Malbork Castle

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Malbork Castle Malbork Castle - 14th-century Teutonic castle housing museum of medieval artifacts, paintings & an amber collection. The largest castle in the world measured by land area. It consists of three separate castles - the High, Middle and Lower Castles, separated by multiple dry moats and towers. The castle once housed approximately 3,000 "brothers in arms". The outermost castle walls enclose 21 ha (52 acres), four times the enclosed area of Windsor Castle. Malbork Castle remains the largest brick building in Europe. Malbork Castle New welcome center. Malbork Castle Originally built by the Teutonic Knights, a German Roman Catholic religious order of crusaders, in a form of an Ordensburg fortress. The Order named it Marienburg (Mary's Castle). The town which grew around it was also named Marienburg. In 1466, both castle and town became part of Royal Prussia, a province of Poland. It served as one of the several Polish royal residences, interrupted by several years of Swedish occupation, and fulfilling this function until Prussia claimed the castle as a result of the First Partition of Poland in 1772. Heavily damaged after World War II, the castle was renovated under the auspices of modern-day Poland in the second half of the 20th century and most recently in 2016. Nowadays, the castle hosts exhibitions and serves as a museum. Malbork Castle The castle is a classic example of a medieval fortress and, on its completion in 1406, was the world's largest brick castle.[3] UNESCO designated the "Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork" and the Malbork Castle Museum a World Heritage Site in December 1997.[4] 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.
Malbork Castle Malbork Castle in 1945 With the rise of Adolf Hitler to power in the early 1930s, the Nazis used the castle as a destination for annual pilgrimages of both the Hitler Youth and the League of German Girls. The Teutonic Castle at Marienburg served as a blueprint for the Order Castles of the Third Reich built under Hitler's reign. In 1945 during World War II combat in the area, more than half the castle was destroyed. Malbork Castle Malbork Castle View of first level mote.
Malbork Castle The castle was expanded several times to house the growing number of Knights. Soon, it became the largest fortified Gothic building in Europe,[6] on a nearly 21-hectare (52-acre) site. The castle has several subdivisions and numerous layers of defensive walls. It consists of three separate castles - the High, Middle and Lower Castles, separated by multiple dry moats and towers. The castle once housed approximately 3,000 "brothers in arms". The outermost castle walls enclose 21 ha (52 acres), four times the enclosed area of Windsor Castle Malbork Castle In 1456, during the Thirteen Years' War, the Order – facing opposition from its cities for raising taxes to pay ransoms for expenses associated with its wars against Kingdom of Poland – could no longer manage financially. Meanwhile, Polish General Stibor de Poniec of Ostoja raised funds from Danzig for a new campaign against them. Learning that the Order's Bohemian mercenaries had not been paid, Stibor convinced them to leave. He reimbursed them with money raised in Danzig. Following the departure of the mercenaries, King Casimir IV Jagiellon entered the castle in triumph in 1457, and in May, granted Danzig several privileges in gratitude for the town's assistance and involvement in the Thirteen Years' War (1454–66) as well as for the funds collected for the mercenaries that left. Malbork Castle In 1466 both castle and town became part of Royal Prussia, a province of Poland. It served as one of the several Polish royal residences, fulfilling this function until the Partitions of Poland in 1772. During this period the Tall Castle served as the castle's supply storehouse, while the Great Refectory was a place for balls, feasts, and other royal events. Malbork Castle
Malbork Castle During the Thirty Years' War, in 1626 and 1629 Swedish forces occupied the castle. They invaded and occupied it again 1656 to 1660 during the Deluge. The main entrance provides access to the Middle Castle. It is secured with five iron-bound gates standing one behind the other. Behind the first massive arch lies a wooden bridge that spans over a moat. Today it is static, but in the past it could be drawn up. Past this lies a portcullis, which could be lowered almost instantaneously if the castle was under threat. The ground is corbelled, and specially-laid stones marked the way for carts to they did not damage the walls. Malbork’s gates were designed to accommodate horses, but each was equipped with a smaller door that could be opened to admit those travelling by foot. Malbork Castle The MIDDLE CASTLE was made up of three ranges with the fourth side left open facing the High or Upper Castle. Entered through a formidable gate tower, this part of the fortress was the administrative centre and guest quarters of the fortress, providing all the facilities necessary for generous hospitality. Malbork Castle Middle Castle - The Grand Master's residence projected from the south-west angle of the Middle Castle. This shows the Grand Master’s Palace with St. Katherine’s Chapel, and the Knight’s Hall (right). Malbork Castle Middle Castle
Malbork Castle The character of the brickwork today reflects its three fundamental development stages. Original medieval work is marked by weathered red bricks with no obvious lines of mortar. Steinbrecht's late nineteenth century restoration used a harder red brick with clear mortar lines. The late twentieth century restoration employed a lighter-coloured red brick with less obvious mortar lines. Malbork Castle Statues of the Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order - These were feudel lords - leaders of the monastic community Malbork Castle Malbork Castle Dry Moat Crossing into the High Castle
Malbork Castle High Castle Entry/Draw Bridge Malbork Castle Working drawbridge to High Castle Malbork Castle Counter-weights used to raise and lower the drawbridge Malbork Castle A bas--relief of a Grand Master located above the gate of the High Castle
