Malbork Castle, Poland: description, history, sights and interesting facts

In Poland there is the largest fortress in Europe, built in the Gothic style. It is located in a city with the same name and a rather rich historical past. It represents the former ancient capital of the Teutonic Order. This amazingly attractive castle is called Malbork, it is listed in UNESCO.

How is this huge castle actually called: Malbork or Marienburg? Is it in Poland or Germany? What can you see in him and in his environment? The article contains a description of the city and its main attraction.

Brief historical information

For Malbork, another version of the name, German, Marienburg, was entrenched, since the ancient castle served as the capital of the German (Teutonic) order.

Malbork is a castle whose history began seven hundred years ago, when the prince of Poland Konrad Mazowiecki turned to the Teutonic knights for help. They had to protect the Polish lands from the raids of the Prussian pagan tribes and force the enemies to be baptized. The pope was given a blessing on this crusade against Prussia, in connection with which he issued a decree ("Golden Bull"), which gives freedom to the knights in the Baltic States.

Though the lands conquered by the Teutons passed under the protection of the throne of the Pope, the knights felt themselves in these places as full masters. They took control of the entire Baltic coast, settled on the territories conquered by them, and brutally suppressed all manifestations of paganism. As a result, people with centuries of history (Prussians) were almost completely exterminated. On the conquered lands of Poland, the knights built their border fortresses.

Teutons in 1274 and laid the foundation of the described castle. Then it was named Marienburg in honor of the Virgin Mary. In just a few years, over the slopes of the Nogat River, a four-storey building with numerous barracks designed for knights has grown up, and since 1280 a knight convention has settled in it.

Before we describe the castle of Malbork in more detail, let us briefly introduce the city in which this remarkable historical object is located.

Malbork

It is a small ancient town, located in the north of Poland, in the delta of the river. Vistula. It is located 130 km from the city of Torun and 70 km from Gdansk, near the border with the Kaliningrad region. Its German name is Marienburg. Known city of Malbork primarily thanks to the famous historic castle of Marienburg.

Despite the provinciality of the city and its relatively small size, it attracts a lot of tourists due to its rich, centuries-old history and unique atmosphere of chivalry. The city itself is cozy and attractive. Here you can stay at night, and just stop by one day to walk through the fortress and see the Malbork castle, which is located almost in the center of the city. Near the castle there is a good paid parking, near which is the ticket office, where tickets are sold to visit the fortress.

Fortress-museum

In 1454-1466, a long Thirteen-year war was waged between the Teutons and the Poles. Poland won the victory, as a result of which it returned some of its lands previously seized, thanks to which it gained access to the Baltic. The castle Marienburg in 1457 was sold to Casimir IV Jagiello (Polish monarch) for gold (665 kg), and since then the administration of the king has settled here.

Arrived in 1772 to power Prussians converted the castle into a military warehouse. The fortress was pretty much destroyed in 1945 (more than in all the previous 7 centuries). After the Second World War, the entire structure was rebuilt. Today Malbork Castle in Poland is a powerful brick wall with spiky towers reflecting in the waters of the Nogat River.

In the fortresses a museum is opened, representing a rich collection of armor, weapons and jewelry made of amber. Often in the castle handicraft fairs, concerts and fascinating theatrical performances, staging the capture of Malbork.

Description

Malbork is a castle, which is the largest brick structure created by people's hands. It occupies an area of about 21 hectares. Its towers are designed and built with special adaptations for the convenience of shooting from firearms.

This complex is considered the most interesting and popular facility in the city for visiting tourists. The unique greatness of it amazes absolutely everyone. The huge Malbork complex consists of 3 castles: Middle, Upper and Lower. The most popular is the Upper Castle, which is a monastery where knight monks live. Surrounded by defensive walls from all sides, the castle is on the river bank. Nearby dug deep moats.

Interesting objects on the territory are the chapel of St. Anne (the burial place of the great masters) and the church of St. Mary. The middle castle Malbork is built on the site of the former Upper Court. It was once the political and administrative center of the Teutonic Order, where knights from all European countries gathered. Today it houses premises for managers of Poland and officials.

Also striking with its unique beauty is the Great Refectory, which has a magnificent openwork architecture, with beautiful arched vaults. There is also a hospital for the elderly and sick monks-knights. The lower lock (or Pre-lock) is intended mainly for household needs.

The famous Armory Chamber exhibits military carts and cannons. Also in the castle there is a foundry, forges, a brewery and stables.

Exhibits telling about people's lives in the past

Numerous pretty interesting exhibits Malbork castle. Tourists who come here on an excursion can see the buildings of the fortress themselves, and galleries with curious collections. Usually the entire official part of the group excursion takes four hours. Tourists are introduced to the richest history of Malbork Castle.

Here you can see firsthand how ancient coins were made in those days. Tourists see a man in medieval clothes minting coins before their eyes. Immediately you can buy for a little money wonderful souvenirs - bags of coins.

A wonderful shocking spectacle is also represented by the halls (rooms) of the great masters: a cannonball embedded in a wall that flew into the castle during the period of hostilities (at this time the military council sat here). The most interesting thing is that if the nucleus got into the column (on it the lock is kept), the consequences would be deplorable. Unforgettable impressions are produced by wonderful theatrical performances: "Fire and sword", "Light and sound", "Sedation Malborka". The most spectacular is the latter.

How to get to the museum?

It is easy to get to the Malbork museum in Poland. From Malbork train station, walk to it about 15 minutes. At the same time in any kiosk on the road you can take a booklet free of all information necessary for tourists, and you can buy a convenient Russian-language guide to Malbork, which will help you to walk around the castle yourself, without a guide. Many use this opportunity because, as noted above, the standard group excursion lasts approximately 4 hours.

Tickets are sold near the entrance to the museum complex. Any tourist can get to the castle Malbork (Poland). The ticket price is approximately 10 euros. It should be noted that for the family there are special tickets that are much cheaper than if taken separately for each member.

The lock for visits is open throughout the year: from October 1 to April 30 from 9 am to 3 pm, from May 1 to September 30, it works from 9 am to 5 pm. The time of excursions sometimes varies. It should be noted that there are no displays in Russian here.

Interesting fact

Curious is the fact that those Teutons, in connection with the fact that they were preachers of the cult of the Virgin Mary, obeyed respectively the vows of obedience, chastity, although they sometimes bypassed these prohibitions.

Somehow it took the cook to work in the kitchen of the cook, and then the knights asked for permission to the Pope. He, in turn, gave good, but with the condition that they will take a woman not younger than 60 years into the fortress. The Germans, having thought about it, hired three cooks, each of which turned out to be only 20 years old.

Malbork - the ghost castle

Many legends are associated with the castle. It is believed that the ghost of a woman inhabits a monastery. According to the conversations, this is the spirit of the Polish princess. She wanted to save her husband, who was captured by knights. Dressing up in the clothes of a nun, she successfully entered the castle, but the imprudent woman was quickly exposed, and in punishment she was immured alive in the wall.

Since then, her sad ghost wanders through the halls of the castle in search of her beloved. It is believed that someone who sees a ghost princess, can become happy in love. Do not be afraid of it.

Conclusion

Although difficult, looking at the vast territory of the current castle, imagine, but it used to be even larger. Malbork did not spare the story, because its dimensions were almost halved.