Alchemy have attended very many open air rock concerts over the years going back to the 80’s, including the famous Donington “Monsters of Rock” events. These shows were and will always be very important to Alchemy, as a perfect way to keep in direct touch with the rock fans and individual customers of Alchemy, and It is always a great inspiration for new ideas and designs. This year’s “castle Party” in Bolkow was the first time Alchemy had ventured to Poland for such a festival, (as well as the UK, we have covered shows in Holland, Germany and Belgium in previous years).

On arrival it was instantly obvious that the atmosphere was going to be tremendous, because (and the clue is in the title), it all took place within the grounds of the 13th century Bolkow castle ruins. This event has run for 20 years now and is as popular today as ever. Importantly, It seems, however, not to be in danger of out-growing itself (as is often the case in the UK), as because of the size of the venue, the ticket sales are restricted. The ‘Castle party crew’ (staff) were extremely helpful and we felt very welcome. The atmosphere was indeed amazing, and the Poles certainly know how to do Goth! The enthusiasm for the event was immeasurable, and the extremes to which the visitors went to enjoy themselves and make sure it was all very special were incredible. The line-up for the stage was superb and the arena seemed always to be full when the music played.

The Goth culture there spans the generations and many whole families were to be seen, all suitably attired with dress, hair and make-up. It has to be said that the Goth-clad visitors (mostly Polish, not surprisingly), were full of respect for the ancient castle, and there was virtually no litter at all to be seen within the grounds of the ruins in spite of the party atmosphere, and there were no signs of any trouble of any description over the three days. They were a truly a very friendly and pleasant lot! It was a pleasure to see the Alchemy stand being greeted with such enthusiasm and genuine interest and clearly Alchemy is well known to this community, as many indeed were already wearing our products. Those that saw us for the first time let it be known that they loved our ‘stuff’ and hoped to see us return again the next year.

They were indeed three and a half very long days. and the weather was glorious throughout, (and very hot). Thanks to our native Polish, bi-lingual Renata (of Alchemy Studio’s superb design team), we were able to communicate properly with the locals. Plenty of positive comments and suggestions and as mentioned before, great for inspiration.

Alchemy’s new Bacchanal Rose collection will help you to absorb that classic atmosphere from the castle ruins. The classic gothic shapes and colours from our beautifully designed Bacchanal Rose Bracelet [A106] with elegant swirls of thorns in pewter and adjustable clasp teamed with the stud earrings [E347] and Necklace [P700] will finish off your ensemble for this party.

 

 

 

 

For the classic gothic gentleman Alchemy Carter has a range on simplistic goth jewellery to help you assimilate yourself into this historic setting. Our Osbourne’s Cross Pendant [P618] with the In Memoriam Ring [R145] both with black enamelling and bold lines will look excellent with the Black Stone of Wisdom in Swarovski crystal centred in our Gramilion Belt Buckle [B66]. These ornate pewter dragons will fit perfectly into the castle setting

.

The small town and surrounding areas are amazing places to visit in themselves, with another great castle ruin of Swiny, very close by. Wonderful scenery, countryside views and historical architecture are all in abundance and well worth a visit. Thank you Poland, the Castle Party organisers and the festival-goers for your hospitality! Hope to see you next year!

Trev Phillipson

Alchemy founder member.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 25th, 2014 in Uncategorized.