![Helfst03](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Helfst03.JPG)
The Hefaiston is an annual gathering and international competition of
blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
s that is held at the
Helfštýn
Helfštýn, (german: Helfenstein, Helfstein) is a castle ruin in Týn nad Bečvou in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It is located east of Přerov. The history of Helfštýn is closely related to the development of the nearby town of ...
castle,
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
. It is named after the Greek god
Hephaestus
Hephaestus (; eight spellings; grc-gre, Ἥφαιστος, Hḗphaistos) is the Greek god of blacksmiths, metalworking, carpenters, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metallurgy, fire (compare, however, with Hestia), and volcanoes.Walter Burk ...
. The event is organized by the Comenius Museum in
Přerov
Přerov (; german: Prerau) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 41,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Bečva River. In the past it was a major crossroad in the heart of Moravia in the Czech Republic. The historic centre ...
in collaboration with the administration of the castle since 1982. The 29th gathering (held in 2010) was attended by more than four hundred blacksmiths.
The Hefaiston is considered one of the most important annual meetings of artist blacksmiths in the world.
[ ''"Každoroční soutěžní přehlídka uměleckého kovářství Hefaiston, nazvaná podle starověkého boha Hefaista, patří k nejvýznamnějším setkáním uměleckým kovářů na světě."'']
History
The tradition of annual blacksmith gatherings at Helfštýn started in 1982. Initially, the event involved only blacksmiths from the former
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
. Thanks to the efforts of the master blacksmith
Alfred Habermann, who spread the information about the event not only in the Czechoslovakia but also abroad, the gatherings gradually turned into a meeting place for blacksmiths from all over the world.
The Hefaiston is visited by artist blacksmiths from the Central and Western Europe, but also from
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
,
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...
etc.
Structure and organization
The main principle of the Hefaiston remains unchanged for years. It starts one week before the main competition with the workshop called The Blacksmith Forum. During the forum, one or groups of blacksmiths working in the castle realize their ideas and designs. Their iron works are subsequently displayed at the castle, and during the weekend are confronted with the works of their blacksmith competitors.
Each gathering is connected with the competition. The expert jury evaluates the works of blacksmiths in two categories, works imported to Helfštýn and works created directly at the castle.
The jury evaluates the exhibits in the following categories:
* Classical artistic blacksmithing
* Sculptural works and chamber sculpture
* Jewelry
* Weapons
*
Damascene metal work
*
Iron founding
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...
work
Since 2008, the best blacksmiths receive the Alfred Habermann Award.
A part of the exhibited works remains in the possession of the castle, and Helfštýn represent one of the world's greatest collections of artistic metalworks.
See also
*
Mateřinka
*
Serial Killer (festival)
Serial Killer is an international festival of TV and online series. It is the first event of this kind in Central and Eastern Europe.
The Festival is held annually in Brno, Czech Republic. It aims to offer current and high-quality European serie ...
*
Gorolski Święto
Gorolski Święto (literally ''Goral's Festival'') is an annual international cultural and folklore festival held in Jablunkov, Czech Republic, the first weekend in August. It lasts from Friday to Sunday. It is organized by the Polish Cultural an ...
References
External links
*
{{coord, 49, 31, 5.24, N, 17, 37, 42.87, E, source:cswiki_region:CZ_type:landmark, display=title
Arts festivals in the Czech Republic