History of the MiL Club

The Music and Literature Club in Wrocław has been a cultural institution of the city of Wrocław since 1991. He was appointed by the Lower Silesian Music Society and the Music Industry Trade Center in Warsaw. The ceremonial inauguration of the Club's activities took place on Sunday evening, April 19, 1959. In the initial period, the MiL Club also performed under the banner of the Salon of Music and Literature. In 1963, it was transferred to the District Board of Cinemas (later the Film Distribution Company). In the years 1963-2010, the institution was managed by director Stefan Placek (1929-2015). The facility is located at pl. Gen. Tadeusza Kościuszki 10 (Old Town district, Przedmieście Świdnickie housing estate) in the Kościuszko Housing District built in 1954- 1958.
The MiL club deals with the promotion of early and contemporary music (called a small philharmonic) and the dissemination of literature. It is a place of instrumental and vocal recitals, concerts and music rehearsals (in the concert hall – portrait - there are two pianos: Steinway model B-211, Steinway model A and the Legnica M-110 piano – in the exhibition gallery), master courses in musical interpretation, lectures, meetings, literary competitions and presentations of book publications.

In the Club, there is the Akwedukt Publishing House (since 1999), which publishes poetry books and memoirs on historical topics, including borderlands. Exhibitions of visual arts, oil painting, watercolor painting, graphics, sculpture and photography exhibitions are held here. The Club also organizes theater performances with a repertoire aimed at adults and teenagers.

Here you can see the permanent exhibition of the Congregation of Polish Kings (photocopies) by Marcello Bacciarelli (1731-1818), photos of Wrocław in an old photograph, a collection of coats of arms of Polish cities (in copper) by Tadeusz Czapliński (1912-1991) and various old instruments (harmonium, violins, trumpets, horns, zithers and others). The institution cooperates with Wrocław universities, schools, many societies and institutions related to culture and art, both in Poland and abroad. The MiL Club is a meeting place for several borderland associations, including the Wrocław Club of Stanisławów, the Society of Lovers of Lviv and the South-Eastern Borderlands, and the Society of Friends of Grodno and Vilnius.

In 2013, the renovation and equipping of new rooms acquired for the MiL Club was completed, where an exhibition gallery (also a small concert hall), a conference room, wardrobes for artists and a social and utility room were located. Currently, the institution is fully adapted to host disabled people in a wheelchair, and this applies to both artists (access to the stage and dressing room) and viewers (access to the auditorium).
In the concert hall, there are portraits (oil on canvas) of outstanding figures from the world of art and science, by Edward Kostka, a visual artist from Wrocław. The collection has been created since 2014 and is constantly growing.

In 2019, the MiL Club received "for activities for the benefit of the city of Wrocław and taking care of its cultural development" awarded by the Wrocław Enthusiasts Society in the form of the Wrocław Laurel.
Materials documenting the activities of the Club, posters, placards, programs, photos and invitations are available at the National Institute. Ossolinski in the Department of Documents of Social Life (location: Cabinet of Contemporary Culture of Wrocław). Part of the documentation (until 2010) concerning the substantive activity of the institution is currently in the hands of Wojciech Placek and includes: press clippings, chronicles and a rich collection of photographs.