SUCHA, Poland (AP) – At a 13th-century castle in Poland, wizards and witches are sneaking through the halls and stone staircases of the College of Wizardry that opened this weekend for Harry Potter’s devotees.
In their magic cloaks and wielding wands, some 140 wizardry fans from Europe and the U.S. are studying witchcraft and potions in the live action role-playing game at the Hogwarts-like Czocha Castle in southwestern Poland.
From Thursday to Sunday, participants will live an academic life similar to that of the students and professors of Hogwarts, enacting an original scenario inspired by J.K. Rowlings’ saga about the young wizard.
However, the game – the third such one held here since November – does not follow the book’s characters or story line, and organizers stress it is not connected to the Potter franchise.
“I always wanted to be able to create living worlds, like book writers do or film actors,” said Dominik Dembinski of Polish group Liveform, which organized the event along with Denmark’s Rollespilsakademiet, which translates as Role Playing Academy. He added that he wanted the participants to “have some influence over it.”