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Teutonic Knights in Toruń

Poland Traditions & Interest

Tim Firkowski

Monday, 08 August 2016

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I was very lucky that I was in Toruń today because there is an event here that only happens once each year. It is a reenactment with the Teutonic knights and the battle for the castle. The Teutonic Knights treated the people poorly, destroying their property and killing people. The knights also tried to govern the people as their subjects. The people hated the knights & eventually battled with them and destroyed the castle so the knights had no place to stay. The people also banished them from the city of Toruń.

There are different reenactments that take place around Poland, but they usually only happen once each year, so you have to be in the right place at the right time. Most of the reenactors that participate in this reenactment also attend many of the other reenactments as they are trained for the simulated battle. I remember in a previous year, we were visiting a castle and was given a tour by a man who spoke some English and as it turned out, he was one of the reenactors who gave these tours when he was not needed as a reenactor. He had a love for Poland's history.

The area was jam packed with people so it was difficult to get photos, but I managed to raise my camera high up above others and managed to get some pretty decent shots. There is no possible way to put all my photos in a Blog Post, so I invite you to like my Facebook page so you can view more photos of all my adventures in Poland. I will also post a view videos on my Facebook page.

Tags:

Travel History Poland Toruń Teutonic Knights

About the author

Tim Firkowski

I have been doing genealogy research since 2002 & have worked full time as a Professional Genealogist since 2008. I specialize in Polish and American-Canadian Genealogy. As a member of APG, I was the 2010/2011 President of the New England Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (NEAPG). I have Certificates of Completion for studies in "Foundations of Forensic Genealogy" and "Advanced Forensic Genealogy Techniques". I have been a volunteer librarian at the local Family History Center, and a genealogy research consultant at “Ask the Expert” Ancestry Road Shows. I have traveled to Poland numerous times & researched in churches and archives. At conferences and special events, you may find me dressed up in my Sherlock Holmes outfit, or my Kujawy (the folk costume from the region in Poland where my ancestors came from).