FRANCISCAN MARKET IN OPOLE

The Franciscan Market in Opole has become a permanent fixture on the city's cultural calendar. It attracts crowds of fans every year. It is organised by the Opole Franciscan Order, the Opole City Council and the Opole Youth Culture Centre on the last weekend of September. The main goal of the event is to teach tourists about the history of the Opole Piasts, to show them the monastery and church's historic buildings, and to raise money for further work on this historic site. It was here in 1655 that the Polish king John II Casimir stayed during the Swedish Deluge, and here he proclaimed a decree to the Polish nation, calling for a fight against the Swedes. The chapel of St Anne, known as the Piast Chapel, and the underground crypts contain the tombs of the Opole Piasts. Built in 1309, the chapel is a gem of Silesian Gothic architecture and the only surviving example of medieval funerary art in the Opole region. The event includes a market with regional products and artistic handicrafts. It provides a unique opportunity to purchase Capuchin balm, Father Grzegorz Sroka's specialities, or the famous bread with lard, prepared by members of the local community of the Secular Franciscan Order since 2004, and, since 2006, the famous Franciscan fudge [Polish: ciągutki]. Numerous market stalls offer regional products (honey, bread, cold cuts, cakes, beer), as well as products from outside the region (from the borderlands, Lithuania and Austria). The event also features artistic performances by various music and dance groups, as well as art workshops and activities for children, including stilt walkers, soap bubbles, and a table tennis tournament.