Rab Medieval Crossbow Tournament. Rab, Croatia

Rab Medieval Crossbow Tournament. Rab, Croatia. The tournament, which dates back to the 14th century and marks the successful defense of the city against a seige 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 is 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. 25 June is Croatian National Day or Statehood Day, and marks the country's declaration of independance from Yugoslavia in 1991. © Rudolf Abraham