Malbork - Castle of the Teutonic Order - Poland Tourist Guide - Travel & Discover

For nearly 150 years, Malbork was the headquarters of the Grand Master and the highest Teutonic authorities, the capital of the independent monastic state. It was a city at the intersection of European commercial routes. The castle is a classic example of a medieval fortress. It's the world's largest brick Gothic castle and one of the most impressive of its kind in Europe. The castle and its museum are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites and were added to the register in December 1997 as Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork, one of the two sites in the region which owes its origins to the Teutonic Order, the medieval town of Torun being the other, founded in 1231 as the site of their castle Thorn. Malbork was built as a complex of three castles of various forms and functions. It was a residence of kings of Poland and German emperors and housed the biggest armory of the Republic of Poland. The most interesting example of the 19th and 20th century conservationist thought was applied in reconstruction of the medieval castle. The entire complex has been preserved, complete with a number of defensive walls, towers and a huge internal layout. The entrance to the castle is from the northern main gate, once the only way to enter and exit the fortress. Passing through the main gate, over the drawbridge and beneath the Portcullis gate, we find ourselves in the vast courtyard of the middle castle. The spectacular arcaded courtyard has a reconstructed well in the middle. Malbork Museum includes permanent exhibitions opened virtually all year round. There were several kitchens in Malbork Castle. The kitchen in the high castle is open to visitors. There are things present here that have been left virtually unchanged since medieval times. The utensils and vessels are made of various metals and were used to cook and eat meals. A 19th century stained glass window from the St Mary Chapel is present in the museum. The stained glass windows originated during the period of castle restoration works that began in 1882 and were overseen by Conrad Steinbrecht. At that time, a number of 14th century stained glass window sections were brought from the parish church in Chelmno, so as to place windows inside the convent church. The first floor of the high castle's western wing housed the residential and office interiors of the monastic dignitaries of Malbork. In 1912, an exhibition of coins and medals was arranged in the treasurer's interiors. The original interiors of Teutonic times have not survived to this day. Throughout the history of art, images of God and saints have been the subject of alter decorations, yet other images relating to individual devotion have also been created. Modern man should bear in mind that in the Middle Ages, the perception of God and the world was quite different to what it is today. Imagination and scenes from the lives of saints not only reveal theological secrets, they also affected the mentality of medieval man, particularly from the onset of what is known as modern devotion, which advocated an individual and emotional experience of faith and its contemplation. Here we're in the corridor of the northern cloister. The castle church of St Mary has been open to visitors since the end of the Second World War. The planned restoration of the project, which besides the exhibition, includes a large number of archaeological and restoration activities. Besides the main chapel, the high castle's chapter house is the most important interior in Malbork Castle. Its importance is tied to the medieval era, when this was the place of sittings for Teutonic chapters, not only those of the convent, but those of the greatest meaning for the entire Germanic order. In other words, general sittings and sittings where the grandmasters were selected. The collection of medieval architectural details originates from the end of the 19th century, when the contemporary castle keeper, Conrad Steinbreck, discovered a large amount of architectural and building detail during the restoration of the castle church. The entrance to the castle church is through a beautiful Gothic doorway, known as the Golden Gate. The southern and northern entrances to the chapel are adorned with beautiful artificial stone portals. Three tympana of the northern portal have scenes involving the Virgin Mary, whereas the southern one has scenes connected with Christ. In order to construct such impressive walls, the builders needed about 3,500 cubic meters of granite. The total of 8,700 tons of stone had to be hauled through thick forests, which were a common feature of the area. Given that the ox-drawn transport used at that time had a speed of about three kilometers per hour and a maximum load of 500 kilos, the organizational effort needed to build the order's high castle in a relatively short time must have been enormous. The historic halls, chapels, corridors and courtyards have been returned to their original 14th century splendor. The Teutonic Order was established in 1190 during the Third Crusade to the Holy Land. At first, it was only a modest community of hospitaler brethren who ran a field hospital for Christians. In 1198, the brethren were given a rule and they became a chivalric monastic order. The Crusades were a combination of religious war and pilgrimage to Christ's homeland. The chivalric orders which took part in the Crusades were religious communities comprised of Brethren Knights. The most important orders were the Templars, the Hospitalers and the Teutonic Knights. The militant monks took vows of obedience, chastity, poverty and the additional vow of battling the enemies of Christ. The Brethren Knights believed themselves to be the successors of the great work begun by the Archangel Michael, who led an angelic army to defeat Satan. The Malbork residence of the Grand Masters, Kings and Kaisers is one of the most important elements of the complex. The decision to raise representational buildings of government in Malbork at the end of the 14th century had its origin in the year 1309. At that time, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, learning of the conquest of Pomerania in the Gdansk region, transferred the order's seat of power from Venice to Malbork. In autumn 1997, in the Hall of the East Wing of the Middle Castle in Malbork, unknown until then, neo-gothic polychromes illustrating several passages from the Revelation of St John were accidentally discovered. The collection of past arms included old hark buses and artillery cannons, originating from the times when the castle was the seat of the Polish King Starost. The St Nicholas Brick Gate stands opposite the Nogut River. Here stands the Maslenkoa Tower. This castle is a classic example of a medieval fortress and is the world's largest brick gothic castle. UNESCO listed the castle and its museum as World Heritage Sites in December 1997 as Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork.