Lovers of Gothic art and architecture have little less to see in northern Poland than in the cathedral-decorated cities of France.
However, if you were to name just one building you cannot miss, it would be Malbork Castle. The former capital of the Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary, moved here straight from Jerusalem, is the largest medieval fortress in the world, still preserved in excellent condition. It is safe to say that the inclusion of Malbork Castle on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997 was just a formality. What will you see on site?
The “Deutscher Orden,” commonly known in Poland as the Teutonic Knights, is one of the three, along with the Templars and the Joannites, knightly orders formed in the wave of the Crusades. The Teutonic Knights found themselves on the territory of present-day Poland invited by one of the princes to defend the borders against the pagan Prussian people.
The monastic brothers quickly established themselves in the Pomeranian region, erecting numerous fortified castles and brick churches.
They also did not over-patiently deal with their pagan neighbors, putting to the sword the Prussians. From an early ally, the Teutonic Knights soon became a serious threat to the Polish kingdom, and bloody wars for access to the Baltic Sea set the rhythm of the following centuries.
The state of the Teutonic Knights gave rise to a German presence on the Baltic Sea and a region that until 1945 was called East Prussia.
The situation changed radically when, under the treaties ending World War II, virtually all German inhabitants of the region were forced to resettle, and Prussia was divided between Poland and Russia. What remained of the Teutonic Knights was a colorful history – and the magnificent red brick buildings that abound in the area.
Restored to its original state after the devastation of the war, Malbork Castle is worth an unhurried, long tour.
The structure covers an area of 21 hectares, and 3.5 million hand-formed clay bricks were used to build the Upper Castle alone – its central part! Particularly impressive are the bright interiors of the Great and Summer Refectory, with its white broken brick ribbed vaults, as well as the Dansker Tower – a monumental defensive tower connected to the rest of the castle by a special passage, a hallmark of Teutonic castle architecture.
A tour of the castle takes about 3.5 hours with a guide or 2.5 hours with an audio guide.
EXPLORE THE REGION – KASCHUBIA
