The question of how municipal money is spent concerns everyone. The municipal institution will suffer financial losses by closing the cinema for the weekend to organise the “XX Zatargi z Teatrem” theatre festival there.

– The average net revenue from cinema tickets earned over a weekend from Friday to Sunday is PLN 8,913.72 – informs Kornel Filipowicz, director of BOK–MCC.

We estimate that renting the auditorium for a commercial event on one weekend day could bring in several thousand zlotys, but as a standard practice BOK does not rent the auditorium on any days other than Thursdays. Meanwhile, not only will there be no ticket or auditorium-rental income, but there will also be expenses.

Over PLN 35,000 will be taken from the municipal institution’s budget for this event. It was also co-financed by the municipal companies TBS, ZEC, PWiK and MZGK, as well as the county PKS.

It is surprising that the festival is not being held at Teatr Stary. The event is a project of a teacher from the Youth Cultural Centre, which has a venue that would seemingly be perfectly suited to organising a theatre festival.

Between 2013 and 2023, the festival was organised at Bolesławiec’s MDK 10 times. That is where the theatre studios are, and where young people learn the performing arts.

– In November 2023, when it was time to begin organisational preparations for the 19th Zatargi in 2024, I received an email from the festival’s originator and artistic coordinator (Aneta Ćwieluch – editor’s note), informing me that the 19th edition would be entirely relocated and organised by BOK–MCC – says MDK director Dariusz Uściński.

We asked the companies about the rationale for financing a three-day theatre event from their budgets, already costing PLN 35,000, and about the amount with which they supported the theatre festival.

MZGK provided financial support for this purpose in the amount of PLN 2,000 as part of its cooperation with BOK–MCC. During the event, the company’s employees will distribute leaflets among the audience and conduct informational activities concerning proper waste management. A stand will also be organised where visitors can obtain information about waste segregation.

The company PKS contributed PLN 3,000 as a donation to co-finance the 20th Youth Zatargi with Theatre. However, President Łukasz Jaźwiec did not intend to explain what motivated him when he spent money that was not his own. He said that explanations, motives and justifications do not constitute public information.

We are awaiting responses from TBS Bolesławiec, PWiK Dolina Bobru and ZEC Bolesławiec.

Let us sum up: the city of Bolesławiec and municipal companies will spend over PLN 40,000 (the city will additionally suffer a loss due to the lack of cinema revenue), even though the festival could be held at Teatr Stary, a venue intended for this purpose, without closing the cinema for three days. Does anyone see the financial sense in this?

Residents of Bolesławiec and the surrounding area can attend the festival – admission to the performances is free, and the events include competitions and a communal chochoł dance in the market square. Let us recall that the chochoł dance comes from Stanisław Wyspiański’s “Wesele” and symbolises the thoughtlessness of actions.

Update 2025-04-15

TBS in Bolesławiec Sp. z o.o. contributed PLN 1,000 towards organising the Zatargi. TBS did not justify this expenditure.

Zakład Energetyki Cieplnej Sp. z o.o. in Bolesławiec supported the event with PLN 2,000.