Malbork (Marienburg) – A Visit to the Teutonic Order’s Massive Headquarters
Lazily, the Nougat River in Northern Poland, passes by Marienburg. Once the headquarter of the multinational Teutonic order, very little in the strange modernist town but the castle reminds us of their presence. The old German outpost now has little Germans and the bombed out city core was rebuilt by the soviets to reinforce that fact. I’m just happy they never got to the castle, the largest in the world and one of the most impressive works of masonry ever committed to construction. This post details the story of this castle.
I would like to thank my friend Nick for some of these photos as his camera was way better than the one on my phone.
Table of Contents
- A Brief History
- Arriving in Malbork
- Whats Left of the City?
- Exploring the Castle
- High Casle
- Conclusion
A Brief History
Teutonic Order
The history of Malbork begins with the Germanic crusade against the tribes of Old Prussia and the Baltic. The Teutonic order was recently expelled from the city of Brasov in Romania by the Hungarian king and were looking to consolidate their territory. In 1274, after a massive rebellion by the native Prussians, the castle began construction, in order to help to suppress the local people. The town of Marienburg was constructed around this fortress.
The castle was an Ordensburg, the German designation for monastic defensive structures of this type. It was at first used as a river toll facility for the amber trade down the river. Amber was a senior precious stone of great commercial value in the Baltic region at this time. This led to the city becoming part of the Hanseatic League and many meeting were held here. Construction on the first phase was roughly completed by 1300 but construction on the facility continued throughout the ages. The expansion of the Teutons on former Polish territory further down the Vistula river at the cities of Toruń (Thorn) and Chełmno (Kulm) led to conflicts with the latter. The city was burned to the ground in 1410 during an unsuccessful siege of the castle by Poland and at one point a Grand Duke of Lithuania was held withing its walls.
Polish Kingdom
The gothic facility became the seat of the order and one of it’s most praised possessions. In 1457 it was sold to the king of Poland as the knights retreated to their capital at Königsberg. The German mayor of the town of Marienburg, Bartholomäus Blume, resisted the Poles for three years before being hung. The town would remain ethnically German until purges of the population by the Russian army during the Second World War. It then became one of Poland’s many royal residences, kings staying here on their way to nearby Gdasnk. One of their guests was the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. The castle became host to two polish institutions, the first a mint and the second an admiralty. It was also considered to be the largest armoury in the country. The town continued to prosper under Polish rule. Wood from the forest of Poland and Grain from the fertile plains of Poland.
The 17th and 18th centuries were unkind to to the city. The city was occupied by Sweden during the the Thirty Years’ War (1626 and 1629) and again during the Deluge (1656-1660). The town suffered a further calamity during the Great Northern War when half the population of cholera. During this occupation both Swedish kings Gustav Adolf and Charles X Gustav visited the city.
Kingdom of Prussia
During the the First Partition of Poland in 1772, the town was annexed by the nascent kingdom of Prussia. During this time the castle was used as a barrack and stabled and seriously neglected. This lead to a possible demolition, but the surveyors son created engravings of the castle that renewed German interest in the history of the Teutonic knights and its relationship with the greater German community. During the Napoleonic Wars the structure was used as an arsenal and hospital, even hosting the daring french leader twice. After the way the castle renewed as a symbol of Prussian identity, undergoing a restoration in 1816.
During the First World War the city was untouched by fighting but suffered from an influx of refugees. During the treaty of Versailles in 1920 a vote was allowed in the town to determine if it was to join Poland or Germany, it chose the latter.
Second World War and Return to Poland
Before the Second World War, the structure had the unfortunate distinction of hosting a Hitler Youth summer camp, after catching the German leaders eye. After the invasion of Poland in 1939, Polish residents of the town were sent to concentration camps. During the war the town was host to forced labour camps, prisoner of war camps and an aircraft factory, as such the town was considered to be a strategic target and was heavily bombed. The castle was over 50% destroyed and the town even worse. Those Germans that had not been killed during the bombings, fled to escape the red army. Of the remaining German population, none remained. The Soviets “disappeared” them. Unfortunately after the war the old town was not rebuilt and the bricks were shipped to Warsaw and Gdansk to help rebuild their old towns. One can assume that the Soviets wanted to erase the German heritage of the city as they built several housing estates over the ruins.
