Wilanow Museum park - reenactors' corner

Salve,
there is a large park around the Wilanow Palace and it can be visited separately from the palace - it is quite nice and worthwhile if the weather is nice.
Right after the entrance to the park there was a small camp set up with wagons, tents and displays of various artifacts of the period -presumably XVII century and early XVIII century.
Then there was the reenactors' camp.
I took some pictures and had a nice chat with the manager of this site, himself an archaeologist from Warsaw.
Medical wagon

Blacksmith wagon

one of the tents

a saddle

worth noting is the fact of this display being in existence at this quite respectable and world famous institution of arts and research.
Simply put, the Wilanow Museum is one of the few museums in Poland that are friendly towards the 'lowly' reenactors.
enjoy

Wilanow Museum - saddles, bridle, and a cavalry drum

Salvete omnes,
when I went to the Polish Army parade in Warsaw I took the opportunity to visit several museums in the capital of Poland.
I wrote about my trip to the Wilanow Palace Museum already, but today i would like to share with you several pictures, taken with my phone - sorry for the poor quality, of historic saddles displayed there.
First saddle was displayed with a bridle with a curb-bit and textile reins (wrapped around the saddle's pommel).

second saddle

also a Polish cavalry drum

all presumably late XVII -first half of XVIII centuries - the textiles displayed with the saddles are most likely of the Ottoman Turkish manufacture. The saddles also show Turkish influence on the Polish horse tack. Both saddles are incomplete - without seat pillows, stirrups, cinches and matching bridles, breastplates and croupers. 

Enjoy

Jan III Sobieski - Happy Birthday

Zamek w Olesku - Olesko Castle

Janina coat of arms inside the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth coat of arms

Salve,


today is yet another anniversary, for on this day but in 1629AD future king of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was born at the castle of Olesko, present day Ukraine (I went there a month ago, what a trip it was).
Jan was born to Teofila Sobieska de domo Daniłowicz and Jakub Sobieski, Janina coat of arms.

Jakub Sobieski

Teofila Sobieska

Sas, Topór, Herburt and Korczak coats of arms in Olesko castle main gate

By Stalin's whim this very important, historically and emotionally, Polish territory lays outside of the present-day Polish Republic.

Past weekend I went to the Wilanow Palace Museum and did a bit of exploring of this former residence of Jan Sobieski and his family..

Jan Tricius' portrait of our King

 I am afraid I have to admit that the exposition is disappointing in many ways. Most especially the interior is poorly lit, and many of the fine canvasses are hung in near darkness that prohibit any study of the paintings. The paintings and prints/engravings are not named in any way or fashion, so unless one has the knowledge of the period art and patience to search the Net (or bought the services of a tourguide or an audioguide), the viewing will be difficult to enjoy and without any context.

The Museum is not presented as the sanctuary of the Lion of Lechistan - I love the name our foes and friends from Ottoman Turkey gave Poland and our king - but as a magnate residence, with much emphasis on the David's painting of Stanislaw Kostka Potocki and interior decorations done during the centuries after our beloved king. I must say that the Olesko Castle in much more interesting to see if you are a Sobieski-phile - :)

And yet the park, an integral part of this museum complex,  is lovely and worth the visit, especially during the warm months of the year. The museum's website is much more Sobieski oriented than the actual palace complex exhibits etc.

enjoy

15 August 2016

Salvete Omnes,
we marched in Warsaw this afternoon - I rode with the Vistula Lancers - thanks to Krzysztof Komaniecki, Vistula Lancers, for all his help and support!
Also Darek Senator - wielkie dzięki! And Marek Drabik too!
a short video via YouTube
another one here - reenactors start at 29th minute
enjoy

ps
Arsenal.org.pl is collecting money for a historic plaque to be placed at the Chantily Castle commemorating the Polish Lancers of the Guard stationed there during the reign of Napoleon I, emperor of the French.
I finally met Marcin Piontek from Stowarzyszenie Arsenal  who commanded a small unit of the Polish Guard Lancers at this event.
Also, I met in person Michał Sanczenko, who rode as a winged hussar in this parade.

