Grunwald Memorial

Memorial visitors 2006

The Grunwald Memorial is a national Polish memorial near Grunwald , intended to commemorate the Battle of Tannenberg in 1410. It represents an almost sacred place in the Polish national consciousness.

history

Even before the reestablishment of the Polish state , the Grunwald Monument was erected in Krakow on July 15, 1910, i.e. the 500th anniversary of the battle . The construction took place in great secrecy and created a Polish identity in a tripartite country. When the monument was erected, soil from the battlefield, which was then in Prussia, was used to fill the base.

In divided Poland , the battle of Grunwald became a national myth in the 19th century , which helped to preserve the Polish cultural identity in the times of the Russification and Germanization policies of the partitioning powers. As a reaction to the Polish corridor that should Tannenberg Memorial in East Prussia be seen in the same way. At the end of the Second World War, the battlefield came into Polish possession. The first archaeological investigations were carried out as early as 1945. On this occasion, the foundations of the Marienkapelle were found again on the Kapellenberg, and the Jungingenstein was laid down. The memorial was inaugurated on July 15, 1960, the 550th anniversary of the battle.

Monuments on the battlefield

Granite obelisk with facial features of fighters, reminiscent of the Westerplatte memorial , erected in 1953 on the 10th anniversary of the Polish People's Army
Flagpole forest made up of eleven, approx. 30 m high flagpoles with the symbols of the Polish, Lithuanian and Ukrainian units
Remains of the Grunwald monument in Krakow
Memorial stone for King Władysław II Jagiełło
Memorial stone of the Polish soldier's oath (30th anniversary 1973)
Amphitheater with seats
Oversized model with colored stones, which shows the order of the battle
Museum with cinema and exhibits
Visitor center with shops for merchandising

From pre-Polish times you can still find:

Memorial events

On the anniversary of the battle, the battle is re-enacted by thousands of voluntary extras, mostly accompanied by a state act with politicians from Poland, Lithuania, Belarus and the Ukraine.