Malbork Castle

I visited this WHS in August 2020. Initially I had planned to visit early in the morning but once I arrived I immediately noticed that the best time for photography of the castle and the Nogat delta branch of the Vistula River is in the afternoon so after a quick walk around the rear side of the castle from where I bought my entrance ticket and got my audio guide, I 'revisited' in the afternoon after visiting Gdynia and Gdansk.

You can try your luck to park for free just next to the church/chapel outside the castle or else you can pay 30 zloty for the guarded parking area opposite the castle and cross the wooden bridge. The 13th-century Teutonic castle is the largest castle in the world by land area and the largest brick castle in the world by size. The outermost castle walls are 4 times the enclosed area of Windsor Castle. The favourable position of the castle on the Nogat allowed easy access by barges and trading ships arriving from the Vistula and the Baltic Sea. The Teutonic Knights collected river tolls from passing ships. They controlled a monopoly on the trade of amber, the amber room is one of the rooms worth mentioning and worth using your audio guide in (I used it in the castle's main courtyard, in the amber room and in the inner chapel and cloisters). When the city became a member of the Hanseatic League, many Hanseatic meetings were held there.

Malbork Castle was the headquarters of the Teutonic Order's crusader state. The castle had both a religious and a political function: here lived the Grand Master and the daily management of the Order, and about 3,000 knights. The castle was built at the end of the 13th century and was expanded ever further. It is entirely made of brick, and according to unconfirmed sources, this is the largest area of any castle and/or the largest brick building in the world. I went to see it on a half-day trip from Gdansk.

My visit was on a sunny Saturday morning, and because I was expecting crowds I had purchased an entrance ticket online beforehand (I did so as well with all train tickets on this trip). I arrived at the Malbork train station at 8.45 a.m., and from there I had a 15-minute walk to be at the gates at the opening hour of 9 a.m. Local authorities have not bothered to sign the way to the castle, but it lies on the right side from the station and then straight ahead until you see the red towers on the horizon. From the train, you’ll already have a tantalizing view of it.

At the entrance, I picked up my pre-booked audio tour and headphones, and went ‘in’. If you want to save money or are in a hurry, you can also choose to view only the exterior: access to the complex within the walls is free, and there is …

I am always happy to visit a site that featured prominently in one of my high school history books. Malbork Castle (or the Marienburg in German) is one of them. The seat of the Teutonic Order it was a key driver for Germans migrating eastwards. It’s also closely tied to Prussian history and as such as part of the Gerrman nation state origin myth. The first king of Prussia (technically King in Prussia) was a high master of the Teutonic Order. Blessed by Luther he converted to Lutheranism and became a worldly ruler. In the process he also took possession of all church possessions. Finding faith seems to have its advantages.

The site itself is surprisingly large. I think you can easily spend multiple hours exploring all the ins and outs of the castle. But you will hardly be on your own. This is very popular with tourist groups and the amenities of a medieval castle (even a very large one) get strained quite quickly. Still, this certainly features with the best castles on the list.

Getting There

There are more or less hourly trains connecting Malbork to Gdansk and the rest of Poland. From the train station it’s a 15min walk to get to the castle.

I came in from Gdansk where I had spend too much time at the ticket booth of the train station and missed a train. I continued to Elblag which is a nice contrast to Gdansk. From Elblag I ventured …

This fortress was founded by the German Teutonic Order and steadily expanded what makes it today the largest brick building in the world. This fort is in very good condition and is well worth a visit. Due to the size of the complex, however, it should be at least 2 hours to schedule a visit.

This castle must be listed for its massive size and for the millions of bricks used in its construction. I did not find the structure aesthetically pleasing.

I did however admire the frescoe of the 'Last Supper' in the Chapel. While not as large as Leonardo's in Milan, it is in much better condition.

Malbork is a wonderful piece of history..and has been wonderfully restored after the terrible distruction during WWll.. How sad to try to wipe out the pride of the Polish people. Our tour was very well done and we could have stayed hours more. So beautiful.

There is something about big sprawling castles that unlocks the child in me. Malbork certainly did that, for as soon as I had traversed its draw bridge and penetrated its defensive walls I wanted to run and look down every corridor and creak open every heavy wooden door.

The castle is massive and it dominates the town of Malbork. You can see it from miles away, and the view from the train as you cross the river from the north is a hugely impressive way to enter a town.

The castle was badly bombed during the Second World War, but the restoration has been remarkable, returning the structures to their original grandeur whilst making it possible to see what has been rebuilt by looking at the patterns of the bricks. The striking interior of the chapel shows the restoration very well.

Scattered around the castle are several displays of art works and I particularly liked the gothic sculptures and the images of its use during the Nazi occupation. Its role as the former base of the Teutonic nights proved a wonderful propaganda coup for the Third Reich. I don't think I visited the entire interior as it is a very large castle, however I did really enjoy just wandering off down dead ends providing unexpected glorious views of the ramparts.

Malbork is a very impressive castle with an intriguing history and it makes a very worthwhile trip Gdansk though do try to get the express trains if possible as the …

As happens with the majority of the other sites classified by the UNESCO in Poland, this castle has been rebuilt and you can feel easily the atmosfere of the teutonic times. It is a massive construction, with huge walls and tall towers near a river. Some parts of its interior are being restored, especially a very nice church inside, and you can find there some shops and exhibitions of Polish contemporary art.