St. Dominic's Fair ( Polish: ''Jarmark św. Dominika''), is an annual cultural and trade event organized between July and August in the port city of

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

Pomeranian Voivodeship Pomeranian Voivodeship ( ; ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship, or province, in northwestern Poland. The provincial capital is Gdańsk. The voivodeship was established on January 1, 1999, out of the former voivodeships of Gdańsk Voivo ...

, Poland. It was founded in 1260 and together with Weihnachtmarkt and

Oktoberfest Oktoberfest (; ) is the world's largest , featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival, and is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, from mid- or late-September to the first Sunday in October. The annual event attracts more than seven milli ...

, it is considered one of the biggest cultural and trade open-air events in Europe attended by 5-8 million national and international visitors annually. In the past, the fair usually lasted for two weeks but since 2004, a decision was made to extend it to three weeks. In 2020, amid the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the fair was held in a limited format attracting 250,000 visitors and 600 exhibitors (1/3 of the usual number).

History

With 750 years of successful tradition, the history of the

Fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...

goes back to the year 1260, when it was established by the

decree A decree is a law, legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, monarch, royal figure, or other relevant Authority, authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislativ ...

Pope Alexander IV Pope Alexander IV (1199 or 1185 – 25 May 1261) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 December 1254 to his death. Early career He was born as Rinaldo di Jenne in Jenne, Italy, Jenne (now in the Province of Rome ...

Saint Dominic Saint Dominic, (; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán (), was a Castilians, Castilian Catholic priest and the founder of the Dominican Order. He is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientists, and he a ...

was canonized in 1234 and his feast day was immediately included in the

General Roman Calendar The General Roman Calendar (GRC) is the liturgy, liturgical calendar that indicates the dates of celebrations of saints and Sacred mysteries, mysteries of the Lord (Jesus Christ) in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, wherever this liturgic ...

for celebration on 5 August. With the introduction of the

Tridentine calendar The Tridentine calendar is the calendar of saints to be honoured in the course of the liturgical year in the official liturgy of the Roman Rite as reformed by Pope Pius V and first issued in 1568, implementing a decision of the Council of Trent, ...

in 1568, his feast was moved to 4 August, where it remained until the 1969 revision moved it to 8 August.''Calendarium Romanum'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1969), p. 100 It was thus at some time between 1568 and 1969 that it became customary to announce the opening of the Fair by the ringing of bells at noon on 4 August. In the beginning, it was all about prayers and entertainment, but later the Fair began to function as a trade and cultural event with great importance to the city. At first, it was held at the Dominic Square but, as the event developed, it needed greater space, so the Fair was moved into the area of Wały Jagiellońskie and Długa Streets. Also, the new market places, such as Targ Drzewny, Targ Sienny, Targ Węglowy, Targ Wąchany or Targ Rybny were created. Their names were closely related to the goods, which were sold on each market and in the case of Długi Targ the name was derived from its shape. Around 400 ships sailed to

Port of Gdańsk The Port of Gdańsk is a Polish seaport located on the southern coast of Gdańsk Bay in the city of Gdańsk, extending along the Vistula estuary Martwa Wisła (Dead Vistula), Port Channel and Kashubia Canal. It is one of the largest seaports o ...

for the August fair and the transactions were held in many languages. It was possible to buy famous Toruń gingerbreads, Kashubian ceramics, Czech glass, Eastern furs and carpets, English cloth,

gypsy {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , po ...

pots, Goldwasser (type of

vodka Vodka ( ; is a clear distilled beverage, distilled alcoholic beverage. Its varieties originated in Poland and Russia. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is ...

) and

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...

