May 20, 2018 – The popular historical manifestation will take place in August this year
Two months ago, Koprivnica joined the elite ranks of renowned European historic cities. The Renaissance Festival, a lively manifestation which draws thousands of visitors to Koprivnica each year, won the gold Plautilla award for the best cultural tourism product, presented at the International Historic Cities Congress in Solin.
The festival was awarded for the quality of interpretation of cultural and historical heritage, and it’s worth noting it’s the only project implemented in continental Croatia to have won the prestigious prize. At the time, director of Koprivnica Tourist Board Renato Labazan hinted at the theme they selected for this year’s edition of the Renaissance Festival. He promised it would involve a giant labyrinth as a challenge for visitors; he also claimed the festival’s main theme will make it stand out among similar manifestations in Europe.
And so the theme was revealed: titled ‘Secrets of Iron’, the 13th edition of the Renaissance Festival will take place from August 23 to 26. Koprivnica will again travel back in time and don its historic gear, allowing the visitors to revel in the authentic ambiance and learn about traditional crafts.
Director Labazan said the preparations are well underway. Actually, owing to the complexity of the event, it takes them an entire year to set the whole thing up; they’ve been working on the upcoming festival for quite some time now. When they were trying to settle on a theme for this year’s edition, they considered the option of focusing on the history of torture, but an alternative presented itself almost on accident.
Archaeological research conducted in Koprivnica in 2008 led to discovery of ancient iron melting furnaces. Koprivnica City Museum is now launching a scientific project headed by the Institute of Archaeology; all knowledge and experience gained along the way will be reflected in the Renaissance Festival. The plan is to attempt to process iron ore and produce pure iron during the festival, and the local experts said they believe they’ll see success.
The manifestation will thus focus on iron and the history of its use in these parts. “This year’s theme is a challenge. I’m sure our blacksmiths and members will do their best to make the number 13 lucky, at least where our festival is considered”, said Dragutin Jeđud, president of Anno Domini association which is co-organising the festival. Fingers crossed! In the meantime, learn more about the popular festival here and follow them on Facebook for regular updates.
Source: Lokalni