Malbork Castle Bridge Towers Malbork Castle The Master's residence is not particularly striking when seen from the courtyard, in part because of its initial modest form . Only the line of seven column-separated first floor windows next to the plain apsidal chapel hint at its importance. However, the river approach tells a totally different story with its highly elaborate frontages contrasting with the more dominating military facades of the Upper Castle . This palace wing is clearly a later extension, standing five storeys high, and warrants detailed examination. Malbork Castle The extension stands on two basement floors, not visible from the courtyard but necessary because of falling ground to the river Nogat. The lowest has narrow openings, now bricked up, while that immediately above was used for storage with larger square windows set in brick frames. Above was the Chancellery, at ground level when approached from the courtyard. Its large stone windows are separated by brick buttresses in the primary south and west faces rising the height of the building to support the embattled wall-walk (Fig 9). The floor above was devoted to the Grand Master's apartments with the elaborate windows that fill the recesses between the brick buttresses marking the principal reception rooms. The two-light upper windows are set in brick frames and the three-light lower windows in stone frames with Malbork Castle The elaborately decorated wall-walk immediately above these major apartments is carried on four-centred arches spanning the machicolated recesses between the brick buttresses and protected by the eaves of the steeply pitched roof. The walk expands into six-sided turrets at the corners, brace-supported in stone, while the same material is used for the blind trefoil and quatrefoil paneled battlements to create a highly decorative head to the Palace wing
Malbork Castle Malbork Castle Malbork Castle Cannon balls Malbork Castle Malbork Castle Well - The main well in the high Castle
Malbork Castle Malbork Castle Well Malbork Castle This sculpture represents a mother pelican feeding her chicks with here own blood, representative of Christ's sacrifice. Malbork Castle Chapter House - Beautiful decorative hall the rectangular Chapter House (14th century) in the High Castle, which occupies almost the entire western half of the northern wing. The inscription over the entrance was taken from the chapter house of the Order of Margat in Syria: Sit tibi copia, Sit sapientia Formaque detur. Inquinat omnia Sola superbia Si cometetur (Let Jesus Christ be wealth for you, let him be wisdom for you. Let him giye you conscience, let him remind you if conceit was your companion). A Chapter House was always one of the most important rooms in any maonastic community, as a place where all the important issues were discussed. Malbork Castle Chapter House - Columns are remiensent of Palestinian Palms
Malbork Castle Chapter House Malbork Castle Chapter House Malbork Castle 3 Key'd lock in the Chambers of Dignitaries for the treasury Malbork Castle
Malbork Castle Malbork Castle This little devil actually points the way to the latrine in the Upper Castle Malbork Castle medieval toilet - Located in thr Gdanisko (Danzker) tower that served as the most modern toilet for medieval time. The name probably comes from Gdańsk (germ. Danzig). Knights of Teutonic Order hated citizens of that city, because they banished Teutonic Order from Gdańsk. Technically gdanisko is a tower outside the walls of the castle, connected by gallery. Usually, there was stream below the tower, flushing away filthiness. Notice the cabbage leaf for cleaning Malbork Castle
Malbork Castle Malbork Castle Malbork Castle Malbork Castle Bust Rereliquaries popular in the middle ages. A reliquary (also referred to as a shrine or by the French term châsse) is a container for relics. These may be the purported or actual physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures.
Malbork Castle Jesus at Gethsemane, a masterpiece of Gothic sculpture (c. 1390) originally from Torun, at Malbork Castle, Poland. . Malbork Castle Malbork Castle Malbork Castle
Malbork Castle Malbork Castle Golden Gate - Entrance to the Church of the Virgin Mary at the High Castle in Malbork, Malbork Castle The Blessed Virgin Mary Church - The castle chapel existed from the first stage of the castle construction in the end of the 13 th century. Due to the change of function and the extention of the fortress after moving the Teutonic state capital to Malbork in 1309, the chapel, which at first occupied only a half of the wing, was elongated and a polygonal presbytery was built on from the East. The date of the work completion – 1344 – was fixed with a consecration inscription inside the chapel. Malbork Castle The Blessed Virgin Mary Church
Malbork Castle The Blessed Virgin Mary Church Malbork Castle The Blessed Virgin Mary Church - Whats left of the original flooring Malbork Castle The Blessed Virgin Mary Church Malbork Castle The Blessed Virgin Mary Church
Malbork Castle The Blessed Virgin Mary Church Malbork Castle The Battle of Grunwald is a painting by Jan Matejko depicting the Battle of Grunwald and the victory of the allied Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania over the Teutonic Order in 1410. Wikipedia Malbork Castle Battle of Grunwald Malbork Castle Wash basin
Malbork Castle Sketch for restoration of a mural Malbork Castle Cast of the Madonna head Malbork Castle High castle, refectory, dining room Malbork Castle High castle, Refectory of knights of the Teutonic Castle in Malbork. It is a long ceremonial hall supported on 7 pillars, each pillar is made of different kind of granite. The decorative floor looks like a carpet. Teutonic Knights were not humble monks, though they had to fast for four days a week and then eat only one meal a day, consisting of fishes. On Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, they were allowed to eat meat twice a day.
Malbork Castle Convent Chamber Malbork Castle Amber Chest Malbork Castle Amber Clock Malbork Castle Amber Chest
Malbork Castle Moat and bridge to Middle Castle Malbork Castle Malbork Castle Malbork Castle
Malbork Castle Malbork Castle Restored Statue of The Virgin Mary and Child - 8 meters high Malbork Castle Restored Statue of The Virgin Mary and Child - 8 meters high Malbork Castle Restored Statue of The Virgin Mary and Child - 8 meters high
Malbork Castle Exterior Moat Malbork Castle Malbork Castle Malbork Castle
Malbork Castle Unrestored gate house