Linking Tales: celebrating Poland together
The Vienna Insurance Group (VIG) entered the Polish market in 1998. Today, the country is one of the Group’s most important core markets. With a presence in both the life and non-life segments, VIG is represented in Poland through Compensa, Vienna Life, InterRisk, digital insurance broker Beesafe, and pension fund Vienna PTE. The Group ranks fourth on the Polish market, with a market share of around 9%, while about 10% of VIG’s employees – about 3,000 people – work in the country.
For VIG’s main shareholder, Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein, the focus in 2025 is on Poland – this year, the company has dedicated its flagship cultural project, the artistic wrapping of the Ringturm, to the country. By a happy – and symbolic – coincidence, the Ringturm wrapping was unveiled while Poland held the Presidency of the EU Council. In addition, Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein and VIG Holding supported the cultural programme staged by the Polish Embassy in Vienna to mark the country’s EU Council Presidency through targeted sponsorship. We take a look at some of the shared highlights.
Opening event for the EU Council Presidency at Vienna City Hall
To celebrate the beginning of Poland’s Council Presidency, Mayor of Vienna Michael Ludwig and Zenon Kosiniak-Kamysz, Poland’s Acting Chargé d’Affaires in Austria, addressed a high-profile audience at Vienna City Hall. The musical highlights came courtesy of famous Polish pop singer Natalia Kukulska. Accompanied by outstanding musicians the Atom String Quartet and Michał Dąbrówka on drums, the celebrated music star’s performance of songs from her latest album was a hit with the audience. The concert also featured musical journeys back in time, which brought back emotional childhood memories for many of the guests. VIG Holding was among the event sponsors.
Focus on Krakow’s architecture
Part of Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein’s popular Architektur im Ringturm series, a free show titled “Modernism in Krakow” was staged at the Ringturm Exhibition Centre from 8 April to 20 June. Extremely well attended, the exhibition focused on Krakow’s modernist architecture, using texts, photos and plans to turn the spotlight on two defining eras: the historic modernist period (1919-1939) and the pluralist modernist age from 1989 onwards. The exhibition was officially opened on the evening of Monday 7 April by Krakow’s Mayor, Aleksander Miszalski.
Special occasion: celebrating the Constitution of 3 May 1791
To mark Poland’s National Day on 3 May – a celebration of the country’s Constitution – the Acting Chargé d’Affaires of the Republic of Poland in Austria, Zenon Kosiniak-Kamysz, and Acting Chargé d’Affaires to the United Nations in Vienna Jacek Sawicz welcomed guests to an official reception at the Polish Ambassador's residence in Vienna’s Hietzing district. Numerous diplomats, representatives of European institutions and members of the Polish diaspora attended the event, commemorating the historic significance of Poland’s 1791 Constitution as a symbol of democracy and freedom. Mr Kosiniak-Kamysz underlined Poland’s active role as the holder of the EU Council Presidency and its close cooperation with Austria, as well as emphasising the two countries’ shared history. The event also paid tribute to the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war – with a call to view peace as a joint responsibility. In her speech, Olga Piaskowska (Acting Chargé d’Affaires of Poland’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations) reminded the guests of the enduring legacy of the Constitution of 3 May, as well as urging them to never take freedom for granted. She called for action to combat disinformation and singled out multilateralism as the strongest form of protection. The national anthems of Poland and Austria, and the Anthem of Europe brought the reception to a close – another musical highlight that added a special cultural note to the evening.
Polish rising star rocks U4
Aged only 16, internationally acclaimed Polish singer Sara James has won fans worldwide with her blend of pop and R&B. Released in 2024 in over 70 countries, her debut album Playhouse featured radio hits such as “Detox” and “Sunshine State of Mind” – which helped her become the first Polish artist to make it onto the New Music Friday and New Music Daily playlists in the US. James performed at legendary Vienna club U4 on the evening of Friday 6 June. Staged in cooperation with the Polish Embassy and the Polish Institute in Vienna – and with support from Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein – the concert was part of the celebrations of Poland’s EU Council Presidency. VIG employees were also among the audience at the concert.
“Linking Tales” at the Ringturm
An initiative of Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein, Polish art will make its mark on Vienna’s cityscape over the summer: “Linking Tales”, a 4,000 square metre work designed by Krakow-based artist Marcin Maciejowski, can now be seen on the Ringturm, the Vienna Insurance Group’s headquarters.
Linking Tales
Marcin Maciejowski’s painting depicts a set of bookshelves in a person’s home. One side of the Ringturm bears the text: “Dieses Buch wird nicht nur zu meiner Geschichte, sondern auch zu Deiner” (“This book won’t just become my story, but yours, too”) with the Polish translation above. With this message, Maciejowski aims to describe the moment – filled with suspense and expectation – when an idea is transferred from one person to another. Books contain the authors’ experiences. But they also foster people’s understanding of one another: building bridges and bringing cultures together.
Official unveiling
The 17th artistic covering of the Ringturm was officially unveiled on the morning of Monday 16 June. To coincide with the 70th anniversary of the opening of the Ringturm, Vienna’s largest art installation was presented to the public by Jolanta Miśkowiec, Director of the Polish Institute in Vienna, at a ceremony attended by Thomas Zehetner, Ambassador and foreign policy advisor to the Vice-Chancellor in the Austrian Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport. The occasion could not have been more symbolic – the current art project not only links architectural history with the present, but also connects two countries: Austria and Poland.
The artistic covering of the Ringturm – a flagship cultural project
Besides its wide-ranging support for social initiatives, Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein is committed to promoting cross-border cultural exchange. Championing a range of art projects and supporting young artists are key objectives for VIG’s main shareholder. The artistic covering of the Ringturm – the company’s flagship cultural project – serves as a high-profile symbol of this philosophy. In cooperation with Vienna-based company Movelight®, all four sides of the Ringturm were covered piece by piece with a total of 30 printed netting sheets – each around 3m wide and up to 63m long – using 15,000 cable ties to construct an artwork covering more than 4,200m². Linking Tales is scheduled to remain on show on the Ringturm until the end of September. After it is taken down, the wrapping will be transformed into around 500 stylish shopping bags – all handmade, the bags are produced by employees of Viennese label gabarage upcycling design, which promotes social reintegration. Some of the bags are raffled to VIG employees and members of the public.