. Apart from

merchants A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

, in the Fair participated also circus performers,

jugglers Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the object manipulation, manipulation of objects for recreation, entertainment, art or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling. Juggling can be the manipula ...

acrobats Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro d ...

and theatre groups. St. Dominic's Fair became an important event for the city, attended by

gentry Gentry (from Old French , from ) are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. ''Gentry'', in its widest connotation, refers to people of good social position connected to Landed property, landed es ...

and even by the king himself. The most memorable fair for the citizens was the one from the year 1310, when, during the absence of the king Władysław the Elbow-high, the

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

plundered the city for the first time, killing many merchants and other participants of the Fair. St. Dominic's Fair had been organized annually for the centuries. However, the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

caused the Fair to disappear from the city for 33 years. In 1972, owing to the efforts of Wojciech Święcicki, a journalist from a popular Gdańsk evening paper ''Wieczór Wybrzeża'', the tradition of the Fair was restored. In the 1970s the Fair was mostly viewed as a trade event, providing the opportunity to buy desired goods. During special fashion shows commonly called "Live Journal" the latest Polish fashion collections were presented.

St. Dominic's Fair today

For many years, since its reactivation in 1972, the St. Dominic's Fair lasted for 2 weeks. In 2004, a decision was made to extend it up to 3 full weeks. Every year, about 1000 merchants, artists, artisans and collectors take part in the Fair, and it is visited by an average of 70,000 people daily, whose number usually doubles at weekends. As the organizers declare, approximately 5 million people come and go through the Old Town of Gdańsk during each St. Dominic's Fair (in 2007 there were as many as 8.5 million of them which is still a record). The contemporary character of the event recalls the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

tradition of fun and trade. One can find there an abundance of food stalls offering cold

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

, meat, potatoes, sausages, and shish kebabs baked on a gridiron. Tourists from abroad will additionally have a unique opportunity to taste some traditional Polish dishes, like e.g. pierogi (

dumplings Dumplings are a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of cooked dough (made from a variety of starchy sources), often wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, wheat or other flours, or potatoes, and it may be filled wi ...

), bigos (stewed dish made of sauerkraut and/or fresh cabbage, meat and mushrooms), or farmhouse bread with

lard Lard is a Quasi-solid, semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering (animal products), rendering the adipose tissue, fatty tissue of a domestic pig, pig.

and dill pickles. Just as before the war, there is a funfair which used to be a major attraction during the times of the free city of Danzig. In year 1938 the funfair became even more famous when a 2-metre crocodile escaped from its menagerie and jumped into the Motława river. It took quite a long time to catch it, and the escape caused a general sensation. For obvious reasons, the funfair has changed its character throughout all those years. The halls of mirrors have disappeared and nobody cuts women into two pieces with a handsaw during magic shows; however, it still remains one of the main attractions for the youngest participants of the St. Dominic's Fair. The number of stalls increases each year, and the programme of the Fair is diversified by various cultural and entertainment events. On the stalls we can find

numismatic Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...

and

philatelic Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. While closely associated with stamp collecting and the study of postage, it is possibl ...

collections, as well as handicrafts, haberdashery, valuable cloths and

antiques An antique () is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely to describe any object that i ...

. All those products and many more may be bought on the popular

flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously owned (secondhand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...

. Unfortunately, as it happens in other similar fairs in the world, some fake products are sold as well. In the past, for example, it was possible to buy pictures of

Kossak Kossak is the surname of 4 generations of notable Polish painters, writers and poets, descending from the historical painter Juliusz Kossak. Notable people with this surname include: * Progenitor, Juliusz Kossak (1824–99), Polish painter from ...

, Witkacy and numerous other well-known painters. However, the majority of merchants and collectors are fair and treat visitors seriously. They arrive not only from the farthest corners of Poland but also from other countries, like

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and such distant as

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

. All those foreign sellers offer products and souvenirs distinctive for their culture.

The plan of the Fair

* multibranch stalls – Szeroka, św. Ducha, Grobla I, Grobla II Streets; * craft articles and jewellery – Mariacka Street, Długie Pobrzeże, Rybackie Pobrzeże, Długi Targ; * souvenirs and artists’ stalls – Długa Street, Długi Targ, Zielony Most; * stalls of collectors and hobbyists – Wartka and Straganiarska Streets, Targ Rybny; * gastronomic stalls – Targ Węglowy, Targ Rybny, Szeroka Streets.

The programme of the Fair

* outdoor stages, * festivals, * fêtes and concerts, * demonstration of fireworks and laser lights, * street parades, * rock concerts, * chamber and organ music concerts, * sport events and competitions (St. Dominic's Race).

References

External links