The Battle of Grunwald, the most famous in Poland’s long and chequered history, took place in 1410. It is impossible to overstate the significance of the outcome of this battle, which took place in the context of the Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War. Victory in made Poland-Lithuania the major power in Eastern Europe and, equally satisfying from the perspective of Polish nationalist history, the leadership of the Teutonic knights was utterly devastated, most being killed or captured.
Two pieces of commemorative art are especially important in relation to Grunwald. Firstly, there is the great painting by the Krakowian artist Jan Matejko. This painting is the centrepiece of the Polish national iconography and is the most famous and celebrated example of the artist’s endeavour to provide Poland with the standard visual representations of its key historical events. Unfortunately, you will have to go to the National Museum in Warsaw to see it.
However, while in Krakow you can visit the Grunwald Monument which is, logically enough, to be found in Plac Matejki. This monumental representation of the battle in stone was dedicated in 1910 by the great patriot Ignacy Paderewski upon the occasion of its 500th anniversary – an example of the capacity of the Austro-Hungarians to tolerate a certain degree of Polish nationalism. The Nazis, of course, destroyed the original as soon as they got the chance; what you see now is a 1976 reconstruction. Below the Grunwald monument is the much more modest Monument to the Unknown Soldier, complete with Eternal Flame.