A guard of honour from Switzerland in Split.
Before going to Sinj where they will take part in the celebrations of the 300th anniversary of the Sinjska Alka, members of the Swiss society “Vieux Grenadieres” (Old Grenadier Guards) took part in a parade through Split on Friday evening, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on August 8, 2015.
To the surprise of many passersby, the ceremonial guardsmen lined up in front of the National Theatre from where exactly at 7.30 pm they started marching towards the Marmontova Street. Before the parade, many took the opportunity to photograph the unit and to take a selfie with one of the guardsmen.
“We just happened to be here, but the children wanted us to escort them through the entire route. They are so interesting that we simply had to take numerous photos”, said Marin.
The procession was followed by large crowds all the way to the end of the Marmontova Street. Many tourists watched the performance which ended with the guardsmen firing two shots from their guns. The ceremony was attended by the Split mayor Ivo Baldasar as well.
“The grenadiers are invited to the Sinjska Alka, since they were founded in 1749 to protect Geneva from the army of the King of Savoy, and thus are similar to our Alka knights. They have interesting uniforms, and among their members they have a number of businessmen and dignitaries, including the current prime minister of the Canton of Geneva”, said the mayor who added that after the ceremony at the waterfront the city leaders would have a working dinner with the Grenadier Guards, and one of the topics would be potential investment of Swiss businesspeople in Split.
