12th Paper Fest ~ 28th-29th July 2012
First held in 2001, the Paper Fest is the largest event organised by the Duszniki Zdrój Museum of Papermaking. It takes place in the courtyard of the museum over the final weekend in July and is open to all from 10.00 AM to 6.00 PM on both days. Year by year, it grows in stature. At the same time, it continues to intrigue and attract a steadily increasing number of visitors.
The two-day Paper Fest is intended to spread knowledge about paper, its history, its significance in the development of civilisation and it role in the contemporary world. It also aims to promote the paper mill itself as one of Poland’s most valuable relics of historical technology and one of her greatest tourist attractions. Indeed, in 2011, it was accorded the status of historical monument by the President of the Republic of Poland. The first written mention of the Duszniki paper mill dates from 1562 and this year’s event will mark the 450th anniversary of that document by focusing on introducing the history of this ancient industrial site to a wide audience.
One of the underlying concepts of the Paper Fest is to set up workshops designed with hands-on participation in mind. Visitors can create their own sheet of hand-made paper, use historical laboratory apparatus to examine its characteristics and properties, try out typographic, plate and relief printing techniques and explore ancient decorative methods such as marbling, shibori and batik. Every participant keeps the paper they make, giving them a unique souvenir of their time at the fest. In addition, there will be a number of stalls offering the work of masters of the art of papermaking, handcrafts and regional mementos.
