The Lithuanian president attended the commemorative event, which included a tournament of "knights" in period costume.
GRUNWALD - Thousands of tourists and history buffs have joined Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and her Polish counterpart to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the victory of Polish-Lithuanian forces over the Teutonic knights in one of the middle-ages' most important battles.
"Today is a very special day. Today, on this historic battlefield, we celebrate one of the greatest victories in our history - a victory that ended more than one hundred year long aggression against the region," Grybauskaite said.
It reminds us all how much we can achieve when we are together. I am speaking not only about Lithuanians and Poles. I have in mind here all of us who 600 years ago participated in the Battle of Grunwald and made victory possible," she said.
The battle of Grunwald saw some 50,000 men take to the field in what was one of the bloodiest and most influencial battles of the period.
The events included a tournament of knights in period costume on July 15 - the anniversary of the battle. About 2,000 knights also planned to re-enact the battle on Saturday.
The battle established the Polish-Lithuanian union as the biggest power in the region. It later became a romantic symbol of independence and the struggle against occupation.The Battle of Grunwald began after the Teutonic Knights launched invasions into Lithuanian territories to spread their influence and rid the land of Lithuanian "pagans."
Please enter your username and password.
2024 © The Baltic Times /Cookies Policy
