A documentary film on the conquests of Mieszko I is being made

When and under what circumstances Mieszko I conquered tribal lands in the Oder and Vistula river basins, which became the territorial foundation of royal Poland – m.in. These questions are to be answered by a new popular science film production "Road to the kingdom".

The film is being made in an award-winning series "Secrets of the beginningoin Poland". Its originator and director is Zdzislaw Cozac.

– It will be a proba a holistic view of the "combat trail" our first historical ruler of Poland. I want to confront the current state of knowledge on the subject with the latest archaeological discoveries,” Cozac told PAP. He added that a few days ago began the first shooting of the re-enactments taking place with the recreation oforcami.

In the film "The road to krolestwo", ktory is produced in co-production with TVP, and will feature several renowned professorsoin: archaeologistow and historianow – medievalistow, as well as researchers in other fields, m.in. Jacek Poleski, Michał Parczewski, Sławomir Moździoch or Wojciech Chudziak. The film’s scientific consultant is Prof. Jerzy Strzelczyk.

The film will be a probs to outline the situation of the forming Polish state in the time of theow Mieszko I. What in the strategy of the Piast conquest played a key role – was it the mastery of the mainoof the key trailsow commercial? Ktohand led? Were they the mainoThe main source ofoI had the incomeow allocated for reinforcement and construction of new grodsow? Where the key Piast centers were established? These questions are to be answered by tworcy of the film.

Cozac will also touch on the impact of the Czech Przemyślidoin the area of today’s Silesia and Malopolska. Director sproalso seeks to answer the question of whether the creation of Poland was the result of the realization of the vision of a brilliant strategist, or – in large part – a game of chanceow, with ktoMieszko I skillfully took advantage.

As the director announces, the picture will follow the formula of previous filmsoIn the series: works of archaeologistoin archaeological sites and laboratory research of discovered monumentsoin will be interspersed with 3D visualizations of the strongholds ofow and re-enactments involving numerous reenactorsorcow.

– I would like this film to be even more spectacular than the previous filmsoin the series, whichore I have been realizing for the past 7 years with minimal funding,” Cozac said. At the same time, he expressed hope that the production will receive financial support from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

The Institute of Archeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences is a substantive partner of the film under development, and 3D visualizations are made by m.in. scientific circle from the Faculty of Architecture of the Poznan University of Technology.

Zdzislaw Cozac is the winner of the 2016 Science Popularizer competition, organized by the PAP – Science in Poland service and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education in the Media category. For the series "Secrets of the beginningoin Polish" consists of five productions, concerning mainlyoThe latest production of the medieval history of our country. The first film: "Trzcinica – Carpathian Troy" was created in 2010., the latest production – "Cross and crown" – premiered in April 2016. For their creation, Zdzislaw Cozac has received a total of more than 20 awardsod at festivals in Poland and abroad.