Re Lear, developed in Poland. Some performers displayed their szopkas together with puppets in a form of street theatre. In some, movable puppets were replaced with immobile wooden figurines. At times subject-specific puppets or figurines were added to illustrate elements of Polish culture, ranging from historical figures like the winged hussars and Tadeusz Kościuszko, the legendary sorcerer Pan Twardowski and the Dragon of Wawel, to contemporary politicians and artists. In the 18th century the spread of such non-religious content led to a ban on more extravagant nativity scenes in some Polish churches; following the ban, the performances evolved into a 	Kraków szopka
18968985	true expression of folk art. The szopka tradition dates back to the 19th century, when Kraków's craftsmen – masons, woodworkers – began to make them as a seasonal decoration in order to earn extra income during the winter. The custom grew in popularity, with people willing to pay to see szopka collections – often carried by door-to-door carollers – or to own them. Among the notable early patrons of the custom was the magnate family of Potoccy. After Poland regained independence in 1918, szopkas started to be made and sold as souvenirs of Kraków. The city's municipal authorities decided to 	Kraków szopka
18968986	support this tradition by announcing the first competition in December 1937. Since then, except for the duration of the Second World War, the szopka presentation and tournament has taken place every year on the first Thursday of December, at the Main Market Square, Kraków, next to the Adam Mickiewicz Monument. The best szopkas are then displayed in the Historical Museum of Kraków in Krzysztofory Palace. Design. The ornate structures can be up to two meters high and three meters wide. The edifice most often used as inspiration for szopka models is St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków with its easily recognizable 	Kraków szopka
18968987	spires. Other popular choices include Wawel Castle, the Sukiennice trade hall, and the Barbican of Kraków. Jesus's birth in Bethlehem is often shown on the second floor of the displays, as the first shows historical figures. Kraków szopka Kraków szopki or nativity scenes (crib, crèche) () are a Christmas tradition originating from Kraków, Poland, and dating back to the 19th century. An unusual and characteristic feature of the szopka is the use of historical buildings of Kraków as a backdrop for the Nativity of Jesus. In 2018, it was inscribed on the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity	Kraków szopka
18968988	Re Lear Re Lear The Re Lear" project is widely considered illustrative of Verdi's complex and enduring fascination with Shakespeare. Verdi commissioned the libretto first from Salvadore Cammarano, who died in June 1852 before he could complete it. Then, three years later, while working with Antonio Somma on what was eventually to become "Un ballo in maschera", he proposed that Somma read "King Lear" and he re-read the play himself, then sought Somma's reactions. Their extensive correspondence has been preserved; it thoroughly documents Verdi's oversight and detailed supervision, the result being two completed and still extant versions of  the libretto prepared by Somma in 1853 and 1855. However, while the idea of "Re Lear" remained with Verdi into the 1890s, no music for the opera was ever composed. Development of a libretto. Working with Cammarano. In a letter of 28 February 1850, Verdi outlined his thoughts to Cammarano: Right from the beginning, Verdi had ideas as to how the play should be adapted. His 1850 letter lays out what he sees as certain strategies, including the relative importance of the characters. Specifically, he saw only five main ones: Lear, Cordelia, the brothers Edgar and Edmund, and, as the  Fool who would be sung by a contralto. The "Secondary roles would be reduced to four: Regan, Goneril, Kent, and Gloucester. The others, would be very subordinate roles and the work would only 8 or 9 scenes (as compared to the play's 22). However, Verdi sent an outline of 11 scenes (the same as in "I Lombardi", he notes.) In his last letter to Cammarano, on 19 June 1852, Verdi wrote: "Cheer up, Cammarano, we have to make this "Re Lear" which will be our masterpiece." After the librettist's death, the detailed sketch was handed over to Verdi ; it still survives. Working with Somma. Following Cammarano's death, Antonio Somma, who was both a friend and a dramatist ("but also a neophyte in the libretto making trade") approached Verdi with ideas for a libretto. He was instrumental in anonymously writing the original libretto for "Gustavo III", an opera which changed its name several times and which finally became "Un ballo in maschera" in 1859. However, in his letter to Somma of 22 April 1853, Verdi laid out some of his reasons for disliking the subjects which Somma had proposed, noting his reservations about repeating subject areas which he  had already tackled and observing that "I prefer Shakespeare to all dramatists, not excepting the Greeks". Accordingly, he asked the librettist to take a look at Shakespeare's "King Lear", seeking his ideas. In a further letter to Somma a month later (after he had re-read the play), Verdi detailed his concept of how the opera should be constructed. As documented in their extensive correspondence and with Verdi's overally detailed supervision, two completed and still extant versions of the libretto were prepared, the first in 1853 followed by the second in 1855. Only in 1996 did music historian  Leo Karl Gerhartz come across a brief paper in the Carrara-Verdi archives at Sant' Agata, Verdi's home near Busseto, and it was through the later support from that family (as well as the American National Endowment for the Humanities) that much more material including Somma's manuscript libretto became available on microfilm. Many of the subsequent letters from the composer (those of 29 June, 30 August, and 9 September 1853 for example), in addition to others continuing into April 1856, constantly demonstrate Verdi's detailed oversight. Subsequent correspondence with Somma up to 1859 focuses primarily on the problems  which Verdi was having with the censors on "Un Ballo in Maschera". But the "Re Lear" project kept haunting Verdi to the end of his life. In 1896, he offered his "Lear" material to Pietro Mascagni who asked "Maestro, why didn't you put it into music?". According to Mascagni, "softly and slowly he replied 'the scene in which King Lear finds himself on the heath scared me'". References. Notes Sources Re Lear The "Re Lear" project is widely considered illustrative of Verdi's complex and enduring fascination with Shakespeare. Verdi commissioned the libretto first from Salvadore Cammarano, who died