Other events in Baltic States

On Wednesday, July 15, symbolic seeing-off will be held in Gediminas Castle – servicemen of Lithuanian Armed Forces and warriors of the Castle of Trakai brethren "Messengers of the Middle Ages" of medieval knights' club will leave for pageant of the Battle of Grunwald held in Poland, field of Grunwald. Soldiers of Lithuanian Armed Forces will leave for pageant of the Battle of Grunwald from the Gediminas Castle, reported ELTA/LETA the press service of the National Defence Ministry.

Ten members of Lithuanian Armed Forces' Honour Guard Company dressed in arms of the XIV century Grand Duchy of Lithuania and twenty five representatives of the Castle of Trakai brethren "Messengers of the Middle Ages". Last year members of Lithuanian Honour Guard Company represented Lithuania in the pageant of historical victory of united Polish-Lithuanian army against knights of the Order of the Cross for a first time.

Troops of XIV c. Grand Duchy of Lithuania will be entrusted with guarding the main flag of Lithuanian regiments – medieval Vytis ("the chaser"). Pageant of the most famous battle of the Middle Ages was first staged in Poland, the field of Grunwald near Olsztynek, 11 years ago. The spectacle attracts audience in tens of thousands, more than a thousand of knights from the entire Europe and Russia gather to reconstruct the historic event. This year Polish, Belarusian, Russian, Czech, Danish, Italian, Finnish and German knights will fight in a reproduced Battle of Grunwald. The pageant of the Battle of Grunwald will take place on July 18, Lithuanian representatives will leave for Poland on July 16. Upon arriving knights will settle in a military camp where they will reside until the performance. While staying in the knights' camp participants will follow strict rules to lead six hundred years old lifestyle: live in medieval period tents, cook food, use utensils of the medieval period, take care of weaponry, wear medieval clothes, and neither use nor use openly any contemporary necessities. The Battle of Grunwald was one of the biggest and most celebrated battles of the Middle Ages. United forces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland under command of Vytautas the Great and King of Poland Jagiello beat knights of the Order of Cross on 15 July 1410. The Battle stopped the Order from invading further east. The sound of the defeat rushed throughout Europe to make it known that the Order fought and lost not against pagans but against two Christian rulers. The 600th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald will be celebrated in 2010.