Photo: www.grunwald1410.plOver 2,000 medieval knights are gearing up for the re-enactment of the Battle of Grunwald on its 600th anniversary.
Polish, Lithuanian and Teutonic Knights are preparing their armour for battle, sharpening their swords and rehearsing Bogurodzica, a religious hymn sung before the Battle of Grunwald by Polish knights.
The official celebrations of the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald, which, apart from the re-enactment include also other events such as a meeting of foreign heads of states, will start on July 15 and finish on July 17.
On July 14, a medieval fair opens in the village of Stebark, where visitors will have an opportunity to see how medieval weapons and armour were made. The Presidents of Poland and Lithuania Bronislaw Komorowski and Dalia Grybauskaite will also meet today at the Grunwald monument in Krakow and an exhibition about Grunwald will open at the Wawel Castle.
On July 15, which is the exact date of the medieval battle in which the Knights of the Teutonic Order were defeated by forces of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, heads of East-European states will meet at the Grunwald battle site, as planned by the late President Lech Kaczynski.
Photo: www.grunwald1410.pl
The 600th anniversary celebrations will also include an outdoor performance depicting the entry of the Polish king Jagiello and Lithuanian prince Vytautas the Great to Grunwald. That evening, evening the esteemed guests will have dinner at the Teutonic Knights’ Castle in Malbork, northern Poland.
On July 16, a knightly tournament will take place in Grunwald accompanied by medieval fairs, games and concerts of folk bands and a screening of Krzyzacy [the Knights of the Teutonic Order], a 1960 cult movie by Aleksander Ford based on the popular novel of the same name by Henryk Sienkiewicz.
On July 17, a re-enactment of the Battle of Grunwald will be staged at the battle site with a record number of 2,000 participants, who will don medieval battle armour, and thousands of viewers are expected. Before the battle, Polish MPs will lay flowers at the Grunwald monument and a parade of knights will take place.
The Battle of Grunwald by Jan Matejko (1874)At 13 CET Polish, Lithuanian and Teutonic Knights will head to the battle site. The knights under the command of the Polish king Jagiello will sing Bogurodzica and move into the battle with the Teutonic Knights under the command of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights
Ulrich von Jungingen. The re-enactment will last one hour. After the battle, visitors will be able to watch an air show and fireworks, view films in the outdoor cinema and listen to rock concerts.
On July 18, Polish and Lithuanian knights who fought at Grunwald will leave the battle site and head to Malbork, where they will re-enact the siege of the castle. (mg/mmj/jb)
Related link: www.grunwald1410.pl
Source: PAP
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