The victory at Grunwald took on a symbolic dimension and became of national value, permanently etched in the Polish conscience and memory. The Museum of the Battle of Grunwald started its activity on the day of unveiling the Grunwald Monument in July 1960, on the 550th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald. Documents and artifacts of the battle are included in the museum’s collection. The relicts consist of mainly maps, plans, drawings, photographs, and a large number of original copies of medieval weapons. Important exhibits are copies of the Polish, Lithuanian and Teutonic banners, reconstructed based on iconographic sources. Recently, the museum has been renovated and relocated thanks to various donations.
The Grunwald (Tannenberg) battlefield commemorates one of the largest battles of medieval Europe. By the latter half of the 14th century the Teutonic Order had become a major political power playing a leading role in the Baltic region. The last hurdle in the construction of their empire was the state of Lithuania, in particular Samogitia, which lay between the Order’s Prussian and Livonian properties. However, the Polish-Lithuanian Union forged in the 1380s struck a blow to the Teutonic Knights’ policy of expansion. The prospect of their pagan neighbour’s conversion to Christianity left not only the reason for their Teutonic mission under question, but also the very raison d’etre of the Order itself. After years of relative peace, Poland’s conflict with the Order was renewed, and events began to lead towards a conclusive resolution. (zabytek.pl)
“The Battle of Grunwald is a breakthrough event for the history of Poland, which for many years shaped our country’s position in this part of Europe.”, Piotr Gliński said during the opening ceremony of the new seat of the Museum of the Battle of Grunwald in Stębark.
The total cost of the renovation was almost PLN 49 million and over PLN 21 million were provided by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. PLN 15 million were taken from the European funds at the disposal of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and over PLN 6 million from the Ministry’s budget.
Minister of Culture and National Heritage emphasized that thanks to the Battle of Grunwald Poland together with Lithuania and many other nations could develop for many years, and thus shape their own identity.
Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the Museum of the Battle of Grunwald in Stębark was in line with the museum policy implemented by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in recent years, which currently includes the construction of about 300 memorial institutions.
Between 2014 and 2020, the Museum of the Battle of Grunwald implemented the project “Extension, transformation and repair of the building of the Museum of the Battle of Grunwald in Stębark” in the years from European Funds under the priority axis VIII “Protection of cultural heritage and development of cultural resources” Operational Program Infrastructure and Environment. The total cost of the task is PLN 48.9 million, of which PLN 15,065 million is a subsidy from the Europe of Regional Development. The total amount of support for the project from conservation funds at the disposal of the Ministry of Culture and Attitude is PLN 21.3 million.
As part of the implementation of the user’s project with attractive solutions, architectural solutions of the area of almost 4 thousand m² before expansion, the expansion resulted in the activity of 275 m², which allows for the presentation of presentations, as well as the development of the cultural and educational offer. The institution was supplied with modern equipment presenting historical and cultural achievements of the history of Grunwald Fields.