RUSSIA-KNIGHT FESTIVAL History enthusiasts stage medieval festival in Russia's Kaliningrad

Record ID: 147879

  • Title: RUSSIA-KNIGHT FESTIVAL History enthusiasts stage medieval festival in Russia's Kaliningrad
  • Date: 9th July 2015
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF WOMAN RIDING ON HORSEBACK AROUND PEOPLE HOLDING TORCHES HISTORY ENTHUSIASTS IN COSTUME
  • Embargoed: 24th July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA3KNMN3EZSP1GCUJB8EYXANJQR
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The clatter of swords echoed through the walls of a medieval castle in Russia's Kaliningrad region near the Baltic Sea, as crowds looked on avidly.
    History enthusiasts gathered at the ruins of the historic Brandenburg castle, which is over 700 years old, to revive the battles of the Teutonic Order knights.
    The site, once a residence of the order, was left abandoned and fell to decay in the 19th century. It further suffered from severe battles during World War Two, which left only some parts of the brick walls intact.
    Despite falling into disrepair, the castle walls were brought to life recently when the members of a local theatre that specialises in historic reconstruction staged the scene for a medieval battle.
    Member of the Listi theatre donned medieval armour and held weapons, rode horses and engaged in fencing to the sound of bag-pipes being played.
    Aleksander Kirsanov, who is an actors in the theatre, said preparation for such re-enactments involves investment of a great deal of time and effort.
    "First, this hobby should be your life, because it is not about dressing up and going out to fight, this takes a lot of work, to study history, to study fencing, to study weapons and armour. This takes a lot of time, as we study history, we are looking for pictures, fresco paintings, we are trying to reproduce it all," he said.
    The unusual hobby can be costly for some said Aleksander Pereviznik, who was taking part in the festivities. According to Pereviznik a realistic armour could set back an enthusiast anything from 3,000 to 20,000 roubles (50-350 USD).
    Pereviznik said physical strength was important for his hobby.
    "This is my light armour, it weighs around five to ten kilograms, this is not too heavy, some of my armour sets weighed up to 40 kilograms," the history enthusiast said.
    Spectators who came to the show could also buy crafted gifts, test their skills with a bow and arrow and take a guided excursion around the castle.
    Kaliningrad's historic reconstruction groups plan to stage similar performances on the castle grounds every weekend throughout the summer, open for the public's enjoyment.
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