Jarocin is one of the oldest city in Wielkopolska Province. First time it was mentioned in 1257. Its name comes from Old Polish name or surname Jarota. In the market there is St. Martin’s church, built in the seventeenth century, city hall and many historic tenements. An interesting building is the palace and park complex, which consists of neo-Gothic Radoliński Palace (at present Public Library and two university branches), remains of a medieval knight’s castle so called Skarbczyk (at present Public Library and two university branches), remains of a medieval knight’s castle so called Skarbczyk (at present Regional Museum), ruins of a Gothic church of St. Spirit from the sixteenth century and landscape park.
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| Radoliński Palace |
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| The Old Market in Jarocin |
However, Jarocin is known primarily from the Rock Music Festival (Festiwal Muzyki Rockowej). The first festival was held in 1970 as a local youth music event under the name Wielkopolska’s Rhythms of Young (Wielkopolskie Rytmy Młodych). Since 1980 the festival was organized for the entire country under the name National Review of Music of Young Generation (Ogólnopolski Przegląd Muzyki Młodej Generacji). After three years, in 1983 it came back to its old name Rock Music Festival. It became the biggest annual rock event in Eastern Europe and continued constantly till 1994.
Despite many attempts to reactivate the festival, over the next ten years it did not take place. Only in 2005 there was organized an overview of Jarocin festivals. In 2006 it was revived under the name of Jarocin Festival and it lasts to this day. In 2010 the festival celebrated its thirtieth anniversary.
Music played at the festival are the genre of rock, heavy metal, blues, reggae. The best-known bands appearing at the festival are: Acid Drinkers, Armia, Coma, Dezerter, Dżem, Izrael, Kult, Oddział Zamknięty, Piżama Porno, T. Love, TSA, Apocatyptica, Biffy Clyro, Bood Red Shoes, Gallow, Gossip, The Subways.
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| Jarocin Festival |