The Largest Embroidery in the World

A photograph of the legendary Grunwald Battle painting was used by Grzegorz Zochowski to create a pattern for the largest cross-stitch embroidery in the word. This cross-stitch project was completed by a team of 29 Polish embroiders in 2010. They timed it to 600 year anniversary of the legendary Grunwald Battle by united Polish-Lithuanian armies against invading Teutonic Order. The victory in this battle was one of the most important wins in history of Polish, Lithuanian,and Belorussian peoples. The Grunwald battle became a symbol of fatherland defending. Jan Matejko, a famous Polish painter, depicted the Grunwald battle in a huge and complex painting. Its dimensions are 426cm by 987cm (168in × 389in). Two opposing figures of the battle: the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Ulrich von Jungingen, and the Lithuanian duke Vytautas, draw viewers' attention the most.

The Grunwald Battle pattern contains almost eight million stitches; its dimensions are 4304 by 1835 stitches, 220 thread colors were used. The finished embroidery is almost as large as the original Jan Matejko's painting.

I could not believe my eyes when I first saw a photograph of this embroidery. Good thing the people worked as a teem on it. I think it would be an impossible task to stitch such a huge piece of embroidery for a single person in a lifetime. At least for now before elixir of everlasting life is invented. My favorite figure on this painting is Ulrich von Jungingen, the colors and the composition looks most appealing to the eye. I think this part of the picture might be a masterpiece if stitched. More details can be found on the project web site. www.my-cross-stitch-software.com/battle_of_grunwald/

I have designed two patterns based on the Grunwald Battle painting. They are fragments of the battle depicting Ulrich von Jungingen and Vitalas. The finished sizes are near 16 by 21 inch if stitched on 14 count Aida fabric.

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