Festival to commemorate 1566 siege of Szigetvár

Budapest, August 3 (MTI) – A festival commemorating the 450th anniversary of the Ottoman siege and the heroic defence of the fortress of Szigetvár will be held in the southern Hungarian town on Friday and Saturday, the organisers said.

The siege in which Hungarian-Croatian nobleman Miklós Zrínyi and his outnumbered troops tried to contain the advancing Ottoman forces commanded by Sultan Suleiman I, the Magnificent started on August 5, 1566, they said in a statement.

On Friday, costumed groups will re-enact the arrival and review of the Ottoman troops. In the fortress a theatre performance with horses will await visitors. The festival will also offer concerts on both days.

The festival will be held as part of the Hungarian state’s Zrínyi-Szigetvár 1566 Memorial Year commemorating the anniversary this year with programmes including history conference, literature competition, gastronomic exhibitions and musical performances.

On September 7, presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic of Croatia and János Áder of Hungary are expected to attend the state commemoration.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Source: MTI