Malbork Castle
Malbork, Poland

Malbork Castle (Poland) - gothic castle of the Teutonic Order, the largest castle in the world

Where is located Malbork Castle?

Address of Malbork Castle is ul. Starościńska 1, Malbork, province Pomeranian, Poland
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When was built Malbork Castle?

Built date of Malbork Castle is From 1278 to 1406

Malbork Castle

Facts, informations and history of Malbork Castle

With an area of ​​21 hectares, it is the largest castle in the world in terms of surface area.

The whole complex consists of three separate sections: the High Castle, the Middle Castle and the Low Castle.

High Castle built on a rectangular plan with dimensions of 51 by 61 meters, about 12,000 tonnes of foundation stones and 3.5 million clay by hand were used for its construction molded and fired bricks.

The castle was the residence of a commander and twelve religious brothers. The inner courtyard was surrounded by a cloister, the church of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the burial chapel of St. Anna, gdanisko and the towers of Klesza and Wróblą.

In the wings of the High Castle there were, respectively: in the north wing: chapel, chapter house and archives; in the south: warehouses, bedrooms and refectory; in the west wing: kitchen, dining room and offices of the great commander and treasurer of the monastery; the eastern wing was only a thick wall, and later with the added building.

The Middle Castle with the Great Refectory and the Grand Master's Palace (built in 1322 - mid-14th century). The northern and eastern part were occupied by a great commander, who for his guests prepared numerous rooms in the eastern wing, in the basement of this part there is, among others The Amber Museum, which has the largest and most unique collection of amber products in Poland. The northern wing housed the infirmary, or hospital for old and sick brothers.
The largest room, the Great Refectory supported on three pillars, was able to accommodate up to 400 knights, it was a meeting place for important personalities, as well as numerous feasts and parties.

The Low Castle (Przedzamcze), performing warehouse and economic functions, is the lowest and the youngest part of the complex, created in the 14th century. It included, among others, armory (Karwan), the chapel of St. Wawrzyńca, a stable (housing 400 horses), a bell house (craft workshop), a granary and a brewery. This part was created from the former wound, when after the transfer of the capital of the order to Malbork, the High Castle ceased to be enough.

The entrance to the High Castle led through the gate to which a wooden drawer arrived. The main gate was placed in a 13-meter recess, in addition the passage was closed by the lowered harrows.

In addition to the gates and numerous towers overlooking the castle and allowing observation of the surrounding areas and fire from above to the security of the complex should include the double walls surrounding the castles (single from the side of the Castle Medium) and a wide moat with the waters of the Nogat River. Therefore, this castle was never captured by enemies and it was always effective in resisting their attacks.

The original name of the castle used by the Teutonic Order was Marienburg, or the Maria Fortress. From September 14, 1309 to May 1457, when Zygfryd von Feuchtwangen transferred the seat of the authorities of the order from Venice to Malbork, he became the seat of the masters of the Teutonic Order and the capital of the Teutonic State.

After the Poles won the battle of Grunwald in July 1410, the Polish knights moved to the capital of the Order. It would seem that this is the end of the Teutonic Order, however, the siege of Malbork lasting from July 25 to September 19 did not bring the expected results. Komtur Świecie, who did not participate in the battle of Grunwald, prepared the castle's supplies sufficient for the survival of 40 knights together with their helpers for a period of 2 years in a state of siege. Another reason for the defeat of the Polish army was the lack of siege machines and the lack of supportive Lithuanian army, which after winning the battle set out for Lithuania. After 9 weeks of attempts, Polish troops withdrew from ineffective siege.

Despite the close contingent of 4,000 defenders, the fate of the war may have been altered by one incident, namely on the basis of information given to the Poles about the place and time of the conference of the dukes which the carefully aimed and launched bullet was to destroy the central pillar of the Summer Refectory at the Sielnik Castle, where the meeting took place. The bullet pierced the window, passed by centimeters a pillar holding the vault and hit the wall just above the fireplace.

Malbork was the seat of Polish monarchs from 1457 when the city was taken over by Polish troops, through Toruń treaty of 1466, under which the castle remained in Polish hands.

In the years 1626 - 1635, the Swedish army and the army of Prince George Wilhelm were stationed in the castle. In 1635, the castle returned to Poland, again during the Swedish Deluge (1656-1660), to be occupied by the Swedes again.

In 1772 (the first partition of Poland), Prussian army under Frederick II entered Malbork, then the complex no longer had such meaning and served as barracks and warehouses . In the part of the castle, demolition works (designed by David Gilly) were started, in order to stop them in the first half of the 19th century. In 1817, conservation works were carried out, which took place for more than 100 years, and were later led by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, Ferdinand von Quast, and from 1882 by Konrad Steinbrecht.

During the Second World War almost half of the castle was destroyed. Today's design differs significantly from the original one and is the result of numerous renovation works carried out in the 20th century, for example the height of the tower has been reduced in fear of collapsing of the already damaged structure that may not support the weight of the superstructure.

The castle was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in December 1997

"Malbork from the mud was created" - said an old Latin rhyme

Architect of Malbork Castle

Architect of Malbork Castle is (nieznany)

How many meters have Malbork Castle?

Height of Malbork Castle is 66 meters - the height of the belfry

how many meters have Malbork CastleScale

Construction/building type

Building Malbork Castle is of type Castle, Castle complex

Architectural style

Architectural style of Malbork Castle is Gothic

Gothic is an architectural style that developed in Europe during the Middle Ages, especially from the 13th to the 15th century. It was characterised primarily by tall, narrow and upright buildings of brick or stone, which were subordinated to the idea of a light and airy form. Richly decorated arches, vaults and arcades were also a major feature of Gothic buildings, giving them a light and airy appearance. Gothic buildings were also dominated by high, sloping roofs and towers and turrets, which were intended to be visible from a distance and serve as orientation. ... czytaj więcej.

Other dimensions, parameters and frequently asked questions

Malbork Castle

What area have Malbork Castle?

Malbork Castle have area of The area on which the complex stands is 21 hectares.
Cubature of buildings exceeding a quarter of a million cubic meters.

What material is the building made of?

Malbork Castle is made of the following materials: Brick, wood

Other names

The building is also known by other common names or in the original language, i.e. Ordensburg Marienburg (niem.)

Is the building on the UNESCO World Heritage List?

UNESCO
Yes, the building Malbork Castle is inscribed on the UNESCO List under the reference 847.
The listing took place in the year 1997.
Details of the entry are available on the Unesco website at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/847/

Official website

The official website of the building, where up-to-date information can be found, is http://www.zamek.malbork.pl

Comments to Malbork Castle (4) Average rating: 5 Add comment    /    Rate building

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#0
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Based on 4 comments
Kamila
#4
Kamila
3 years ago
Mieszkam w pobliżu
kotki
#3
kotki
3 years ago
Byłam tam
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Adam18
#2
Adam18
4 years ago
Wykop tu był :)
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Tomek
#1
Tomek
7 years ago
Byłem tam i mi się podobało :) Wprawdzie pogoda była nieciekawa, bo trochę kropiło i nie było się gdzie schować, ale i tak wycieczkę z przewodnikiem zaliczam do udanych :) ps. fajne są widoki z drugiej strony rzeki :)

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