XI Krystian Tkaczewski International Piano Competition
Busko-Zdrój
August 10 - 12, 2026
East Tennessee State University - Creative Arts Scholarship
Four-year scholarship (approx. 19, 000 USD a year, total - 76,000 USD)
Busko-Zdrój
Busko-Zdrój has regained its image of a real health resort - a spot which uniquely joins strictly medicinal qualities with a space designed to bring out positive emotions. Created by gardener Ignacy Hanusz, the park line linking the town with the spring today is the town’s backbone of sorts. It starts at the town square and ends in a French-style park designed in terms of layout by Enrico Marconi – the author of the Łazienki in Busko.Interestingly, the park is in architectural interdependence with Marconi’s Łazienki structure.
Photo: Busko.pl
In the southern part of Busko-Zdrój, within the new Zdrój Park, one of the largest and most modern blackthorn graduation towers in Poland has been built.
The stunning structure is a circle with a diameter of 72 m and a circumference of 226 m, with walls reaching almost 10 m high. The graduation tower consists of two rings of blackthorn branches, which are separated by passages resembling a labyrinth. They lead to the courtyard, in the heart of which there is a misting fountain. The courtyard performs additional functions, as its large size makes it possible to organize events and cultural events there. At the top of the tower, there is a viewing terrace from which you can enjoy the beautiful panorama of the spa. Right next door, is the spring house with a mineral water drinking room and a year-round mini-graduation tower. In addition, the building houses an orangery, which tempts visitors not only with its lush vegetation, but also with its exotic climate. Outside
there is a multimedia fountain.
Near the hill and opposite the main gate leading to the Spa Park there is villa Bristol with its impressive structure. This
impressive corner building with a characteristic spire-topped dome was erected in the late 19th century and was
owned by the Jewish Zukerman family who rented it out to the Ministry of Military Affairs in the interwar period. Today, after a complete renovation, it is the home of Bristol Art & Medical SPA.
The Spa Park in Busko-Zdrój was founded in the 19th century and accompanied the spa from the very beginning of its existence. At its heart was the Łazienki bathhouse (today the Marconi Sanatorium), while the main axis of the space is the Avenue of Dreams, leading to the main gate. Since its inception, the Busko spa park prided itself in the spatial layout reminiscent of the grand palace layouts designed in Poland from the mid-18th century. Its hallmark is the consistently implemented spatial dualism of sorts – a coexistence of a geometric French-style garden with an English-style park, seemingly more chaotic and so closer to nature.
Photo: Busko.pl
Photo: Busko.pl
Photo: halobusko.pl
Located on the edge of the Spa Park, the Busko Local Cultural Centre is a cultural institution that gathers within its
walls a significant part of the artistic and cultural life of the city. The centre is watched over from his bench by a bronze
statue of Wojtek Belon, the „Bard of Ponidzie”, the founder of the musical group „Wolna Grupa Bukowina” and a native
of Busko. Every spring, a festival named in his honour is organised here, which begins a cycle of the most important
events that form the backbone of the cultural calendar of Busko.
Photo: Adam Ligiecki
Photo: Daniel Piwowarczyk
The text and photos come from the album:Gmina uzdrowiskowa Busko-Zdrój