NCU News
Events: May 2026
Retrospective exhibition of Stefan Knapp
The Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, in cooperation with the Centre for Contemporary Art in Toruń, invites you to an exhibition entitled "Stefan Knapp - Alchemist and Visionary". The opening will take place on February 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the Centre for Contemporary Art (13 Wały gen. Sikorskiego St.). Admission is free.
Stefan Knapp, a world-renowned artist from Biłgoraj (Poland), donated a unique panel to the university in 1973, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Nicolaus Copernicus' birth, which became a symbol of the Toruń campus. The installation on the wall of the NCU Auditorium consists of an enamelled sculptural composition symbolising the arrangement of celestial bodies with an integrated image of the Toruń astronomer and a sundial. It is one of Knapp's two largest and most important works in Poland.
The exhibition at the Centre for Contemporary Art is the culmination of the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, which took place in 2025. The exhibition will feature over 110 works by the artist (spanning several decades), including paintings on canvas, ink on paper, enamels on steel plates, and bronze and aluminium sculptures.
It will be the largest exhibition of Stefan Knapp's work in Poland since 1974, featuring works on loan from the British Stefan Knapp Estate Foundation and Paweł Sokołowski's collection. The exhibition will be accompanied by the first monographic academic publication on Stefan Knapp, focusing on the Polish publishing market, and the fifth edition of his autobiography, entitled "Kwadratowe słońce" ("Square Sun").
The exhibition will be open from February 21 to May 31, 2026.
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Free Yoga Classes
The NCU University Sports Centre will host free yoga classes as part of a research study on the impact of yoga practice on emotional regulation and self-awareness. Classes will be held twice a week.
Classes will begin on March 16 and run through May 18, 2026 (except for April 6). Sessions will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the fitness room on the first floor of UCS I (św. Józefa St. 17). The program will include two styles of yoga: Vinyasa yoga on Mondays and Hatha yoga on Wednesdays.
The number of spots is limited (no more than 16 people per class), and prior yoga experience is not required. As part of the study, participants will be asked to complete short questionnaires before and after the course.
Registration form
Opening of the "Magical Dreams" exhibition
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and Bator Art Gallery invite you to the official opening of the "Magical Dreams" exhibition, which will take place on 8 April 2026 at 6.00 pm at the "Dworzec Zachodni" Gallery ("Od Nowa", 37a Gagarina Street). The special guest of the event will be Jacek Yerka, and the evening will also feature a guitar recital by Adam Skrętny.
"Magical Dreams" is Europe’s largest exhibition dedicated to magical realism. The project, organised for many years by the Bator Art Gallery in Szczyrk, has gained an international reputation as one of the most important events showcasing the art of imagination, dreams, and surrealist visions. The exhibition focuses on works that combine masterful, precise painting technique with dreamlike, symbolic narrative. It is art free from commercial trends – centred on emotions, metaphor, and the artist’s individual experience.
The eighth edition (2025/2026) brings together 44 artists from 13 countries, showcasing the diversity of contemporary magical realism. Key artists representing Poland include Jarosław Jaśnikowski, Marcin Kołpanowicz, Maja Borowicz, Katarzyna Bułka-Matłacz, and special guest Jacek Yerka. The international nature of the event is highlighted by the presence of works by artists such as Bruno Altmayer (France), Igor Grechanyk (Ukraine), Peter Gric (Austria), Fabrizio Riccardi (Italy), Jose Parra (Mexico), and Siegfried Zademack (Germany).
The exhibition will run until 2 May.
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Cycling through Kujawy and Pomerania
The University Sports Centre (Uniwersyteckie Centrum Sportowe, UCS) invites enthusiasts of active leisure and cycle tourism to take part in the Toruń Cycle Rally, which will take place on 1–2 May 2026. The festival base will be located on the UCS premises on św. Józefa Street.
At the Toruń Cycling Festival, every cycling enthusiast will find something to suit them. Those hungry for a challenge can sign up for long-distance rides across Kujawy and Pomerania. Three different route lengths are available: 77 km, 157 km and 257 km. For families, there is the “Toruń Cycling Family” recreational ride, featuring routes ranging from 7 to 17 km. “Little Heroes of Kujawy and Pomerania” is a ride designed especially for the youngest participants. Children who take up the challenge will face a ride of 1–7 km.
The NCU University Sports Centre is a strategic partner of the event.
When registering, please enter “UMK” in the “club” field of the registration form. Registration is open until 27 April; number of spots is limited.
Registration
Detailed information
Visual political communication in chinese media – lecture
Faculty of Humanities invites everyone to a lecture by Diana Farkas (Pázmány Péter Catholic University), which will take place on May 25 at 5:00 p.m. in Collegium Maius (Room 307). The topic of the lecture will be "Ritual and Visual Political Communication in Contemporary Chinese Media. The Evolution of Xi Jinping’s Image in Prime-time Evening News (Xinwen Lianbo) During His 3rd and 4th Term Renewals".
The lecture will explore the evolution of research on Chinese visual communication and media propaganda, beginning with studies of sign language, propaganda photography, and propaganda cartoons, and later expanding toward media sociology theories and the social media rituals surrounding the Lunar New Year Gala (Chunwan).
The central focus of the presentation will be the evolution of the political image of Xi Jinping and its visual representation in China Central Television’s prime-time news program “Xinwen Lianbo.” Particular attention will be devoted to the period surrounding Xi Jinping’s third and potential fourth terms in office.
The lecture will also discuss the transformation of Chinese political culture following the 2018 constitutional amendment that abolished presidential term limits, examining how state media gradually construct new forms of political legitimacy. Special attention will be paid to the symbolic elements and photographs appearing in Xi Jinping’s New Year speeches, which are interpreted as subtle indicators of broader ideological and political shifts in contemporary China.
Two sides of the same coin - numismatic exhibition
On Friday, May 29, the University Museum in Toruń invites everyone to the opening of the exhibition titled "Two Sides of the Same Coin: Numismatic Antiquarianism of the 16th - 18th Centuries as reflected in Old Prints and Ancient Coins". The event starts at 5:00 p.m.
The exhibition will feature nearly 30 old prints from the collections of the Nicolaus Copernicus University Library and private collections, important for coin research and collection. These include important scholarly works, the first catalogues of coins and medals, as well as early compendiums for collectors and 18th-century auction catalogues. The books will be accompanied by 74 ancient Greek and Roman coins, early modern medals, and a decorative numismatic tray from the 18th century.
The exhibition is curated by Dr Bartosz Awianowicz, a professor at Nicolaus Copernicus University and a researcher at the Department of Classical Philology at the Faculty of Humanities, and is organised by the Nicolaus Copernicus University Library. The exhibition is held under the honorary patronage of the NCU Rector, Prof. Andrzej Tretyn, the Polish Numismatic Society and the Numimarket.pl Auction House. The exhibition will be on display until July 28th.
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