Hundreds of enthusiasts from across Europe and beyond have flocked to northern Poland over the weekend for an annual reenactment of the 1410 Battle of Grunwald, one of the biggest battles of mediaeval Europe.

Some 1,300 reenactors wearing historical costumes on Saturday staged the famous battle in the Fields of Grunwald for the 21st time, Poland’s PAP news agency reported.

Sunday marks exactly 608 years since allied Polish and Lithuanian forces crushed the Knights of the Teutonic Order in what is considered to be one of the most glorious and significant military victories in Polish history.

Fought on July 15, 1410, the Battle of Grunwald saw Polish King Władysław Jagiełło and his army of allied forces defeat the war machine of the Teutonic Knights, which had previously been regarded as invincible.

Saturday’s reenactment, which attracted around 15,000 spectators, featured actors on horseback as well as foot, sporting heavy armour and playing the parts of knights, squires and archers on both sides.

As every year, highlights included the staging of a scene in which two bare swords were handed to King Jagiełło by Teutonic heralds before the battle and the death of Teutonic Grandmaster Ulrich von Jungingen, a key point in the battle.

Photo: PAP/Tomasz Waszczuk

History enthusiasts from countries including Hungary, Ukraine and Germany took part in this year’s event, alongside Polish reenactors, PAP reported. There was also a group of first-timers from South Africa, according to the news agency.

As in previous years, the main part of the show began with the singing of the powerful medieval anthem Bogurodzica (Mother of God), which the Polish knights intoned before the battle more than six centuries ago, public broadcaster TVP Info reported.

(gs/pk)

Source: TVP Info, PAP