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Slavs and Vikings slug it out on Polish island

04.08.2019 14:08
The 25th Festival of Slavs and Vikings draws to a close on Sunday on Wolin Island, north-western Poland. 
Reenactment battle at the Wolin Festival
Reenactment battle at the Wolin FestivalPAP/Marcin Bielecki

Over the weekend the venue was invaded by nearly 3,000 reenactors from 30 countries and visitors eager to experience numerous history-related attractions. 

Thus, the island got engulfed in mock battles and sword fighting contests but also featured Viking longboat cruises and displays of craftwork and various exhibitions  showing the traditional, everyday life of both Slavic and Viking people. Every year the festival welcomes those interested in stepping back in time to the early Middle Ages to experience hands-on medieval customs, ceremonies, music and even the cuisine.

Wolin Island is located just off the Polish coast and according to some scholars it may have been the basis for the semi-legendary settlements Jomsborg and Vineta, referred to in Norse legends of a warrior stronghold. Annually, the island is home to Europe's biggest Germanic-Slavic Viking festival, a popular tourist attraction, launched in 1993. (mo)

source: Głos Szczeciński