Malbork Castle

The Castle of the  Teutonic Order in Malbork is a 13th-century Teutonic castle and fortress located near the town of Malbork, Poland. It is the largest castle in the world measured by land area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Malbork Castle : At the beginning of the 1280s, the Teutonic Knights began construction in this region of a castle, which they named Marienburg, which means “fortified castle of Mary”. In a little less than thirty years, they built a quadrangular convent complex comprising a chapel, chapter house, dormitory, refectory, interior courtyard and an enclosure to the north. A long and high gallery leads from the southwest corner to the Danske tower, which is also used for defense Malbork Castle is made up of three castles nested one in the other.

The upper, middle and lower castles are separated by moats and towers. In the lower part were the merchants  the second part, which is accessed by a drawbridge, was used by knights, and the top of the castle was a place of worship and training in arms. The walls are built with bricks imported from Prussia and the architecture is in the backsteingotik (“brick Gothic”) style, typical of the influence of the German Hanseatic towns. The layout is very sophisticated ,ventilation circuit to heat the rooms, sculptures, etc.

Malbork Castle is the largest medieval brick castle in the world, one of the standards of brick Gothic, a historical monument, a world heritage site.The UNESCO World Heritage Site hosts several exhibitions and can be visited on snow-free days all year round.
This medieval fortress looks impregnable,There are two restaurants with typical Polish food and several souvenir shops inside and outside the museum, as well as a parking lot.

Access : Coordinates: 54.039722, 19.027778 / The castle is located in Malbork on the Nogat River, a tributary of the Vistula River, about 58 km south-east of Gdansk and 250 km from Warsaw.
/ A railway line passes through Malbork, connecting it with Warsaw and cities on the coast of Gdansk-Sopot-Gdynia. Most tourists travel to Malbork from Gdansk by train. ,The journey by train from the main railway station of Gdansk takes 40 minutes by express and one hour by regular train. From the town of Malbork to the castle 10 min walk.

Highlights :

• Malbork Castle consists of three parts: The high castle, ie the former convent , the middle castle, with the servants’ houses and some services; the low castle, in which there was the karwan, a shop of arms of all kinds. During the Thirteen Years War many rooms of the castle were filled with various weapons to be used against a possible invasion.
• The castle, which also houses a museum inside,  is a classic example of a medieval fortress  it is the largest brick castle in the world – in general it is the largest brick building ever built by man-  and one of the most impressive in Europe.
• The Malbork Castle Museum : Among the castle’s collection can be found ancient armor, many of which were inherited in 1896 by a famous Prussian collector, Theodore von Blell. According to studies, some of these dated back to Roman times, others to Celtic times and still others from East Asia, up to the more recent ones of the 19th century.Another part of the collection consists of the coins, collected by the castle councilor Jaquet, who managed to procure about 10 000. The archaeological collection is mostly composed of finds dating back to the time of the Teutonic Order.
• Built by order of Siegfried von Feuchtwangen, Malbork Castle is located on the southeastern bank of the Nogat River and is therefore accessible to merchant ships and barges.
• Malbork is made up of three different sections: The upper, middle and lower castle, separated by moats and towers. The castle was home to 3,000 soldiers. The outer castle walls cover an area of ​​210,000 m², four times the size of Windsor Castle.
• In the 14th century, the central castle, required for representative purposes, was built, and the knight’s hall with its impressive vault can still be visited here today.
• The Chapel of Saint Anne : A number of the Grand Masters of the Order were buried in the mausoleum under the Chapel of Saint Anne.
• From the Upper Castle you can climb to the observation deck of the tower (8 PLN ticket at the entrance).
• A river tram stops at the wooden bridge over the Nogat River – with 15 PLN in 40 minutes ride . The water offers the most beautiful view of the castle of the Teutonic Order.
• Night tours : There are night tours of the castle, starting at 20:45, ticket 40 PLN. / The festival of medieval culture of the Siege of Malborka (Oblężenie Malborka) takes place at the end of July.

opening hours :09.00-19.00 Tue-Sun from May to August, 10.00-17.00 Tue-Sun April and September, 10.00-15.00 Tue-Sun from October to March.
Entrance fees: The cost of an adult ticket is PLN 45. A free audio guide is provided with the ticket. On Mondays, some of the interiors are closed, tickets are cheaper – 7 PLN.

Activities : sightseeing / photo opportunities / Excursions are only accompanied by a guide, although some areas of the complex can be explored independently.

Go next : Malbork, a town in Pomorskie voivodeship in Poland : The Gothic Church of St. John the Baptist from 1523 / Gothic town hall from 1380 / The Sztum Gate (St. Mary’s Gate) from the 14th century / The famous Malbork fountain / Dino Park is the second most visited place in Malbork after the castle.