Established in 1963, its traditional patrons include
Polskie Radio and
Telewizja Polska, as well as the Society of Friends of Opole. The only year the Festival did not take place was 1982, due to
martial law in Poland. Since the 1980s it has included a
rock section and since 2001 a
hip-hop section. The awards granted at the festival are: •
Karolinka - the
Anna Jantar Award, for the winner of the
Debiuty (
Debuts) show, •
Grand Prix - the
Karol Musioł Award, for the best premiered song, awarded by the jury, •
Kryształowy Kamerton (
Crystal Tuning Fork), for the best author/composer, •
Superjedynka (
Super One) - since 2000, awarded in several categories (singer, song, band, pop album, rock album, hip-hop album, alternative album, videoclip, music event of the year). The festival takes place at the
Millennium Amphitheatre (
Amfiteatr Tysiąclecia), which was opened in June 1963, in time for the first festival. The amphitheatre was built on the initiative of Opole's mayor, Karol Musioł, and designed by the architect Florian Jesionowski. It has become one of the symbols of the city of Opole, and it is located in the spot where an early Slavic settlement once stood. Well-preserved remnants of wooden houses and traces of pavements were discovered by archaeologists, who suggested opening a museum of ancient Opole on the spot. In the spring of 2011, the amphitheatre was remodelled, and its capacity was reduced from 4,800 to 3,653. ==See also==