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| {{Infobox World Heritage Site | |||
| | WHS = Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork | |||
| | Image = ] | |||
| | State Party = {{POL}} | |||
| | Type = Cultural | |||
| | Criteria = ii, iii, iv | |||
| | ID = 847 | |||
| | Region = ] | |||
| | Year = 1997 | |||
| | Session = 21st | |||
| | Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/847 | |||
| }} | |||
| The '''Castle in Malbork''' ({{lang-de|Ordensburg Marienburg}}, {{lang-pl|Zamek w Malborku}}) was built in Prussia by the ] as an ]. It was named ], literally "Mary's Castle". The town which grew around it was also named Marienburg, but since 1945 it is part of Poland, as ]. | |||
| There were a number of other ] (Mary's Castles) built. | |||
| The ] is a classic example of a medieval ]; it is the world’s largest ] castle and one of the most impressive of its kind in Europe. The castle and its museum are listed as ]'s ], being added to the register in December 1997 as ''Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork'', as one of two sites in the region which owes its origins to the Teutonic Order, the ''Medieval Town of Toruń'' being the other, founded in 1231 as the site of their castle ] (Toruń). | |||
| ==History== | |||
| === Medieval times === | |||
| ]]] | |||
| ] | |||
| The castle was founded in 1274 by the ] during their government in Prussia and is located on the Southeastern bank of the river ]. It was named ''Marienburg'' after the Virgin Mary, patron saint of the Order. | |||
| The Order had been based in ], but when this last stronghold of the Crusades fell, the Order had to move its headquarters to ]. In 1309, in the wake of both the papal persecution of the ] as well as the ], the Order under ] moved its headquarters into ]n part of their ]. They chose the Marienburg, conveniently located at the Nogat, in the ] Delta, which allows access by ship. | |||
| The castle was expanded several time to host the growing number of Knights, and became the largest fortified Gothic building in Europe, featuring several sections and walls. It comprises three separate sections- the High, Middle and Low Castles, separated by multiple dry moats and towers. The castle once housed approximately 3,000 "brothers in arms", and the outermost castle walls enclose 52 acres (210,000 m²), four times larger than the enclosed space of ]. | |||
| The favourable position of the castle on the river Nogat and its relatively flat surrounding allowed for easy access by barges and trading ships, from the ] and the ]. During their governance, the Teutonic Knights collected river tolls on passing ships, as did other castles along the rivers, imposing a monopoly on the trade of ]. When the city became a member of the ], many Hanseatic meetings were held at the Marienburg. | |||
| In summer of 1410, the castle was besieged following defeat at the ], but ] successfully led the defense of the castle during the ] during which the city itself was razed. | |||
| In 1456, during the ] started by a rebellion of the cities organized as ], the Order, deserted and opposed for having implemented taxes in order to pay the high ransom for prisoners taken by the Polish king, could not pay its mercenary troops after two years of warfare. Hochmeister ] moved the seat of the Order to Königsberg, and handed over possession of the castle to the soldiers from Bohemia, as a substitute for their wages. The mercenaries left after having sold the castle to King ] of Poland, who thus acquired the castle neither he nor his predecessor could conquer by force. He entered the castle triumphantly in 1457 without opposition. | |||
| Under mayor Bartholomäus Blume, the city itself resisted the Polish onslaught for an additional three years, until he himself was captured and hanged in 1460. A monument to him was erected in 1864<ref>Matthias Weber:Preussen in Ostmitteleuropa: Geschehensgeschichte und Verstehensgeschichte, 2003 </ref>. Castle and town became part of ] in 1466, and served as one of the several Polish royal residences. During the ], in 1626 and 1629, Swedes occupied the castle, and again from 1656 to 1660 in '']'' during the ]. | |||
| === Modern times === | |||
| ] | |||
| After the ] in 1772 the town became part of the ] province of ]. At that time the rather ruined castle was used as poorhouse and barracks of the ]. In 1794 the Prussian architect and head of the Oberbaudepartement, ], was ordered to make a structural survey of the remains, to decide about a future use or complete demolition of the castle. Gilly's son, ], produced several engravings of the castle and its architecture, exhibited in ] and published by Friedrich Frick in 1799 - 1803. These engravings caused the "rediscovery" of the castle and the history of the Teutonic Knights by the Prussian public.<ref>], Deutsche Geschichte im Osten Europas, ''Ostpreußen und Westpreußen'', Berlin 1992, p.344, ISBN 3-88680-212-4</ref> | |||
| ] published a recension of the engravings on 12 February 1803 and stated, he wished these images would encourage a larger public interest and ] critizised the defacement of the castle. Throughout the ] time the castle was used as a hospital and arsenal but after Prussia was ], the castle became a symbol of Prussian history and national consciousness. The reconstruction began after 1816 on the initiative of ], Oberpräsident of ]<ref>C. Steinbrecht, Schloss Marienburg in Preussen, Berlin 1894</ref>, and lasted with varying intensity until ] started<ref>], Deutsche Geschichte im Osten Europas, ''Ostpreußen und Westpreußen'', Berlin 1992, p.36-40, , ISBN 3-88680-212-4</ref>. | |||
| In 1945, the castle was over 50% destroyed as a result of ], and again damaged by a fire in 1959. The castle has been mostly reconstructed and restoration has been ongoing since 1962. However, the main cathedral in the castle, fully restored just prior to the war, remains in its ruined state as destroyed during the war. | |||
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| ==Burials in the mausoleum under the Chapel of St. Anne== | |||
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| == References == | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| == External links == | |||
| {{Commons|Castle in Malbork}} | |||
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Revision as of 16:09, 14 February 2009
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