Night of Culture in the World of Bedtime Stories: Winnie-the-Pooh and Friends
In just over a month (June 6/7, 2026), we will gather once again in the Old Town to rediscover the extraordinary magic of our city. The theme for this year’s edition is “A Good Night’s flight.” To celebrate, we’ve decided to peek into the world of classic bedtime stories and wonder which paths our childhood heroes would choose on this unique night.
In the park surrounding Mr. Kleks’ Academy, there were secret gates leading to other fairy tales. This night, we want to swing open those dusty gates to childhood memories. But what if the citizens of these fables and cartoons could visit the Night of Culture?
The Lublin Connection: Winnie or Fredzia?
Did you know that Winnie-the-Pooh was published 100 years ago, and its Polish legacy has a fascinating Lublin twist? While the most famous translation is by Irena Tuwim (who gave us the masculine “Kubuś”), there is a newer, more controversial translation by Monika Adamczyk-Garbowska, published by Wydawnictwo Lubelskie in 1986.
Titled “Fredzia Phi-Phi,” this version sparked a national debate. The translator argued that since the original name “Winnie” was feminine (after Winnipeg the bear), the character should reflect that complexity. In her version, the bear is referred to with feminine names but masculine verbs—a linguistic tightrope walk that stays closer to the original “mismatch” of the English text.
The Itinerary of Friends
Rabbit & Company You certainly won’t be alone in the Old Town; Rabbit’s “friends and relations” are bound to show up. Rabbit himself estimates it would take seventeen pockets just to hold them all! As a notorious perfectionist and gardening enthusiast, he already has a strict plan: first, he’ll inspect the botanical wonders of “Poppies,” “Good-Harvest,” and “Veritas Lemon,” catch “Harp on Rybny Square,” and head home at a very sensible hour.
Tigger And Tigger? Who knows when he’ll arrive, but he’ll definitely stay until the very end. As the life of the party, he’ll follow a spontaneous impulse and leap through the “Eye of the Needle” toward the “Orchestra of Great Drums.” From there, it’s just a few bounces to the “Battle for the Pearl of the Night!” A battle of words is exactly “what Tiggers do best!”
Pooh & Christopher Robin Reliable sources tell us Pooh will appear alongside Christopher Robin. The bear loves wandering without a goal—thinking, composing little rhymes, and stopping every few minutes for a “hum-and-a-bite.” Hand-in-hand with his best friend, Christopher Robin will lead the way with childhood curiosity, hunting for hidden treasures like “Lublin Creatures,” “Is it a Mouse? No, it’s Couch Grass,” and “Dream Amulets.”
Piglet The ever-timid Piglet and his friends will bravely venture into the underwater depths. Together, they’ll admire the “Applied Ichthyology” mural, encounter the “Giant-ly Creatures” of Teatr Makata, and explore the installation “…and everything that moves in the water…” He certainly won’t miss the shimmering “Wicker Shoal.” He might even tip-toe past the “Tower Sleeper” to see the giant bat resting in the Gothic walls.
Owl Seeking an intellectual feast, Owl will attend the lecture at the Między Słowami cafe titled “Good Night – Evil Power? The Lublin Witches’ Sabbath,” followed by a midnight stroll through “When Darkness Falls… The Nightlife of Interwar Lublin.”
About Night of Culture
Night of Culture consists of hundreds of free artistic events scattered across Lublin’s public spaces. For seven hours, the city is packed with concerts, light installations, and spectacles that defy definition. You can smell the gateways, stroke “furry” walls, and peek through keyholes into fantastic worlds.
For the 20th time, we invite you on this endemic spacerum profanum through Lublin’s Old Town.
It’s going to be a good night.
Nigjht of Culture
6/7 June 2026
Lublin – Old Town and the city centre
Admission free
Organisers: Workshops of Culture in Lublin, Cultural Institution of the City of Lublin, and the City of Lublin.
Honorary Patronage: The Mayor of the City of Lublin – Krzysztof Żuk.
Media Partners: TVP Kultura, Radio Nowy Świat, Gazeta Wyborcza, TVP 3 Lublin, Polskie Radio Lublin, Radio Centrum, Kultura Enter.
Sponsors: Perła – Browary Lubelskie S.A., PGE Energia Ciepła S.A.
