{"id":195930,"date":"2026-07-16T13:11:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T10:11:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/195930\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T13:11:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T10:11:41","slug":"permissions-required-to-raise-white-red-white-flag-over-grunwald-battlefield","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/195930\/","title":{"rendered":"Permissions required to raise white-red-white flag over Grunwald battlefield"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

July 16, Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>Raising Belarus\u2019 white-red-white flag permanently over the Grunwald battlefield would require additional procedures and permissions, while no permissions are required to raise flags temporarily, said Szymon Drej, director of the Battle of Grunwald Museum in Poland, in his letter to Belarusian activists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At present, three flagpoles on the battlefield hill fly the Polish, Lithuanian and Ukrainian flags. Installing an additional official flagpole would require completing certain official procedures and obtaining certain permissions from the voivodeship historical monument protection department, the letter says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The museum \u201cfully supports the Belarusians\u2019 aspirations to freedom and the preservation of their historical identity,\u201d the museum director said in his letter to Belarus\u2019 opposition politicians \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja, Pavie\u0142 \u0141atu\u0161ka and Pavie\u0142 Barko\u016dski.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter comes days after the politicians asked the museum to install the national white-red-white flag, banned by the government in Minsk, at the site of the 1410 Battle of Grunwald.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her appeal, Cichano\u016dskaja described the Polish-Lithuanian forces\u2019 landmark victory over the Teutonic Order as a \u201ccommon legacy of the Poles, Belarusians, Lithuanians, Ukrainians and other peoples who defended their freedom together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She stressed that the battle, fought on July 15, 1410, is a key historical date for Belarusians, while the flag symbolizes the \u201chistorical continuity of Belarusian statehood and the modern fight for freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnfortunately, the authorities in Belarus are deliberately erasing the memory of the Battle of Grunwald and replacing it with Russian historical narratives,\u201d she noted, suggesting that the flag-raising ceremony coincide with next year\u2019s anniversary of the battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The battle shifted the balance of power in Central and Eastern Europe and marked the rise of the Polish-Lithuanian union, which included the territory of present-day Belarus, as the region\u2019s dominant political and military force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government of Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka banned the white-red-white flag during the 2020 postelection protests, describing it as a Nazi symbol used by Belarusian collaborators during the Second World War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the white-red-white flag originated in 1917, its colors are rooted in the historic Pahonia coat of arms\u2014a white knight on a red background\u2014which dates back to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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