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Many distinguished guests added splendor to the Ball with their presence. Among them there were: the rectors of Warsaw universities, members of the Parliament, representatives of government institutions, the presidents of the largest companies working with WULS-SGGW, the rectors and vice-rectors of WULS-SGGW, as well as deans and faculty members of all departments, representatives of undergraduate and graduate students and employees of central government institutions. The Rector of WULS-SGGW,  prof. dr hab. Alojzy Szymański, read congratulatory letters sent by Professor dr hab. Lena Kolarska-Bobińska, the Minister of Science and Higher Education and by Stanislaw Kalemba,  the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

His Magnificence, the Rector of the WULS-SGGW, Prof. dr hab. Alojzy Szymański, opening the 200th  anniversary  Ball said:

"I welcome you to your home, which has been built for 200 years, by many generations, by the people and institutions whose purpose was to foster the development of rural areas and the education of their people.

The history goes back to 1816 with the founding of the Institute of Agronomy in Marymont, which was established as one of the Staszic university thanks to the activity of the Polish landowning communities. It was created when in Europe the agricultural teaching was only  developing. Marymont was the 4th school of this type in Europe. The beginnings were modest. However, it was a remarkable achievement, which stimulated the minds and souls for decades and which meant that even under the partitions, the scientific thought and Polish agricultural education could develop.

Next institutions and forms of agricultural education grew out of it in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. From their connection, WULS-SGGW was established. From the institute, where 122 people studied in the years of 1816 - 1830, a university was created, which in 1918 had 460 students, in 1939 - 1400, and which now educates 27 000 undergraduate and graduate students.

During this evening we would like to show you the way from the Institute in Marymont to Warsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGW and explain why WULS-SGGW refers to the 200-year tradition and the heritage of the Marymont Institute, why the academic community consisting of 30 thousand members believes they are the legates of Professor Benjamin Flatt – the first director of the Institute of Agronomy in Marymont and of the graduates of the Institute.

The history of Marymont connected WULS-SGGW to many universities:

to the University in Mogilno in Prussia, [u1] which was the model for creating the Agronomy Institute in Marymont and where its first directors studied, professors Jerzy Beniamin Flatt and Michał Oczapowski.

Forestry education was led together with the University of Warsaw, where until 1952 veterinary education also took place, initiated in Marymont. At the University of Warsaw, as in Marymont, lectures were given by Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz and many other professors.

to the Vilnius University, where as early as in 1803 the Department of Agricultural Management was created. The Department was led by Michał Oczapowski, the second Director of the Institute in Marymont, the author of “Economy” (“Gospodarka”) – a key work for the development of agricultural knowledge and a huge person of the world agricultural science.

to the Agricultural Universities in Kharkiv and Kiev – to which the activity and the work was transferred from the Institute of Rural Management and Forestry in Puławy.

to the Agricultural Academy in Dublany near Lviv, from which the first Rector of WULS-SGGW and its organizer derived: Professor Józef Mikułowski-Pomorski, as well as the Rector Marian Górski and many professors, especially after the II World War.

The Polish Academic Legion formed in 1918 by the Warsaw universities is also the evidence of unity and historical cooperation of the academic milieu.

Today, the representatives of the institutions that we share a common history and long-term cooperation with are with us. On behalf of the community of WULS-SGGW I would like to thank you all for coming and invite you to participate in the celebration of the 200th  anniversary, which is begun by today's Ball,  and which will be crowned by the jubilee celebrations in May 2016. What you see today is the work effect of employees

 and students of our University.

Today, I would like to wish you fun and a great experience”

Next, prof. dr hab. Marek Krawczyk, the Rector of the Medical University of Warsaw and the Chairman of the Conference of Rectors of Warsaw spoke. He congratulated the entire academic community of WULS-SGGW on the occasion of the 200th anniversary. Professor Marek Krawczyk emphasized the contribution of WULS-SGGW to the development of higher education in Poland.

The Ball started with the performance of the Folk Artistic Group “Promni”, who beautifully showed the ​​mazurka dance of the opera "Halka" by Stanislaw Moniuszko. Then Promni encouraged the guests to join them in the polonaise dance.

During the ceremony, Promni presented also tango and viennese waltz. The 200th  anniversary Ball included a performance of the Representative Orchestra of WULS-SGGW with soloists. Guests danced to the standards of popular music.

In the breaks between performances and dancing, the guests had the opportunity to watch films showing the beginnings of agricultural education and the creation of WULS-SGGW. Other films presented the guests with the history of the premises of the WULS-SGGW rector authorities.

At midnight, a huge cake with the name of the university and the logo of the 200th  anniversary celebration on it was brought to the hall. The Rector thanked the guests for honoring the inauguration with their presence. Professor dr hab. Richard Zimak, the Vice-President of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland and the Rector of Fryderyk Chopin University of Music gave words of praise for the university in his warm speech.

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The Folk Art  Group Promni is a group of students fascinated with dance and with the Polish folklore. It was created at WULS-SGGW in Warsaw in 1972 on the initiative of students and Zofia Stolarzowa, whose name the group still bears. Today, in a professionally run  group, there are around 80 students of Warsaw Agricultural University and other universities who sing and dance, and the musicians of the band are students and graduates of the Fryderyk Choopin University of Music in Warsaw and instrumentalists of the orchestra Sinfonia Varsovia. The band's repertoire includes artistically designed, but maintaining the custom characteristics and the context of custom songs and melodies of 16 regions of central, southern and south-eastern Polish and national dances: polonaise, kujawiak, oberek , mazurka and krakowiak. For several years, Promni have also cooperated with Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, where they have led workshops on Polish folklore for international recipients. Radoslaw Puszyło is the manager of the group “Promni”.

The representative orchestra of WULS-SGGW was established in November 2007. It is the first amateur academic orchestra in Warsaw, and the third in Poland, in which people playing brass instruments dominate. In the repertoire one can find various types of music, both classical and popular music. In recent years, the Orchestra has performed at many state ceremonies and cultural events, including two performances in the musical theater Roma. In June 2013, it won the Grand Prix at the XVII Review of Brass Bands of the Mazowieckie region. It is currently the best non-professional brass band in Mazovia. The competition was held under the auspices of the Marshal of the Mazowieckie voivodship. The conductor, Łukasz Wojakowski, is in charge for the art direction and dr Dawid Olewnicki for administrative management.