A team from Naujoji Vilnia appeared among laureates of a Patria Nostra history competition.

A team from the Józef Ignacy Kraszewski Middle School came in third place at the Patria Nostra historical featurette competition. Students, along with a teacher, had the task to prepare a video about the reign of Stephen Bathory, specifically focusing on the case of Samuel Zborowski.

The Patria Nostra project invites schools to make history education more appealing for seven years now. The goal of this competition is to promote knowledge about Poland’s history, patriotism, and foster a sense of community among young Poles.

81 participants

The Kraszewski Middle School had entered a regional competition – North Zone, which is addressed to the youth from: Pomerania, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodship, Warmian-Masurian Voivodship and to the Polish youth, and the community from around the world. The organisers of the competition are convinced, that because of the new technologies used for the making of entries, the cultivation is creative, evolving, and inspiring. This year’s edition featured 81 participating schools. It is worth noting that the competition has a very big popularity, as there are three additional regional competitions, a worldwide competition and one for art schools.

The entries made for the Patria Nostra Historical Film Contest are sixty-second films or animations that portray important events from Poland’s history, using various techniques. They depict events that occurred during one of fifty-two weeks in a year. The themes are not chosen by the participants but are assigned to them according to the order of the registration based on the chronological list.

‘Kraszewski’s’ second sabre.

-Upon receiving the theme it seemed quite difficult. It required specific costumes, decorations and a castle. The latter being the most demanding. We decided to use an old mill in Naujoji Vilnia to our needs. We only needed to clear some bushes, tidy up, and the torches we put up made an excellent atmosphere and it resembled the Wawel itself – explains Waldemar Szełkowski, the history teacher and a founder of the Vilnius Historical Reconstruction Club Garrison New Vilnius.

The entries are evaluated by the contestants. Each team has 1 to 5 points to allocate to the video they consider best. What contributed to ‘Kraszewski’ winning third place?

-It may be because out film portrays both facts and the emotions. I believe the most compelling aspect is the expression on the girls’ faces after the Zborowski’s execution. The theme seemed difficult at first, but very fitting – says Szełkowski.

The contest ended with a Final Gala, during which the finalists received financial awards and a replica sabre for their school. Every participant also got a reward bag, regardless of their placement. For ‘Kraszewski’ it was their second sabre won at the Patria Nostra contest.