Over 50 archaeologists and metal detectorists surveyed the area of the Medieval Battle of Grunwald. The 1410 battle between an alliance of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, against the Teutonic Knights was a decisive clash that shifted the balance of power in Eastern Europe.

The international project involved participants from Denmark, Norway, United Kingdom and Poland. The wide area of the battle was surveyed since 2014 with use of metal detectors. The area scheduled for this year covered nearly 100 hectares. The explorers discovered over 150 objects, among which were arrow and bolt points, fragments of weaponry, Medieval belt buckles,  elements of clothes and coins.

The research was aimed at locating the area where the camp of the Teutonic Knights was set. One of the finds that might indicate its location is a round cloak pin with the inscribed words “Ave Maria”, which might suggest it belonged to a knight of the Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem also known as the Teutonic Order.

Basing on the research the experts managed to mark the West border of the battlefield, located near the present road connecting Grunwald and Łodwigowo. It also seems to confirm the thesis that it is the main area of the battle (East and South of the Grunwald village), and not the area located to the North-East, as repeated in Polish historiography. Continuation of the work is scheduled for future seasons.

(after Nauka w Polsce, Tomasz Waszczuk)