Premiered in 1960, for the 550th anniversary of the historic battle in the village of Grunwald (then Tannenberg) in northern Poland that saw Polish and Lithuanian forces defeat the German Teutonic Order, Knights of the Teutonic Order by Aleksander Ford has had an audience of over 32 million.

The film’s reconstructed version will be premiered at the Teutonic Knights Castle in Malbork on 10 July, as one of the many events marking the 600th anniversary of the battle.

The digital reconstruction of the film was supervised by Witold Sobociński, one of Poland’s leading cameramen. It is part of the KinoRP Project, whose aim is to create high-quality digital copies of the masterpieces of Polish cinema.

The Battle of Grunwald was fought on 14 July 1410 and a wide range of commemorative events is planned for next week. On 15 July, heads of state from several Central European countries are to hold a meeting at the site and two days later some 1, 500 knights in shining armour will take part in a re-enactment of what was one of the greatest battles of medieval Europe. (mk/pg)