Go big or go home! The fifteen years of 5 Żywiołów
“In the beginning was the Word” – John 1:1
And that word was “Sorontar”. Sorontar was the name of a series of larps, and we organized in 2005 the first of them entitled The Outlaws’ Showdown. Living in our quiet province of Głogówek, we were not aware at that time that there exists already something called ‘larps’ – we were sure that transferring adventures from video games and books into the real world is our original idea. It soon turned out that we reinvented the wheel, but it didn’t make us any less enthusiastic! In the same year 2005, the Sorontar Brotherhood Society was established (and it’s still active to this day) which organized not only eight editions of the Sorontar larp, but also numerous other cultural events in the region.
“Work is less boring than play” – Charles Baudelaire
The Society’s experiences led to the creation of the 5 Żywiołów Artistic-Event Agency in 2012. Still, as Sorontar we established a cooperation with Moszna Castle, freshly turned form a hospital into one of the most beautiful Polish tourist attractions. Our start was rather humble – small festivals and picnics for children. Blowing bubbles, face painting, outdoor games and other attractions of that kind – those were the beginnings of 5 Żywiołów business activity. At the same time, we prepared a comprehensive offer for the Castle, which included both annual, point events (such as the School of Magic, visits of Santa Clause, or the Nights of Terrors on Halloween), but also everyday activities – School of Magic sightseeing, The Touch of History, or The Count’s Academy summer schools.
“Do your work with your whole heart, and you will succeed” – Elbert Hubbard
And then everything just went off. Small and large picnics in many places in Poland, urban and outdoor games, special events: New Year’s Eve parties, Halloween, Secret Santa’s, Midsummer Night, events for companies and hotels, movie premiers, conferences… we can go on and on. The number of such events organized by us estimates at a nice few hundreds. There will always be a special place in our hearts for the events we have organized in our hometown of Głogówek, for example the Głogówek Feast of 2013, or the St. George’s Fair a year after that. The company has been dynamically developing.
“Harder the work in which you burn out, the more happiness it brings you. The more you give, the more you grow. But there must be someone on the receiving end.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
And so, the year 2015 came. The year in which we made a grand come back to the larping scene. In April 2015 we organized the first edition of Witcher School – the larp which changed much in 5 Żywiołów. The larp which was not only the beginning of our adventure in the Witcher universe and voyage into the international waters (nowadays most WS editions are larps in English for people from around the world). Witcher School was also a beginning of our cooperation with CD Projekt Red, which gave birth to many great projects (and will surely give birth to many more). Besides Witcher School, in 2015 we also launched the first edition of Battle Quest – the biggest fantasy battle larp in Poland. Sorontar found its worthy successor. That initiative was awarded not only by smiles and praises of our players (thank you!), enthusiastic articles in business journals in Poland and abroad (we’re honoured!) and further dynamic growth of our company (we’re still working!) but also with such awards like the 2015 Śląkfa Award and the Opole Brand 2016.
“And now… Bring me that horizon!” – captain Jack Sparrow
You think that’s all we can do? You don’t know how wrong you are! Those first fifteen years were just a warm-up! On June 27, guests of our little anniversary celebration in Głogówek were able to see what we’re planning for the next fifteen years of activity. Soon, the whole world will hear about it!
Tomasz Lewandowski
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