Rab Medieval Crossbow Tournament. Rab, Croatia (25 June 2013). The tournament, which dates back to the 14th century and marks the successful defense of the city against a siege in 1358, was revived by the Rab Crossbowmen’s Association (Udruga rapskih samostrelicara) in 1995, and is held annually on 9 May, 25 June, 27 July (St Christopher’s Day, the city’s patron saint) and 15 August (Assumption Day). It’s an amazing display of skill, and one of only two such tournaments using the medieval crossbow (the other is in San Marino in Italy) – a heavy weapon which shoots a handcrafted wooden bolt at speeds of around 90m per second – at a target the size of a small dinner plate.
Posted a few minutes after Croatia joined the EU.
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