From 16 to 20 September 2023, the Archaeological Museum in Biskupin will host the XXVIII Archaeological Festival, whose theme will be the culture of the Western Slavs during the early Middle Ages.

The life of the ancient Slavs will be told in various ways. “We will reach back to their beginnings and talk about ancient beliefs. We will show the differences between the life of the mighty and the people living in the villages. Visitors will look at the marketplace with its merchants’ stalls and the Slavic cuisine. We will listen to songs and stories inspired by the culture of the old Slavs”, say the organisers of the festival.

The festival issues will be presented in four zones: the zone of the common people – the Piast village (the reconstruction will be stylised as a village from the epoch), the zone of the mighty – the prince’s camp (the scenery and costumes will refer to the rich people), merchant stalls (with the possibility of purchasing items modelled on archaeological finds) and the Slav temple (scenery with a story about the beliefs of former Slavs).

During the event, the band Ażdaja will invite participants to join the entertainment. The folk trio from Poznań presents medieval, ethnic and fantasy music. Using traditional instruments from various historical eras, the band takes the listeners back to the times of ancient knights, kings, and plebeian tavern parties. The group’s name comes from South Slavic and Middle Eastern mythology. Ażdaja, a creature similar to a dragon and a hydra, was identified with incredible natural phenomena such as violent rain, floods, droughts or solar eclipses.

The event will also feature dance workshops with the Huskarl ensemble from Gniezno, which performs early, traditional and folk music and is involved in historical reenactment, music and workshop activities and the popularisation of early European musical culture.

Adrian Andrzejewski