council teaches English, funds academic scholarships, promotes British culture, runs social projects and provides access to language examinations. The British Council Teaching Centre Kraków is located at Rynek Główny 6, in the Grey House. It is a unique location, ‘with the most beautiful view in the world’ - as declared by Director Rachel Launay. The British Council has been present in Krakow for 25 years. Currently, language courses are taught not only in the Teaching Centre Kraków, but also in four partner primary schools and in the 2nd High School – a British Council Advantage partner.