Malbork Castle

Malbork Castle

The greatest brick castle on earth

Beside the river Nogat in northern Poland rises a fortress so vast it is hard to take in: Malbork, the largest brick castle in the world, and one of the biggest castles of any kind ever built. Its endless red-brick walls, towers and halls cover a huge area, made up of not one castle but three nested castles, one inside another. Seen from across the river, its great mass of brick glows warmly in the sun — a giant among the castles of Europe.

The Teutonic Knights

Malbork was built by the Teutonic Knights, an order of warrior monks rather like the Templars, who combined the life of a monk with that of a soldier. In the Middle Ages the Teutonic Knights carved out their own state along the Baltic coast, conquering and ruling the region then known as Prussia.

Beginning around 1274, the knights built Malbork as a mighty stronghold, and in 1309 they made it the capital of their whole state — the headquarters of the Grand Master who led the order. From behind these brick walls, the knights governed their lands, gathered their armies and stored their wealth. As their power grew, so did the castle, until it became the enormous complex we see today.

Three castles in one

Malbork is really three linked castles. The High Castle, at the heart, was like a fortified monastery, with the knights' church, their living quarters and their treasury arranged around a cloistered courtyard. The Middle Castle held grand halls for ceremonies and guests, including the magnificent Grand Master's Palace. The Lower Castle held workshops, stables and stores. Layers of walls, gates and moats protected it all, making Malbork one of the strongest fortresses of its age.

Among its marvels was a clever heating system that sent warm air up through the floors of the great halls — a rare comfort in the cold Baltic winters.

Sieges and changing hands

So great a prize was bound to be fought over. In the 1400s, after the Teutonic Knights were defeated in a huge battle, Malbork was besieged more than once. Eventually it passed into the hands of the kingdom of Poland, and for a long time Polish kings used it as one of their residences. Over the centuries the castle's fortunes rose and fell as borders shifted around it.

War, ruin and restoration

Malbork was badly damaged in the Second World War, when much of its brickwork was shattered in the fighting. After the war, a great and painstaking effort was made to rebuild and restore the enormous castle, brick by brick. Today it has been brought back to its former glory and is protected by UNESCO as a world treasure.

Visiting today

Visitors can spend hours exploring Malbork's three castles — the knights' church and cloisters, the grand halls, the Grand Master's palace, the treasury and the long brick ramparts above the river. Displays of armour, amber and medieval art fill its chambers. Colossal, beautiful and steeped in the history of the warrior monks who built it, Malbork is one of the most astonishing castles in all of Europe.