Every year there are more and more conventions for fantasy fans. Some are large undertakings, others are small events for the local community. Sometimes the program focuses on games or cosplay, or the first fiddle is played by "knowledge books". Fantasy Days once again surprised me with the fact that they are not easy to hide in any drawer.
A bit of history
The castle in Leśnica was built in the Piast period, according to various sources, around 1132. It was to serve as a fortified garden. In the Czech period, the castle changed owners several times, and then it was completely destroyed by the Hussite army. As you can guess, the building was rebuilt and from 1563 Maximilian II Habsburg stayed at the castle. It was then that the interiors of the palace were renovated in the spirit of the baroque style. Almost two hundred years later, during the Napoleonic Wars, the Castle became the headquarters of the French and Bavarian troops. In the times of the Polish People’s Republic, a little closer to us, right after World War II, the residence was abandoned. In 1953 it burned down almost completely. Fortunately, the local authorities decided to rebuild the tabernacle after 5 years. On the one hand, the castle was converted into a community center, which was to serve the inhabitants is a truly noble cause. However, during the renovation works, the remains of the furniture that had survived the fire were destroyed. Currently, the castle houses the “Zamek” Cultural Center, which is a cultural institution of the city of Wrocław.
photo by Michał Makulski
ABC Konwentowicz
The unusual history of the castle in Leśnica intrigued the stewards of the above-mentioned municipal institution aptly named “Zamek” Culture Center. The organization is currently running several different projects as part of managed space. Fantasy Days are one of them and since 2004, they have been attracting more and more enthusiasts from edition to edition.
At this point, I would like to mention the great care of the organizers for the participants of the event. From the care of materials, through the efficiency of operation during the process, to building a sense of community. As a media representative and fan, I appreciate every aspect. An interesting idea was also to publish a series of guides with a nice hashtag. Under the slogan #ABCKonwentowicza we can find practical tips, which, although addressed to novices, may be useful for old people.
Nails, bolts and screws of the program
Each edition stands out with something. Year by year, the program seems to be richer and better organized. Our expedition visited several places and made observations that I am going to share here.
In the subject of literature, we decided to start immediately with high C and visited a lecture by Michał Gołkowski entitled “Take-away world, plus fries and cola”. The lecture description was just as promising: “How RPG helps with writing books and how to get from character through story to world, rather than getting bogged down in reverse engineering.” We like to play PRG, we have several engineers and engineers in the editorial office, we read books – the conclusion was that we would totally embrace the issue and come out smarter.
The next step in gaining knowledge from the literary field was a discussion panel on “Fantastic fuck-ups”. Our Proofing Department has it every day, we wanted to get acquainted with the subject. A great body composed of Agnieszka Hałas, Grzegorz Wielgus, Elżbieta Żukowska, Dominika Niestoń and the aforementioned Michał Gołkowski, together with a room full of listeners, analyzed the darkest scenarios for writing and publishing books. The discussion was moderated by Adrianna Michno, which you know very well, because you watched our coverage live, right?
The day passed and we still had little knowledge. Inspired by a series of articles about “movies so bad that they are good”, we decided to attend a lecture prepared by Michał Wolski and Szymon Makuch. The title “Chinese jumping vampires and other bloodsucker quirks” simply couldn’t escape our attention. During the lecture, we collected material for the next publications. Of course, it turned out that Piotr Markiewicz knows and likes all these productions, and that he is considering describing them in the above-mentioned series.
photo: Michał Makulski – lecture “Chinese jumping vampires and other quirks from movies about bloodsuckers”
In the breaks between lectures, we sunbathed and tasted local dishes. (The kebab washed down with festival beer tastes delicious.) Our attention was also drawn to the performances on the main stage. Dance shows and concerts added splendor to the event every day. At the ceremonial Fantasy Days Gala on Saturday, we could listen to, among other things, the songs of the “Derwana” band and tell the people we met that they were our good friends.
photo by Michał Makulski
We tried to visit as many nooks and crannies as possible and get as many fives as possible. We got to the board games zone, we bought a ton of souvenirs at the trade stands and we tried our hand at the “conferences”. Only to learn fencing, we ran out of time and strength, because the sun was beating mercilessly.
We are already packed for the next edition
You don’t go to the Fantasy Days, you go back there. And we plan to come back next year. You will not find such a climate anywhere else. It is a large convention that boasts an unusual atmosphere – family and friendly. Maybe it’s the palace surroundings, maybe the air? In most of these types of events, the fandoms interpenetrate, but I have the impression that it is more in DF. See you in Leśnica!
photo by Michał Makulski
Hall of fame and infamy
photo by Michał Makulski
