Zamek w Malborku z Kevinuszkim (Malbork Castle with Kevin)

The Middle and High Castles from across the Nogat River

(can you pick out the tiny people along the walls?)

After a couple of great days in Kraków and Warsaw with Kevin, we took him on a short but totally worthwhile daytrip to visit Malbork Castle, another of Poland's spectacular medieval sites. This medieval castle near Poland's northern Baltic coast is the largest brick castle in the world and also the world's largest castle by surface area. It is situated on a low hill along the Nogat River, overlooking the wide, flat plain formed the Wisła River delta as it empties into the Baltic Sea. Malbork Castle was built in the 13th century by the Teutonic Knights (remember them from the ruined castle in Toruń?). It was their capital fortress as they tried to convert (by force) the pagan Prussian tribes, and later battled the Kingdom of Poland for supremacy along the Baltic Sea. The Castle's position along one of the larger rivers leading to the sea gave the Knights considerable control over transportation and settlement in the countryside.

Walls and Moats of the High Castle

Drawbridge Connecting the Middle and High Castles

On the Hill outside the Walls of the High Castle

Detailed Model of the Castle Complex

Malbork Castle contains three connected castle structures (low, middle, and high), all surrounded by several levels of high defensive walls, several kilometers of moat-work, and dozens of defensive towers. The entire area of the castle covers 52 acres, four times the size of the famous Windsor Castle in England. You can see the highest reaches of the castle as soon as you exit the train station, several kilometers away, and as you approach the brick walls, they rise higher and higher until you are directly beneath them, wondering how any medieval structure could possible be so extensive and massive. The moats are wide, the walls thick and tall, the brick work is immaculate, and the hundreds of arrow slits and battlements make you wonder why anyone in their right mind would ever assault such a fortress.

Two Interior Walls (of Six Total) of the Middle Castle

A Large Man (for scale) below the Water Gate

The interior of the Castle is just as interesting and imposing as the exterior. The Teutonic Knights were both monks and knights, and so Malbork Castle served as both a monastery and a fortress. At its peak in the 14th century, Malbork Castle was the seat of the Teutonic Order's Grand Master, housed 3,000 brother-knights, stabled over 500 horses, and was a highly-sought destination for royal dignitaries from throughout Europe. The high castle served as the primary monastic residence and cathedral, while the middle castle held the Grand Master's palaces, receiving halls, kitchens, armories, and massive storage structures (to feed the 3,000 soldiers!).

The Polish name "Malbork" is a phonetic derivation of the German name of the fortress - Marienburg - which means Mary's Fortress, because Mary was the patron saint of the Teutonic Order. Rarely attacked and never officially "conquered," Malbork was sold to the Kingdom of Poland in 1466 as part of the treaty ending the Thirteen-Years' War between Poland and the Teutonic Order. In the 19th and 20th centuries, it was used by the leaders of Weimar and Nazi Germany as a palace and fortress. Heavily damaged during World War II, Malbork has undergone incredible restoration and is almost completely restored, scheduled to have its High Church of St. Mary and the accompanying high tower finished in April, 2016. As words can barely do justice to this incredible structure, here are some of the hundreds of pictures we took on our tour!