JAKUBY

’’Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the road less traveled by.” There are many roads, many destinations, which we can choose and a lot of events in which we can take part. Why not choose something less known? Why not choose another road? GET TO KNOW JAKUBY!

What is it? Jakuby or The Old Town Festival is a cultural and entertaining event in a form of a fair trade.

Where is it? Jakuby takes place in the area of Przedmieście Nyskie in Zgorzelec.

When is it? It takes place year by year on every last weekend of August.

Where does the name Jakuby originate from?

The name of the festival relates to Jakob Bhme, who was a well known shoemaker and philosopher. Przedmieście Nyskie is the place where he lived and worked.

What was the reason for organising this festival?

The reason for organising Jakuby was to rebuild the Old Town Bridge, which connects the Polish and German banks of the Lusatian Neisse.

How does Jakuby look like? And what is the Altstadtfest?

At Jakuby everyone can find something for yourself. There are historical shows and workshops. Participants can join a historical parade or see a knightly tournament. For children, but not only for them,  there are organised a lot of funny performances, for example a puppet theatre, some animations and historical workshops. As we walk along the street of Przedmieście Nyskie we can see street artists‘ perfomances or take a picture with stilt-walkers. For those who want to get to know more about philosophy, there are philosophical workshops available, where people can listen to a short lecture and take part in quizzes. Great lovers of music and dance can also find here something for themselves. Near the Old Town Bridge one can find a stage where different bands perform. There is also a polish-german dance workshop where people can learn specific dances of each country. Fans of art can come across numerous products made by handicraftsmen. It is definitely worthy for food lovers to visit the festival. At each and every corner visitors have an opportunity to taste some local specialities, like for example Polish Oscypek. There are also some exciting tournaments such as the championship in throwing of the shoe of Jakub Bohme.

HAVE FUN AT JAKUBY but also VISIT ALTSTADTFEST!

When on the polish side Jakuby is held, Goerlitz has its own Altstadtfest. This festival is organised in the neighbouring city of Goerlitz, which is the city on the German bank of Lustian Neisse. This event is much older than Jakuby. It takes place in the Old Town Lower Square and the Upper Square in Goerlitz and similarly to Jakuby offers a full range of attractions. There are street jugglers‘ performances, historical fairs or a big stage (bigger than Jakuby’s stage) where people present their vocal talents. But I personally think that the biggest attraction is the Devil’s Wheel which gives people the opportunity to look at these two cities from above.

 

Jakub’s meetings with philosophy.

Jakuby became a tradition of promoting work of Jakob Bohme and Jakob Bohme himself. The idea behind the meetings organised at his house was to enhance in general the knowledge about philosophy. Nowadays participans can also get to know more about Bohme and his believes. They have a chance to listen to lectures given by  famous guests such as professor Jacek Hołówka (in 2009).

Who is Jakob Bohme? What did he do?

Jakob Bohme (1575-1624) - a famous German philosopher , mystic and shoemaker. He was born at Alt Seidenberg (now Stary Zawidów in Poland) in Upper Lusatia. In 1599 he settled down in Goerlitz and started to work as a shoemaker. He had only a rudimentary education. During his life he experienced mystical visions. The main aspects of his works were the nature of sin, evil and redemption. His most important works are Predestination, Great Mystery and The Way of Christ. He is called Philosophus Teutonicus because of the fact that he was the first, who wrote in German and not in Latin. There were some accusations that he wasn’t the author of all his writings, but these have never been confirmed.

On 7 January 2006 Zgorzelec and Goerliz were visited by a famous actor Nicolas Cage, who came to see the home town of Jakob Bohme.

Important information!

Car parks

During Jakuby there is a traffic ban on the following streets: Daszyńskiego St., Wrocławska St., Struga St., Scultetusa St., Nowowiejska St., Szkolna St.

     On jakuby.eu/pl/ you can find more information about the festival. There you can also find information about accomodation and restaurants in the nearby. I personally recommend Susharnia and its dessert called Biała Orchidea. It’s a fruity version of sushi. Fruits are wrapped in rice and covered in sweet coconut cream. They are served with vanilla sauce. On the webside one can also find out how to get to Zgorzelec/Goerlitz. If you have any guestions, you can go to Tourist Information which is open from Monday to Sunday on Daszyśskiego 12 Street.

VERY IMPORTANT! Every year the program of Jakuby is different and you can always see on the webside what attraction are planned for the next year.

Ecotourism?

Entrepreneurs, craftmen, traders and artists are invited to take part in Jakuby. Organisers are willing to promote handcrafts and the culture of the region.

’’Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the road less traveled by.” So take another road, take part in Jakuby where two nations and cultures meet and do not let the quote which comes from The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost be forgotten.

If you want to see a short movie about Jakuby, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atNhz1ghFG8

Sources:
text:http://jakuby.eu/pl/
pictures: http://jakuby.eu/pl/jakuby/zdjecia, http://www.whosdatedwho.com/dating/nicolas-cage, http://arkadiuszkucharski.blogspot.com/2015/09/fina-tegorocznego-altstadfest-goerlitz.html, https://www.altstadtfest-goerlitz.com/programm-1/programm/, http://www.wregionie.pl/informacje/warte-uwagi/item/6378-jakuby-2017-program-imprezy