Racot. A Melting Pot of Cultures 2025

For the fourth time, we invite you to participate in the event „Racot. A Melting Pot of Cultures”, conceived and organized by Dr. Emilian Prałat. In 2025, special attention will be given to WOMEN associated with Racot, representing three distinct eras in its history: Dorota Jabłonowska (the Polish period), Princess Sophie of Orange-Nassau (the Dutch period), and Grand Duchesses Karolina and Feodora of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (the German period).

Throughout history, women have rarely held prominent positions. Therefore, this event aims to highlight significant women in the history of Greater Poland through the lens of these figures. The four duchesses, during the time when the Greater Poland estates belonged to them, were particularly engaged in social initiatives and played key roles as patrons.

At Dorota’s initiative, the Racot estate was rebuilt, the construction of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church was initiated, and the farm buildings were modernized. After marrying Prince Charles Alexander, Sophie actively advocated for the publication of Goethe’s and Schiller’s works and commissioned the construction of new farm buildings in Racot. Karolina and Feodora supported, among other initiatives, both the Catholic and Protestant schools in Racot.

The 2025 edition of the event aims to emphasize the role of women, showcase the multitude of initiatives they undertook, and highlight their significance.

Each edition begins with an ecumenical service conducted by Father Stanisław Tokarski, the parish priest of the Roman Catholic parish in Racot, and Pastor Waldemar Gabryś from the Evangelical parish in Leszno. This year, the central theme of the service will be the figure of the Samaritan woman from the Gospel of John.

Complementing the ecumenical aspect is an organ concert featuring the works of Polish, Dutch, and German composers. Musical heritage has played a significant role in Racot, regardless of the denomination to which the church belonged. The organ, built by the Walter Brothers company, continues to impress with its capabilities and, thanks to the „Melting Pot of Cultures” event, has been rediscovered as a concert instrument. This year, the exceptional artistry of Dominik Kaczmarek will be showcased.

Dominik Kaczmarek – organist, improviser, and lecturer at the Department of Church Music at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań. He is a graduate of the Instrumental Institute of the same academy, where he studied organ under Professor Sławomir Kamiński and Dr. Jakub Pankowiak. Between 2020 and 2024, he additionally pursued studies in organ improvisation at the Berlin University of the Arts under Professor Wolfgang Seifen and Szymon Jakubowski. Currently, he is further honing his improvisational skills under the guidance of Professor Tomasz Orlow at the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz.

In 2008, he graduated with honors from the Fryderyk Chopin State Secondary Music School in Poznań, where he studied organ under Zbigniew Radowski. In September 2021, he received a distinction in the 2nd National Organ Improvisation Competition for high school and university students, held as part of the 35th Legnica Organ Conversatorium in honor of Professor Stanisław Moryto, under the patronage of the Faculty of Church Music of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. In November 2022, he was awarded second prize in the improvisation category at the 2nd Warmian Organ Competition in Święta Lipka.

Throughout his education, he actively participated in masterclasses led by outstanding European organists. He has performed at prestigious artistic events such as the Passion and Easter Music Festival in Poznań and Rupertsfest at St. Peter’s Church in Salzburg. From 2020 to 2025, he served as the organist at St. Adalbert’s Church, where he organized and co-created artistic events in the „Music at St. Adalbert’s” series. Since March 2025, he has been working at the Church of the Epiphany in Poznań.

At precisely 4:00 PM, we invite you to the honor courtyard in front of the palace, where the official part of the event will begin. Among the speakers will be guests from the Netherlands and Germany: Prince Michael Benedict von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach, grandson of the last owner of the Racot estate, as well as the head of the family and the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty.

We will also have the opportunity to listen to a lecture by Dr. Bernhard Post, retired director of the State Archive in Weimar and Director of the Thuringian State Archive. His lecture will focus on Grand Duchess Sophie von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach.

At the conclusion of the official proceedings, we invite you to the palace park, where three flowerbeds will be planted, each dedicated to one of the successive owners of the Racot estate.

After the intellectual and social experiences, it will be time for something to delight the palate! We have prepared a tasting menu featuring selected dishes from three culinary traditions that have intersected in Racot over the centuries.

The highlight of this year’s edition will be a concert by the Beatgirls String Trio, starting at 6:00 PM.

The idea for the ensemble was born in 2013 during concerts in Switzerland, where the musicians performed with the Alex Big Band under the baton of the esteemed artist Aleksander Maliszewski.

Through their uniquely feminine musical expression, the artists bring to life music rich in emotion. Their name not only alludes to The Beatles, whose songs they reinterpret in their own arrangements, but also to the English word „beat”, meaning rhythm, pulse. Music, like the natural rhythm of life—a heartbeat—can be calm and delicate at times, and energetic and vibrant at others.

Three passionate and expressive instruments, each with its own character, come together to form a unified musical whole. Their extensive stage experience and dynamic performances will leave a lasting impression, offering an unforgettable emotional journey that only Beatgirls String Trio can deliver.

We also encourage you to explore a special exhibition that we have prepared for you. It showcases the „Ladies of Racot”, their biographies, contributions to Racot and Greater Poland, as well as their influence on the states they co-ruled.

Among the most significant exhibits will be one of the surviving portraits of Dorota Jabłonowska and archival materials from Weimar. Complementing the exhibition will be a presentation of reconstructed 19th-century women’s costumes, offering a glimpse into the era of Racot’s former owners. The costumes were created by Anna Moryto, who runs a museum dedicated to historical fashion.