He does not feel anxiety before the fights
This tournament is organized by a team of professional knights who have been operating in the city for 20 years, gathered under the banner of Viduramžiai LT. During those years of operation, they have already performed more than 4 thousand. performances in various cities and private events, not only in Lithuania but also abroad.
Isn’t there a little bit of anxiety before such an important holiday, to which crowds of people flock?
“No, everything is fine, we are battle-hardened, we have already seen everything…”, smiled Karolis Jankauskas, the head of this club, who invited the journalist of the portal “What’s happening in Kaunas” to see how the preparations for these battles are taking place.
By the way, he is responsible not only for the knights’ tournament, but also for other entertainments that will be held in Hansa town.
Requires a lot of stamina
During those years, Viduramžiai LT club, which is the only one of its kind in Lithuania, was visited by more than 100 knights. There are currently a dozen of them. Five of them, the strongest, will also appear in this year’s city festival knight fights. For several of them, this will be the first fight of such a responsible tournament.
What does it take to be a knight? In addition to the necessary psychological preparation, of course, physical preparation is also necessary, especially endurance. And this is acquired, as in other sports, only thanks to long work.
“Imagine how the men feel in the battles, when they put on armor weighing about 30 kilograms in the heat of 30 degrees in the summer,” said the head of the knight club.
These armors are not props – they are authentic 14th-15th century armor. reconstructions of findings. It takes about an hour just to put them on correctly. The same goes for taking off.
The fighting is going on in full force
In tournaments of a similar nature, the knights wave their swords for the sake of the spectators. Similar to fencing, the fights in them are watched by professional judges who determine which of the knights, according to certain rules, collects the most points and becomes the winner. Although armor protects against sword blows, in combat, as in construction, anything happens. Of course, without tragic consequences.
“During them, there is no acting, everything is allowed, except stabbing with a sword”, K. Jankauskas revealed a little secret.
The winners of the knightly battles held on Kaunas days are always awarded with the traditional prizes established by the commander of the Lithuanian army – the commander’s sword, battle axe, and cutting knife.
Many artifacts remain
The knights train twice a week in the basement of a multi-story building right next to Vilijampolė market place. And not just any, but in a hiding place deep underground, or what many call simply an atomic bunker. And it’s true.
It was installed in the Soviet era in 1951, during the Cold War, on the territory of the huge P. Zibert silk-plush factory built here at that time, under the administration building. Almost 4,000 people worked at the plant at that time. people.
The bunker, according to the requirements of the time, in case of an atomic war, was equipped with thick walls, the same massive metal doors, ventilation and other communications, and secret rooms of various purposes.
Some of them are closed to this day and no one knows what is hiding inside. In the great hall where the knights are training, there is a massive metal door that no one has opened yet. It is assumed that behind them there is an underground tunnel that connects the bunker with the buildings then scattered under the vast territory of the company.
By the way, similar hiding places were also installed in other huge city companies of that time.
Adapted to various businesses
In 1994, the Silk Factory was privatized by the infamous EBSW. Unfortunately, after 10 years, this, like many others, “G. Petrikas and co” purchased objects was closed.
In the following years, part of the buildings of the former company were demolished, some of them changed the nature of their activities and were rented out to various businesses.
Right next to the bunker, on the territory of the former combine, the Vilijampolės Silk Boiler belonging to Kauno AB “Kauno energija” is currently operating.