Husaria w Warszawie

Salvete Omnes,
króciutko:
15 sierpnia 2016 roku rekonstruktorzy husarii przejadą w defiladzie wojskowej w Warszawie.
Detale przejazdu jak i gdzie można bedzie przyjżeć się husarii oraz... ułanom, lansjerom i szwoleżerom  epoki Księstwa Warszawskiego , a takze porobić zdjęcia,  do zobaczenia i uslyszenia w tym programie z TV Republika. gdzie dr Radek Sikora i Lech Struczynski wyjasniają kwestie defilady.
pozdrawiam

A short announcement:
next Monday, August 15, 2016,  the winged hussar reenactors, about 40 horses and men with armor and lances and wings, will participate in the state military parade that will take place in Warsaw.

From about 8am they will be seen getting ready at Torwar and then, between 10 and noon,  they will march with other reenactors (40 plus uhlans of the 2nd regiment, Vistula lancers, and chevau-légers lanciers Polonais de la Garde Impériale, and about 200 infantry of the Duchy of Warsaw period) to join the Polish Republic official military parade in front of the Polish Republic President and other government official.
I hope you can make it ...
enjoy

Saddle from Wielun XV century

Salve,
yesterday I wrote about  visiting the Slav and Viking Festival in Wolin, Polish Republic. I met there Mieczyslaw Mietko Machowicz from Kalisz, Poland, who leatherwork master and historical leathercraft reconstructor and researcher.
In his tent, along with many different examples of his craft and various leather and hides for sale, he had several interesting examples of horsetack and several saddles.

The saddle that brought my utmost attention is this one, from Wieluń in Poland:

reconstructed XV century saddle

 Article about the exhibit in Wielun, including a short information about this saddle, and many photos from this exhibit.

historic excavated saddle from Wielun

a Polish saddle circa 1467, a detail of a painting from the Holy Trinity/Holy Cross chapels at the Wawel cathedral

The historic saddle reconstructed by Mietko was excavated during the archaeological excavation in Wielun, Poland. According to the maker, the saddle has been used while riding, on the Polish 'konik' and with plenty of comfort and safety.
Below find some photos of this historic reconstruction.

saddle tree, horizontal view

saddle, horizontal view

saddle -front arch(pommel), right side

saddle - front arch (pommel), left side

saddle and saddle tree, horizontal view

saddle, 'underside' with rear arch (cantle) visible- with bars covered, and birch bark layers shown, saddle skirts from underneath

saddle, 'underside' with rear arch (cantle) visible- a closeup

so as you can see the saddle appears to have been a riding saddle, not a lancer war saddle, but it could have been used by the crossbowmen and squires too.
and one of my most favorite saints always on horseback - St. Martin in a painting from late XV century Kingdom of Hungary

ps
when I opened the photos I realized that I had not taken any shots of the saddle tree alone, and no shots of front and rear arches (pommel and cantle).

XXII Festiwal Słowian i Wikingów na wyspie Wolin

Salvete omnes,
finally yesterday I went to the 22nd Slavs and Vikings Festival in the island of Wolin or XXII Festiwal Słowian i Wikingów na wyspie Wolin .
It rained a lot Saturday so I went Sunday, the last day of the festival.
I did not take photos, but for these few - as there were no horses to speak of, just some master craftsmen and one saddlemaker - I will write about his work I saw in the future post.

Finally met with some people I have corresponded and stayed in contanct over the net - like Barosz 'Liggy' Ligocki (a reenactor, horse archery & ... practicing dentist), Elżebieta Cherezińska (one of the foremost Polish historical fiction writers and reenactor - just bought her book Harda for my wife :) - about the Piast princes and queen of Scandinavia named Sygryda Storråda, Świętosława, Saum–Aesa )

and Igor Górewicz (the principal leader of the festival and also an author,  historian and publisher - I bought from them a book on the horses in the Slavic and Scandinavian beliefs and mythology - 'Wierzchowce Bogów, Motyw konia w wierzeniach Słowian i Skandynawów' - review in Polish)

There are many pages on facebook, with plenty of photos eg this one,  also this page.
videos on youtube - (with time I am sure there will be more videos and images)
an overview of the festival
boats race  
first day battle
 music band Percival playing in the background of the first video, but there were different bands and musicians there too 
finally, there were many hundreds or perhaps thousands of tourists and visitors to the festival on Sunday, and the sun shined :)

enjoy