Bydgoszcz is a major cultural center in the country, especially for music.
Traditions of the municipal theater dates back to the 17th century, when the
Jesuit college built a theater. In 1824, a permanent theater building was
erected, and this was rebuilt in 1895 in a monumental form by the Berliner architect
Heinrich Seeling. The first music school was established in Bydgoszcz in 1904,
it had close links to the very well known European piano factory of Bruno
Sommerfeld. Numerous orchestras and choirs, both German (Gesangverein,
Liedertafel) and Polish (St. Wojciech Halka, Moniuszko) have also made the city
their home