Night of Culture in the World of Bedtime Stories: Winnie-the-Pooh and Friends
In just over a month (June 6/7, 2026), we will gather once again in the Old Town to rediscover the extraordinary magic of our city. The theme for this year’s edition is “A Good Night’s flight.” To celebrate, we’ve decided to peek into the world of classic bedtime stories and wonder which paths our childhood heroes would choose on this unique night.
In the park surrounding Mr. Kleks’ Academy, there were secret gates leading to other fairy tales. This night, we want to swing open those dusty gates to childhood memories. But what if the citizens of these fables and cartoons could visit the Night of Culture?
The Lublin Connection: Winnie or Fredzia?
Did you know that Winnie-the-Pooh was published 100 years ago, and its Polish legacy has a fascinating Lublin twist? While the most famous translation is by Irena Tuwim (who gave us the masculine “Kubuś”), there is a newer, more controversial translation by Monika Adamczyk-Garbowska, published by Wydawnictwo Lubelskie in 1986.
Titled “Fredzia Phi-Phi,” this version sparked a national debate. The translator argued that since the original name “Winnie” was feminine (after Winnipeg the bear), the character should reflect that complexity. In her version, the bear is referred to with feminine names but masculine verbs—a linguistic tightrope walk that stays closer to the original “mismatch” of the English text.
The Itinerary of Friends
Rabbit & Company You certainly won’t be alone in the Old Town; Rabbit’s “friends and relations” are bound to show up. Rabbit himself estimates it would take seventeen pockets just to hold them all! As a notorious perfectionist and gardening enthusiast, he already has a strict plan: first, he’ll inspect the botanical wonders of “Poppies,” “Good-Harvest,” and “Veritas Lemon,” catch “Harp on Rybny Square,” and head home at a very sensible hour.
Tigger And Tigger? Who knows when he’ll arrive, but he’ll definitely stay until the very end. As the life of the party, he’ll follow a spontaneous impulse and leap through the “Eye of the Needle” toward the “Orchestra of Great Drums.” From there, it’s just a few bounces to the “Battle for the Pearl of the Night!” A battle of words is exactly “what Tiggers do best!”
Pooh & Christopher Robin Reliable sources tell us Pooh will appear alongside Christopher Robin. The bear loves wandering without a goal—thinking, composing little rhymes, and stopping every few minutes for a “hum-and-a-bite.” Hand-in-hand with his best friend, Christopher Robin will lead the way with childhood curiosity, hunting for hidden treasures like “Lublin Creatures,” “Is it a Mouse? No, it’s Couch Grass,” and “Dream Amulets.”
Piglet The ever-timid Piglet and his friends will bravely venture into the underwater depths. Together, they’ll admire the “Applied Ichthyology” mural, encounter the “Giant-ly Creatures” of Teatr Makata, and explore the installation “…and everything that moves in the water…” He certainly won’t miss the shimmering “Wicker Shoal.” He might even tip-toe past the “Tower Sleeper” to see the giant bat resting in the Gothic walls.
Owl Seeking an intellectual feast, Owl will attend the lecture at the Między Słowami cafe titled “Good Night – Evil Power? The Lublin Witches’ Sabbath,” followed by a midnight stroll through “When Darkness Falls… The Nightlife of Interwar Lublin.”
About Night of Culture
Night of Culture consists of hundreds of free artistic events scattered across Lublin’s public spaces. For seven hours, the city is packed with concerts, light installations, and spectacles that defy definition. You can smell the gateways, stroke “furry” walls, and peek through keyholes into fantastic worlds.
For the 20th time, we invite you on this endemic spacerum profanum through Lublin’s Old Town.
It’s going to be a good night.
Nigjht of Culture
6/7 June 2026
Lublin – Old Town and the city centre
Admission free
Organisers: Workshops of Culture in Lublin, Cultural Institution of the City of Lublin, and the City of Lublin.
Honorary Patronage: The Mayor of the City of Lublin – Krzysztof Żuk.
Media Partners: TVP Kultura, Radio Nowy Świat, Gazeta Wyborcza, TVP 3 Lublin, Polskie Radio Lublin, Radio Centrum, Kultura Enter.
Sponsors: Perła – Browary Lubelskie S.A., PGE Energia Ciepła S.A.
