Opening ceremonies for the the 750-year-old St. Dominic’s Fair are set to take place today at noon in front of Dwór Artusa on Długa Street.
This year’s grand opening will feature a unique musical composition inspired by local Gdańsk music and consisting of 759 notes. It will be played by sixteen trumpet players in the windows and on the roof of Artus Court, as well as the Town Hall bells. The mini-concert will be followed by a colorful parade of characters, among whom the most popular will be Hermes (the patron saint of merchants) and the crimson rooster (the official symbol of the fair). Mayor Ola Dulkiewicz will close out the opening ceremonies by gifting a symbolic key to the city’s gates.
Established by Pope Alexander the Fourth in 1260, Jarmark Dominikanski has remained one of the largest open-air trade and cultural festivals in Europe, with over one thousand vendors and an average of 5 million people in attendance over the 3 weeks of the fair.
Each area of the city is divided into different types of merchants where it’s possible to find a variety of wares– Kashubian ceramics, hand-carved wood pieces, custom jewelry and leatherwork, and one of the largest antique markets in Europe.
More recently, the fair has become a popular destination for food vendors to showcase their niche wares. It’s worth walking along ul. Szeroka and ul. Grobla to find some hidden gastronomic treasures: craft beer, organic wine, farm fresh goat cheese, and a variety of cured meats and cheeses from Hungary and Lithuania.
The festival runs until August 18th, for a schedule and list of vendors, visit HERE.
Poland Is Officially „Fashionable” According to Polish Tourist Organization
Poland is becoming a more attractive tourist destination for both foreign and domestic tourists according to data recently released by Statistics Poland. The number of tourists in Poland from the beginning of January to May this year reportedly increased from 11.8 mln in 2018 to 12.5 mln in 2019. Of those who visited, 7.7 mln came from within Poland, while 2.4 mln came from abroad.
„We can say that Poland is currently en vogue both among Poles and tourists from abroad,” said Robert Andrzejczyk, the CEO of the official Polish Tourism Organization. Andrzejczyk added that Poland is perceived as a safe country and that Polish tourist attractions offer high quality services at more affordable prices.
Poland is in the top 20 countries worldwide with the most number of entries (16) on the UNESCO World Heritage List, putting it on par with Sweden and Portugal, and not far behind Greece and Turkey. Poland has also won several awards in recent years including being listed as a top tourist destination by Lonely Planet in 2016, and a third-place award for most welcoming country by booking.com in 2018.
Source: PAP
Witcher trailer premieres to general approval, some reservations by Poles
Billed as the next “Game of Thrones,” Netflix has unveiled the first teaser trailer for its adaption of Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher series, set to be released later this year.
Featuring seasoned actor Henry Cavill as Geralt as well as relative newcomers Anya Chalotra as the sorceress Yennefer and Freya Allan as the princess Ciri, the release of the first official teaser trailer sparked a frenzy of commentary on social media last week. As of Friday, the official trailer had garnered over 15 million views on youtube.
Though the trailer was met with general approval, Polish commentators have criticized Netflix’s choice of accompanying soundtrack, suggesting that it should have a more “Slavic” feel to it and that Netflix should have hired Polish composers and Polish actors to create a more authentic environment.
The series is slated for a late 2019 release, with December 20th being floated as a potential release date. Sapkowski himself served as a creative consultant on the project saying the adaptation is true to the source material and the themes he has spent over 30 years writing.” Sapkowski’s novels have been translated into over 20 languages and Sapkowski himself has become a recognizable Polish cultural icon around the world.
Source: youtube, ScreenRant
Shakespeare festival continues through the weekend
The 23rd Annual Shakespeare festival continues today with an Italian adaptation of Lady Macbeth at 8pm tonight in Gdansk’s Shakespeare Theatre.
Additionally, a rendition of Julius Caesar from the United Kingdom’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art will have two showings in Gdansk’s Wybrzeze Theatre and the evening will wrap up with a performance of Ecce Homo / Behold the Man on the terrace of Gdansk’s Shakespeare Theatre at 9:30pm.
The weekend concludes on a musical note with a Sunday night performance by the Tiger Lillies, a cult British musical trio formed in 1989. Their music is described as a mix of pre-war Berlin cabaret, anarchic opera and gypsy melodies with “a savage edge of punk.” The concert is at 8pm.
The Shakespeare festival continues until the 4th of August, for more information visit HERE.
Beach Handball Competition to be held in Gdynia for the first time
Beginning today, Gdynia will host the PGNiG Summer Superliga men’s and women’s beach handball competition for the first time in the event’s history. The main tournament will feature 12 women’s teams and 10 men’s teams, including all the medalists from the last year.
The tournament in Gdynia is the last opportunity to win a place in the final competition in Darłowo next week, and a chance to take home the Polish Cup, an award given to teams that score the most points in the general classification.
Events will kick off at with qualifying matches all day today at Plaża Śródmieście in Gdynia, with elimination rounds set to begin on Sunday.
EP/RGEN
