Saint John's Fair (
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
: ''Jarmark Świętojański'') is a cultural and commercial event taking place in
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...
, traditionally in the second half of
June
June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the second of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the third of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. June contains the summer solstice in ...
, on the
Old Market Square
The Old Market Square (Slab Square) is an open, pedestrianised city square in Nottingham, England, forming the heart of the city, and covering an area of approximately , or about 3 acres. It is one of the largest paved squares in the United K ...
and adjacent streets.
The tradition of fairs dates back to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries (although they were held earlier), when there was the greatest flourishing fair trade in Poznań. At that time, the Market Square attracted merchants from various, often very distant, European countries. The largest fair took place around 24 June, on
St. John's Day, and the subject of trade was then mainly grain and
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
As ...
. After the collapse of the trade in these articles, the fairs fell into decline, especially at the beginning of the 18th century. It was reopened in 1780 by the Good Order Commission. The 19th century caused that the fairs also gained a social function and became the time of meetings of the
Wielkopolska
Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city ...
landowners (they were called St John's Day contracts). Numerous balls were held at that time, theatres and dancers arrived.
The tradition was revived in 1975 on the initiative of
President
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Automobiles
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Andrzej Wituski
Andrzej is the Polish form of the given name Andrew.
Notable individuals with the given name Andrzej
* Andrzej Bartkowiak (born 1950), Polish film director and cinematographer
* Andrzej Bobola, S.J. (1591–1657), Polish saint, missionary and ma ...
(inspired by the appearance of
Grand-Place
The Grand-Place (French, ; "Grand Square"; also used in English) or Grote Markt (Dutch, ; "Big Market") is the central square of Brussels, Belgium. It is surrounded by opulent Baroque guildhalls of the former Guilds of Brussels and two larger ...
in Brussels) and temporarily connected with the organization of the
Poznań International Fair
The Poznań International Fair (PIF, pl, Międzynarodowe Targi Poznańskie, MTP) is the biggest industrial fair in Poland. It is held on the Poznań fairground in Poland. Poznań International Fair is located in the centre of the city opposite ...
. At that time, state trade prevailed and one could buy scarce goods, which were absent from the shelves of shops on ordinary days. Nowadays, the fair is an arena for trade in handicrafts, regional food and antiques. It is accompanied by numerous festivals and cultural performances, mainly musical. It is one of the magnets that attracts tourists.
References
Literature
* Łęcki W., Maluśkiewicz P., Poznań od A do Z, Poznań: KAW, 1986, s. 53, , OCLC 835895412.
* Włodzimierz Łęcki, Poznań - przewodnik po zabytkach i osobliwościach miasta dla przybyszów z dalszych i bliższych stron, wyd. Zysk i S-ka, Poznań, 2010, s.32,
History of Poznań
Fairs in Poland
1975 establishments in Poland
Tourist attractions in Poznań
{{Poznań