600-year anniversary of the battle of Grunwald

Lithuania celebrates the 600-year anniversary of the battle of Grunwald (“Zalgiris” in Lithuanian). All kinds of state-run institutions across Lithuania held special exhibitions to commemorate the battle, which in July 1410 stopped the 200-year long German crusades in Lithuania. Lithuania’s independence became unquestionable in Europe after that battle. Even more than that: Lithuania became respected as a European superpower after 1410. On June 26, Lithuania’s Tartar community erected a monument to the Lithuanian empire’s ruler, Vytautas the Great, in the village of Raiziai, Alytus region, to mark the anniversary of the Grunwald battle where the Tartars (they were brought as soldiers by Vytautas to Lithuania from the then Lithuania’s shores of the Black Sea) took part as well. The Lithuanian Bank issued a special coin to commemorate the Grunwald battle. The same was done by the central banks of Ukraine and Belarus, which back in 1410 were parts of Lithuania. The special coins are also produced by Poland, which was Lithuania’s ally in that battle against the Teutonic Order.

On July 15, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and new Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski (who has his family roots in North Lithuania and is called “Bronius Kamarauskas” by the humor-loving Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius), together with some other European heads of state, will commemorate the 600th anniversary of Grunwald in the battlefield and at Marienburg Castle (both sites are in Poland now, while in 1410 they were part of Prussia). Grybauskaite and Komorowski agreed to meet in Krakow on July 14, at the monument erected to mark the victory of the armies of Lithuania and Poland at the battle.

On July 6, which is the King Mindaugas Coronation Day (or Statehood Day) in Lithuania, President Grybauskaite, Lithuanian army heads and thousands of ordinary spectators observed the medieval-style dressed Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas (Lithuanian Army Major Donatas Mazurkevicius plays this role in all events of July) and his troops leaving the Royal Palace on the Vilnius Cathedral Square to head to the battlefield of Grunwald. The banner-bearers from Italy also took part in that parade, which went through Vilnius’ Old Town. Mazurkevicius and his troops will take part in the re-enactment of the battle in Poland.

“Here, in front of history, the one-day problems and mutual disagreements disappear,” Grybauskaite said, congratulating Vytautas’ troops. The re-enactment of events of 1410 will be held on July 14-18 on the original battlefield in Poland. The re-enactment of the battle will start on July 17. Hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected. Lithuanian public TV will broadcast the battle live at 15:00 on Saturday, July 17. The re-enactment of the battle is organized each year, but this year it will attract more actors and spectators. The battle took place near the villages of Grunwald and Tannenberg. That is why this battle, in Germany, is known as the battle of Tannenberg.