The
Castle in Malbork (, ) was built in Prussia by the
Teutonic Order as an
Ordensburg. The Order named it
Marienburg, literally "Mary's Castle". The town which grew around it was also named Marienburg, but since 1945 it is again, after 173 years, part of Poland and known as
Malbork.
The
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. It is one of two World Heritage Sites in the region with origins in the Teutonic Order. The other is the
Medieval Town of Toruń, founded in 1231 as the site of the castle
Thorn (Toruń).
History
Medieval times
left|thumb|The Castle as in 1890/1905, during the German Empireleft|thumb|Similar modern view across the river NogatThe castle was founded in 1274 by the
Teutonic Order during their government of Prussia and is located on the Southeastern bank of the river
Nogat. It was named
Marienburg after the Virgin Mary, patron saint of the Order.
The Order had been based in
Acre, but when this last stronghold of the Crusades fell, the Order had to move its headquarters to
Venice. In 1309, in the wake of both the papal persecution of the
Knights Templar as well as the
Teutonic takeover of Danzig, the Order under
Siegfried von Feuchtwangen moved its headquarters into the
Prussian part of their
monastic state. They chose the Marienburg, conveniently located on the Nogat, in the
Vistula Delta, which allows access by ship.
The castle was expanded several time to host the growing number of Knights, and became the largest fortified Gothic building in Europe, featuring several sections and walls. It consists of three separate sections - the High, Middle and Lower Castles, separated by multiple dry moats and towers. The castle once housed approximately 3,000 "brothers in arms", and the outermost castle walls enclose 52 acres (210,000 m²), four times larger than the enclosed space of
Windsor Castle.
The favourable position of the castle on the river Nogat and its relatively flat surrounding allowed for easy access by barges and trading ships, from the
Vistula and the
Baltic Sea. During their governance, the Teutonic Knights collected river tolls on passing ships, as did other castles along the rivers, imposing a monopoly on the trade of
amber. When the city became a member of the
Hanseatic League, many Hanseatic meetings were held at Marienburg castle.
In the summer of 1410, the castle was besieged following defeat by the armies of
Władysław II Jagiełło at the
Battle of Grunwald, but
Heinrich von Plauen successfully led the defense in the
Siege of Marienburg (1410), during which the city itself was razed.
In 1456, during the
Thirteen Years' War, the Order—deserted and opposed for establishing taxes to pay high ransoms for prisoners taken by the Polish king—could not pay its mercenaries. Hochmeister
Ludwig von Erlichshausen moved the seat of the Order to
Königsberg, and gave the castle to the Bohemian mercenaries as payment. The mercenaries left, after selling the castle to King Casimir IV Jagiellon, who thus acquired what he and his predecessor could not conquer. He entered the castle triumphantly in 1457.
Under mayor Bartholomäus Blume, the city itself resisted the Polish onslaught for three more years, until the Poles captured and hanged Blume in 1460. A monument to him was erected in 1864. Castle and town became part of
Royal Prussia in 1466, and served as one of the several Polish royal residences. During the
Thirty Years' War, in 1626 and 1629, Swedes occupied the castle, and again from 1656 to 1660 in
The Deluge (Polish history) during the
Northern Wars.
Modern times
right|thumb|Post WWII ruins of the castle After the
First Partition of Poland in 1772 the town became part of the
Kingdom of Prussia province of
West Prussia. At that time the rather neglected castle was used as poorhouse and barracks for the
Prussian Army. In 1794
David Gilly, a Prussian architect and head of the Oberbaudepartement, was ordered to make a structural survey of the castle, to decide about its future use or even its complete demolition. Gilly's son,
Friedrich Gilly, produced several engravings of the castle and its architecture, which he exhibited in
Berlin and had published by Friedrich Frick from 1799 to 1803. These engravings led to a "rediscovery" of the castle and the history of the Teutonic Knights by the Prussian public.
Johann Dominicus Fiorillo published a recension of the engravings on 12 February 1803. Fiorillo said he hoped the engravings would encourage public interest, and
Max von Schenkendorf critizised the defacement of the castle. Throughout the
Napoleonic period the castle was used as a hospital and arsenal, but after Prussia was
liberated again, it became a symbol of Prussian history and national consciousness. Reconstruction began after 1816 on the initiative of
Theodor von Schön, Oberpräsident of
West Prussia, and lasted with varying intensity until
World War II started
With the rise of
Adolf Hitler to power in the early 1930s the
Nazis began using the site for annual pilgramages by both the
Hitler Youth and the
League of German Girls. It was the Teutonic Castle at
Marienburg, Malbork that served as the blue print for the
Order Castles of the Third Reich.
World War II combat in 1945 destroyed more than half of the castle. At the conclusion of World War II, the castle, together with the surrounding city, became part of Poland. A fire in 1959 caused further damage. It has since been mostly rebuilt, with restoration ongoing since 1962. However, the main cathedral in the castle, fully restored just before the war, remains in ruins.
1000px|center|thumb|Panorama as seen from the Northwestern bank of the river NogatBurials in the mausoleum under the Chapel of St. Anne
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