Deputy Mayor of Warsaw Andrzej Urbański talks to Ewa Kielak Ciemniewska.

Can Warsaw compete with Prague, Berlin and other European capitals in terms of the attractiveness of cultural life?
I think that depends on what we take into account. We can certainly boast of our theaters. Although we have fewer theaters than, for example, Berlin, our theater maintains a high artistic level, and our artists are appreciated and recognized abroad. Our Rozmaitości Theater, with works by Grzegorz Jarzyna and Krzysztof Warlikowski, has gained an international reputation. A few days ago I hosted Bernard Faivere d' Arciel the director of one of the oldest and most important theater festivals in Europe-the festival in Avignon. Our artists have performed at the festival many times, and I was told that the Rozmaitości Theater was invited to design the whole festival in two years. And we should keep in mind that the Avignon festival has been the most prestigious theater event for many years, with the most important theater communities participating in it each year. Our musical life also represents a certain artistic level. The Wielki Theater and our National Opera belong to the most important European stages and their artists present premiere spectacles on foreign stages. The National Philharmonic, the Warsaw Chamber Opera-with its unique Mozart and Baroque Opera festivals-our musical festivals, and a plethora of excellent concerts on both the leading stages and in small halls, with the participation of foreign virtuosos and singers, determine the level of cultural life in Warsaw. And apart from that, we have musical theaters of a lighter character-Janusz Józefowicz's theater, and Roma, which specializes in musicals. Maybe it's not Broadway, but please note that Western musicals, and classics of this genre, appeared on the Warsaw stages not long ago. So Warsaw theaters are only now learning this area-and they're doing it quite well.

Jazz is another strong asset of our city. We have years of tradition in this fields, since the 1950s, when the Jazz Jamboree was the only jazz festival in communist countries. Now we have a few other regular festivals and jazz reviews. These include, for example, Warsaw Summer Jazz Days, and the Jazz in the Old Town festival, held throughout the summer in the Old Town Market Square, which attracts thousands of fans of this genre on each summer Saturday. We also have many jazz clubs.

Our museums are certainly much more modest than the museums in Western countries, but that is the result of the rampages of war. However, their directors put much effort into organizing excellent temporary exhibitions. They gather items from all around Poland, including private collections, and borrow works from foreign museums. So to sum it up-we are doing quite well.

Indeed, foreigners staying in Warsaw mention the variety and level of cultural life in the city as one of its main assets. But I still get the impression that public opinion in Europe does not appreciate our city as much as it deserves.
I also regret that Warsaw no longer enjoys the reputation it had in the past, before the fall of the Berlin Wall-of the most attractive Central European city in terms of cultural life. It used to be considered the most open city in terms of culture, a city welcoming artistic experiments and innovation, full of cultural events. Art critics and journalists from the world around would come to Warsaw, along with audiences, to participate in the Theater of Nations, the Warsaw Theater Meetings, and various premieres and concerts. Warsaw was considered one of the most interesting places on the cultural map of Europe.

That was a different time: in a political and economic system that was closed to the West, culture was something that allowed Poles to feel European. It was a window to the world that was closed to us. But do we have a chance to get a better reputation in Europe today, in completely different conditions?
In all of Europe, there is a crisis of cultural institutions being subsidized. In this respect, Europe is in a recession. So, Warsaw is an exceptional city because the Warsaw local government finances as many as 17 professional stages with full acting troupes under regular contracts. We also finance or subsidize to certain extent a large number of exhibition projects, artistic events of a bigger or smaller significance, artistic teams, orchestras, and socio-cultural projects and initiatives. We support various projects and institutions, including libraries. We help those people who in the artistic and cultural areas have something to say and whose achievements represent a high level. The best ones gain a name, they become famous, and conquer the world, like the aforementioned Rozmaitości Theater. Officials can't create miracles; conquering the world belongs to artists and managers of culture. What Warsaw's cultural life lacks is certainly promotion, and the events lack marketing and information.

And what else does Warsaw lack?
In my opinion, we lack modern exhibition solutions and projects. For example, I dream of a modern science Exploratorium. Together with, phisisian Professor Łukasz Turski, we are considering creating in Warsaw a permanent exhibition of scientific achievements-that would be promotion combined with education. The latest exhibition and presentation techniques would be used in it.

The future facilities that will use multimedia presentations and state-of-the-art techniques of exhibition arrangements will include the Museum of Polish Jews and the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising.

The appearance of these museums has continually been announced for years.
Financial problems delay the realization of these projects. As for the Museum of Polish Jews, Warsaw has donated land worth millions of zlotys for that purpose. We want to support the realization of this idea, but we are not able to fully finance the museum's creation, particularly given the fact that we have obligations toward the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising. And our funds are, unfortunately, limited.

And what about a modern Museum of Contemporary Art? There used to be such initiatives in Warsaw.
Unfortunately, we have to postpone this idea for a more distant future. We do have the Center for Contemporary Art in the city center, in an excellent location at the Ujazdowski Castle. It fulfills its role very well, enjoying prestige and popularity among audiences. We do not have the possibility, and there is no such need at the moment, to create a facility that would compete with a facility that functions very well. We must plan very carefully, because the needs, expectations and proposals of the artistic and cultural communities greatly exceed our financial potential.

So what are the preferences when dividing city funds for culture?
I will always support Warsaw residents, because it's their money which should be spent on bringing them joy and pleasure, by either giving them great art or by participation in popular public events. So all the projects that we support financially should have a guarantee of success for audiences. Our hearts ache when we are refusing or limiting funds for some projects, but we do not want to divide the funds equally and give a little to everyone-that would be a waste of money. This year we have to make use the budget that was set by the local government of the previous term. Only in the next year's budget will we be able to consider many new projects whose need and value we are now analyzing.

But I will always be willing to support the artists, teams and communities that have already scored successes. With their up-to-date work, their achievements and talents, they deserve it. For example, I am surprised that Magdalena Abakanowicz has no permanent exhibition in Warsaw. She's one of the greatest Polish artists whose works can be seen in Japan, New York and many other cities around the world-but not in Warsaw. So we are looking for a place where she could work and gather her works, and where she could present her achievements to Warsaw residents and tourists, because this is art of the highest level.