Restorations on the castle has been ongoing since the post war period and has been complete since 2016. I hope that one day the Polish state rebuilds the old town much like they are rebuilding other German cities such as Elblag and Szczecin today.
Arriving in Malbork
Driving in from Gdansk with my friend Nick (I met him in Porto), we passed miles upon miles of flat farmland. Finally coming upon the town, we saw the silhouette of the castle in the distance. We parked on the west side of the river. There is a large parking lot that is considerably less busy than in town. We walked across a pedestrian bridge to the castle but since it was early in the morning it was not open yet. Since the castle was closed we took the time to stop at a Mc. dicks just outside the castle to use the washroom and to grab a morning snack. Then we ventured into town to take a look around.
Keep in mind that when you finish at the castle, cross back over the river where you will find a bar on the water with a wonderful view of the complex.
Whats Left of the City?
Unfortunately there is little left of the old Hanseatic town. As mentioned in the history section the town was heavily bombed in 1945, and the ethnic Prussians purge thereafter. As such the village has been purged of its character and rebuilt as modernist concrete blocks. Only few buildings have survived the war and they have provided the town with a small amount of character. One of these buildings is the train station and another the Roman Catholic Parish of St. John the Baptist. Smaller structures such as the Ratusz Staromiejski or the impressive St. Mary’s tower can be found from time to time but are rare.
Exploring the Castle
Of course the main attraction in Malbork is the Gothic castle, considering what has befallen the town to some it may be the only thing they see on a visit to the city. The massive structure has an area of 143,000 square meter (1,539,239 sq ft) and will take quite a few hours to explore… so get started early! When you pay for admission, you will be given a set of earphones so that you may enjoy an excellent audio tour.
You start at the east side of the castle, at the castle museum plaza, away from the river and outside the outer bastion walls. This seems to be the back end of the castle but is easily accessible from the town. Here you will find the ticket sales office and gift shop.
You will start your adventure on the landward bastion, and cross a moat into the castle itself, landing in one of the many courtyards.
The castle itself is composed of three main areas, all enclosed by the outer walls and the connected to each other via a system of raised walkways and gates.
The outer caste is where the stables, workshops and the brewery were located. The second area is where the central knights hall was located as well as the palace of the Grand Masters of the Teutonic order. Lastly you have the High Castle, with its distinctive privy tower (the first of its kind in monastic castle design). This area is the location of St. Mary’s Church, an important space for a religious monastic order. Make sure to catch the Amber museum inside the castle.
Castle Courtyard
As mentioned above the castle courtyard held many of the outlying buildings. Most of these have been lost to the ravages of time and war. In some tents you will find a small beer garden. Take the time to walk around to the river gate with its pointed cylindrical towers for a frontal view of the castle and a look at the original riverfront entry to the castle from its days as an amber toll castle.
Middle Castle
This is where the tour starts to get interesting. You enter though a walkway/barbican gate to reveal a tidy square. In the southeastern corner you will find a spiral staircase access to the Amber Gallery and a cafe. The knights quarters is stunning, the vaulted archways reveal large interior spaces fit for a dining hall.
When crossing over to the next section of the castle look down at the imposing moat that divides them.
High Casle
You will cross over to the High Castle by way of an impressive raised barbican even more impressive than the last!
This is the heart of the complex where you will get to see the origins of the complex as an early Ordensburg. The crusading religious architecture assured that the structure was conceived in a cloister/abbey type design with the church of St. Mary protected at its very heart.
The central courtyard is defined by its towering high walls and iconic tower. When inside you will be privy to a small courtyard with a well at its center.
The detailing in this area is ornate and my favourite element is the playful gargoyles that adorn the structure.
Off to the side of the structure you will find a pretty garden.
Before you leave pay your respects at the church of St. Mary. The town’s German name Marienburg, and the polish named Malbork is derived from the name of this church. The stained glass is typical of the ones used in crusader chapels. I found it to be a stunning piece of craftsmanship.
Conclusion
Long relegated to the history books, the Teutonic order has played an outsized role in the formation of Germanic Europe and later the Kingdom of Prussia, as its predecessor. Fortunately this structure is still here to remind up of the importance of the monastic crusading order and its place in European history. We left the castle, back to Gdansk to explore the old solidarity shipyards.
