The 94th World Esperanto Congress is opening in the north-eastern city of Bialystok, the birthplace of its inventor Ludwik Zamenhof, tomorrow.
Over two thousand people from 61 countries are expected to participate in the event which is open to everyone and has many accompanying events planned, including concerts, theater performances and exhibitions.
Click on the audio icon above to listen to the report by Danuta Isler.
Ludwik Zamenhoff, born Eliezer Samenhof on 15 December 1859 was an ophthalmologist, philologist and the inventor of Esperanto - a constructed language designed for international communication which was to be not only a tool for communication but a way of promoting the peaceful existence of different nations and cultures. The name derives from "Doctoro Esperanto" - the pseudonym under which Ludwik Zamenhof published the first book of Esperanto "Una Libro" in 1887. In 1910 he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. A minor planet discovered in 1938 was also named in his honor. He died on 14 April 1917 and is buried at the Jewish cemetery in Warsaw.
According to various estimates, there are over 1400 various objects connected with Ludwik Zamenhof and esperanto around the world. The estimates of the actual number of esperanto speakers stand at somwhere between 1 and 10 million people worlwide.
The 94th Esperanto Congress in Bialystok will consist of two parts: a scientific and a cultural one. It will open with an Esperanto Fair during which almost a hundred organisations connected with the language, including the Vatican Radio, UNESCO, the Buddist Esperanto League or the World Medical Association of Esperanto Speakers will have a chance to present themselves.