Gorolski Święto
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Gorolski Święto (literally ''Goral's Festival'') is an annual international cultural and folklore festival held in
Jablunkov Jablunkov (; pl, , german: Jablunkau) is a town in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,300 inhabitants. Polish minority makes up 16.4% of the population. It is inhabited by a large amo ...
,
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 ...
, the first weekend in August. It lasts from Friday to Sunday. It is organized by the
Polish Cultural and Educational Union Polski Związek Kulturalno-Oświatowy (commonly known as PZKO) ( cs, Polský kulturně-osvětový svaz) (meaning "Polish Cultural and Educational Union") is a Polish organization in the Czech Republic. It represents the Polish minority in the C ...
(PZKO) and the folklore group ''Gorol'', and preserves the traditions of the Zaolzie Poles and
Silesian Gorals Silesian Gorals ( pl, Górale śląscy, cs, Slezští Goralé, Cieszyn Silesian: ''Gorole''; literally "highlanders") are an ethnographic group (subgroup of Gorals) living in Silesian Beskids and Moravian-Silesian Beskids within historical r ...
. It is the largest cultural and folklore festival in the
Zaolzie Trans-Olza ( pl, Zaolzie, ; cs, Záolží, ''Záolší''; german: Olsa-Gebiet; Cieszyn Silesian: ''Zaolzi''), also known as Trans-Olza Silesia ( Polish: ''Śląsk Zaolziański''), is a territory in the Czech Republic, which was disputed betwe ...
area, drawing thousands of spectators each day of festivities. In 2007 almost 20,000 people visited the festival. Notable personalities, mainly from the Czech Republic and Poland, also visit the festival each year. In 2007 Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
Mirek Topolánek Mirek Topolánek (, born 15 May 1956) is a Czech politician and business manager who served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic from 2006 to 2009 and the leader of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) from 2002 to 2010. Between 2006 and 2 ...
visited the festival. The primary goal of the festival is the presentation of Gorol folklore groups from the environs of Jabłonków and the rest of the Zaolzie region. Such groups were appearing at the festival until 1955, when for the first time groups from outside the region were invited. Folklore groups from the Polish part of the
Beskid Mountains The Beskids or Beskid Mountains ( pl, Beskidy, cs, Beskydy, sk, Beskydy, rue, Бескиды (''Beskydŷ''), ua, Бескиди (''Beskydy'')) are a series of mountain ranges in the Carpathian Mountains, Carpathians, stretching from the Czech ...
are invited each year as well. Folklore groups from other countries also appear. The festival has its roots in the earlier ''Święta Gór'' (Feasts of the Mountains), which were gatherings of Gorals from Jabłonków parish. After the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
the idea of reviving the tradition was considered by local Polish activists. The General Committee of the PZKO decided on 22 July 1948 that a festival be held that August, later rescheduled to 12 September. At the suggestion of Karol Piegza, Polish writer and folklorist, it was named ''Święto Góralskie''. The current name, ''Gorolski Święto'', is the same as the original one but in the
local dialect Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administra ...
and has been used since 1967. The first festival in 1948 was successful, and so it was decided to hold it annually. It became more and more popular and attracted ever more visitors from an ever broader area. Several Gorols working as organizers and storytellers during the festival became very popular, particularly Władysław Niedoba (''Jura spod Grónia''), Ludwik Cienciała (''Maciej''), and
Władysław Młynek Władysław Młynek (6 June 1930 in Gródek – 1 December 1997 in Nawsie) was a Polish teacher, writer and poet from Zaolzie region of Cieszyn Silesia. He was the son of Jan Młynek, a social activist. He attended Polish elementary school in ...
(''Hadam z Drugi Izby''). The main storyteller of the festival is now Tadeusz Filipczyk (''Filip''). Since 1961 Niedoba has been responsible for the program of the festival. Młynek started his organizational work in 1973, and Filipczyk in 1986. Władysław Młynek's most important contribution to the festival is that he helped to join Gorolski Święto with Tydzień Kultury Beskidzkiej (The Week of Beskid Culture), a cultural and folklore festival in
Wisła Wisła (; german: Weichsel; cs, Visla) is a town in Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, with a population of about 11,132 (2019), near the border with Czech Republic. It is situated in the Silesian Beskids mountain range in t ...
and other municipalities of the
Beskids The Beskids or Beskid Mountains ( pl, Beskidy, cs, Beskydy, sk, Beskydy, rue, Бескиды (''Beskydŷ''), ua, Бескиди (''Beskydy'')) are a series of mountain ranges in the Carpathians, stretching from the Czech Republic in the west ...
of
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
. The result of this cooperation is the annual appearance in Gorolski Święto of top Polish folklore groups and also groups from other countries. The first festival in 1948 was organized by only 21 people, and now the number of organizers reaches into the hundreds.Gawlik 2006, 99. The festival is now held in Lasek Miejski (Municipal Forest). During the festival many small wooden cottages are set up, managed by local branches of the
PZKO Polski Związek Kulturalno-Oświatowy (commonly known as PZKO) ( cs, Polský kulturně-osvětový svaz) (meaning "Polish Cultural and Educational Union") is a Polish organization in the Czech Republic. It represents the Polish minority in the C ...
from surrounding Beskid villages. Visitors can buy there traditional food and beverages, like traditional ''miodula'' ( mead). These wooden cottages have been a feature of Gorolski Święto since 1969. A stage was built in 1985.


References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gorolski Swieto Cultural festivals in the Czech Republic Polish minority in Zaolzie Recurring events established in 1948 Festivals established in 1948 Folk festivals Summer events in the Czech Republic