How the knights of Clam Castle soon want to conquer Linz

At the Knights’ Festival on Saturday, Michael Lehmann and his colleagues from the association “The Foundation of Historical Swordsmanship” will not only make children’s eyes light up. Around 20 “knights” complete their training at Clam Castle.

How does one come up with the idea of ​​recreating medieval battles?

Most of us share with me a general fascination with the Middle Ages, which has been kept alive through books, films and games since childhood. It’s also about getting real experiences versus the virtual life that only happens in video games. That’s a very big difference. I would like to cordially invite everyone to leave the screen behind and feel these real experiences. Once you have tried sword fighting, the feeling is indescribable, the togetherness and the strong trust. You know you are putting your health in someone else’s hands. Just as one is responsible for the other. Such experiences weld together.

Is it all about the fight?

The sword fight is at the core of it all. But also the chivalry itself, the nobility, the honorable behavior is important to us. We wouldn’t teach anyone the craft of combat if we didn’t believe they possessed these values. Our sword fighting hobby has grown into a strong community, in large part because we all share these values. This also goes far beyond the joint training. Once a year we even organize a banquet where we enjoy the day together with our partners and children.

Which values ​​are still important?

One can derive some values ​​strongly from religion. Personally, I am not a believer, but I represent many values ​​that play a role in religion, such as living well together. Being honorable and respecting others should also be part of everyone’s behavior.

However, the Middle Ages are not known for “living well together”.

This is a modern view, which of course looks at the major controversies of the time. I’m absolutely certain that ordinary people, then and now, have always wanted to get along well with each other. And thanks to the difficult circumstances, solidarity was certainly far more important then than it is today.

Does chivalry also play a role in everyday life?

We take all of this with us into our normal lives. Any kind of martial art gives you courage, even when making decisions in everyday life. And the values ​​of “good”, being polite, honest, just being good to one another and being a good person. This goes as far as small courtesies when you see an elderly lady struggling with her shopping bag

How much is show, how much real fight?

We have a special fighting system that our chairman Christopher Bond brought from England, it’s a non-rehearsed free fight where it’s really about winning. We orientate ourselves on a knightly tournament fight. The focus is on a nice honorable fight that aims for clear hits. You only win with an effective hit, i.e. a sword blow that doesn’t hurt the other person because we execute it in a controlled manner. However, in a life-and-death fight, the hit would be capable of severely injuring the other.

So it has nothing to do with scripted shows like wrestling?

These are explicitly not exhibition fights. At the Knights’ Festival we have a script for the entire performance, but the individual fights are authentic, free fights.

What is the actual risk of injury?

Of course it exists. The most important thing is to turn your head on beforehand. You should think beforehand about the danger you are exposing yourself to, what can happen and how you can protect yourself from it. In the medieval scene you see a lot of fights that are uncontrolled and where the fighters are poorly equipped. A lot of people manage to do it somehow, and that’s very dangerous. Luckily, no one has ever been injured beyond bruises in our association’s existence.

Where do you get the weapons and armor from?

It’s easier today, although I would caution against simply buying battle-ready armor from online stores. This is very critical, especially when it comes to hand protection. You can either craft the armor yourself once you’ve learned the craft, or hire a professional blacksmith. My helmet, knife and a few other little things are homemade.

How much does armor cost?

Between 3000 euros on the internet and at least double for a customized armor from a blacksmith. It’s about 25 kilograms, which is pretty much the same for mail and plate armor.

Are there also women in armor?

There are fighting ladies among us too. They are usually very skilled and extremely fierce opponents because they do not rely on their pure strength. It used to be a male-only job, fortunately not anymore.

How did you actually come to Clam Castle?

Our chairman was booked for a fight demonstration at the castle and because the lord of the castle is a great, friendly man and was fascinated, they made an alliance. We can train at the castle every month and the lord of the castle now has his knighthood.

How does the audience react to their fights?

At the knight festival, the reactions to us are always very nice. Children’s eyes light up when they can touch real knights and take photos. We also see this when we perform for tour groups at Clam Castle. It’s nice when you can inspire and share enthusiasm. At a medieval wedding, with a performance by us, the groom learned how to fight with a sword in order to be able to free the bride we had kidnapped.

Is this hobby sometimes ridiculed?

People react very differently, most are surprised at first, but then become interested.

What will be the highlight of the knight festival on Saturday?

For us and hopefully many spectators, of course, our big fight demonstration. We have worked for many hours to create the show “Swords of Honor” for you from years of training. The moment when we see the benthusiastic faces will then be the highlight for us.

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Knight’s Festival on July 8th

On Saturday, July 8th, the Family Association of Upper Austria invites you to the Knights’ Festival in Linz’s old town. Between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m., medieval fans can look forward to exciting knight tournaments, funny jugglers, courageous acrobats and talented musicians. “Visitors experience a varied day in beautiful Linz with many special memories for the whole family,” says Upper Austria Family Association state chairman Martin Hajart