If you are a lover of antiquity and are interested in unique architectural structures, you should definitely go to the Polish city of Malbork - where the Marienburg castle is located. It is known as the largest medieval brick castle in the world. This stronghold of the Crusaders has been rising on a hill near the Nogat River for more than eight centuries. Currently, the castle is one of the main attractions included in the tourist maps of Poland. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Castle Marienburg
The history of the castle is extensive and described in many volumes of historical literature. In the article we will try to just touch the centuries-old history of this unique structure, get acquainted with the ancient life of the exhibits and the collection of weapons and armor of the Teutons.
The city of Malbork is located 80 kilometers from the border with Russia and a littlemore than 130 kilometers separate it from Kaliningrad. Therefore, it will not be difficult to make an excursion to the castle even on your own car. For tourists there is parking for cars, a good restaurant and a large Zamek hotel, located in a building that served as a hospital for the Crusaders. A view of the restored Marienburg Castle in Poland is shown in the photo above.
Door to the past
The castle ensemble of Marienburg covers an area of more than 20 hectares and consists of three castles - Lower, Middle and Upper. The Crusader Knights of the Teutonic Order chose a place on the narrow peninsula of the Vistula for the construction of the castle. The swampy terrain, the river and the small hills were ideal for a fortress that was supposed to serve as a defensive structure. The first brick in the foundation of the castle was laid in the 70s of the XIII century. Construction lasted until the middle of the 15th century.
The first built premises of the Marienburg castle were occupied by the Master of the Teutonic Order. The structure practically did not stand out in any way among the defensive structures of those years. In 1309, the residence of the Grand Masters from Venice was transferred to the castle. Since that time, the expansion and reconstruction of castle structures has been going on.
The chapel became the main cathedral of the order, and a bridge was thrown over the Nogat River here. It has not survived to this day. The old building became known as the Upper Castle, and on the site where there were settlements, they began to build the Central (Middle) Castle with a large refectory. For 20 years, starting from 1330, the Lower Castle was built, whichsurrounded by another wall and a protective moat, filled with water if necessary.
Castle Labyrinths
The lower part of the castle was reserved for outbuildings, workshops, warehouses, stables. There was also a hospital for the Crusaders and a bakery. To get to the middle part of the castle, it was necessary to pass through the drawbridge, which was located above the moat. Loophole windows were built in the monolithic walls of the Middle Castle, and passages along the wall were covered with visors protecting from enemy arrows. The entrance to the courtyard of this building is closed by five oak gates with bars.
The buildings of the castle, located along the perimeter, served to receive high-ranking guests. Here were the rooms of the Grand Master of the Order. Rooms for celebrations, large dining rooms (refectories), decorated with religious paintings, were also located in the premises of this castle. In the courtyard, striking in its size, knightly tournaments were held among the crusaders.
Weddings were held in St. Helena Chapel. In this only fortress in the Marienburg castle complex, the premises were heated using the "hypocastum" technology - with the help of red-hot boulders located in the basement. From there, air through a system of channels through special openings entered the halls. Communication between the Middle and Upper castles was carried out using a drawbridge hanging over another moat.
Betrayal of mercenaries
To protect the castle complex, the Teutonic Order hired Czech soldiers - the Hussites, who were considered in those daysthe best warriors. In the 15th century, among many principalities of Europe, there was a practice of hiring the guards of cities and fortresses. Large sums of money were spent on the maintenance of the army of mercenaries. In 1455, twenty cities found themselves without money in the treasury. Malbork was one of them.
The mercenaries who lost their earnings treacherously surrendered the castle of Marierburg, opening its gates in front of the Polish army of King Casimir IV. In fact, the building was sold by mercenaries to the Polish king, who paid them 665 kilograms of gold. With the fall of the city of Malbork (Marienburg), the greatness of the Teutonic Order ended. Casimir IV entered the castle triumphantly in 1457.
Chronology of further events
In 1466 the city became part of Royal Prussia, and the castle became one of the Polish royal residences. Three centuries later, in 1772, there was the first partition of Poland. Marienburg retreats to the western part of Prussia, and the castle is used as a barracks for the Prussian army and storage facilities.
In 1794, a Prussian architect was commissioned to structurally examine the castle in order to reach a verdict on its future use or complete demolition. The architect's son, Friedrich Gilly, made sketches of engravings of the castle and its architecture. It was these engravings that made it possible to "re-create" the castle and present the history of the Teutonic Knights to the Prussian public.
Reconstruction began after 1816 and continued with varying intensity until the outbreak of World War II. During the Second World War, the castle was destroyed more than in the previous eight centuries. SoMarienburg castle looked like (photo below) in 1945. It was later rebuilt.
Castle today
The current appearance of the castle does not differ from the one that was built many hundreds of years ago. The restorers restored not only the appearance of the building, but also its interior decoration, and the frescoes that once adorned the halls. Now a museum is open to visitors in the premises of the fortress. It features works of art related to the Teutonic Order (armor and weapons). The exposition has a large collection of amber.
Tourists from all over the world come in groups and on their own to get acquainted with the history of the Teutonic Order. In their reviews of the Marienburg Castle, there is always admiration for the work of the masters who literally built this unique building brick by brick, thereby giving the descendants the opportunity to touch that distant history. Restoration work in the fortress does not stop. During the Second World War, the sculpture of the Virgin, which was in the church of the Holy Virgin Mary, was destroyed. Polish restorers have done a tremendous job of restoring it.
