On a high escarpment on the right bank of the River Nogat stands the largest brick castle in the world - a monument to the rare masterly skills of medieval builders. For seven centuries the monumental silhouette of this impressive edifice has awed onlookers by its magnitude, profusion of various defensive devices, the thickness of its mighty walls, the boldness of its construction, and the richness of the carved details. Covering an area of over twenty hectares, the stronghold is actually an amazing complex of three castles joined together into a single entity by a system of expansive fortifications.

The exceptionally suitable location of the place, which served for defense owing to the presence of the river and the vast marshes - while at the same time making it possible to control almost the entire region of Zulawy - was the crucial factor behind the decision to construct the castle here. Its symbolic name - Marienburg (Mary's Castle) - seems to have assigned it a very special role from the very beginning. The origin of this mighty stronghold goes back to the 1270's; it was then that the Teutonic Knights (a religious order of German origin, also called the Knights of the Cross) commenced the construction of a quadrilateral monastery-castle. On its north side a fortified area, known as 'Przedzamcze' (the most external part of the castle - the forecastle - just within the outer wall), was established to provide basic domestic services for the castle. The Teutonic Order with its Commander (with the title of Grand Master) Heinrich von Wilnowe, settled in the castle in 1280. At that time, however, the Malbork fortress was not as yet any different from the other strongholds located on the borders of the Teutonic state in Prussia.

The castle was the seat of the Commander until the Teutonic Knights conquered the region of Pomorze Gdanskie (Gdansk Pomerania) in 1309. In that year the capital of the Order was moved to Malbork, which made it necessary to carry out great extension works. By the mid-fourteenth century, the fortified complex already consisted of three sections. Their names, adopted a little later, very accurately describe the topography of the entire complex. The dominating mighty silhouette of the seat of the Order is called the High Castle, the second section, erected in the former 'Przedzamcze', which included the Grand Master's Palace is the Middle Castle, while the part located lower and to the north, on the escarpment above the River Nogat, is the vast present 'Przedzamcze', also referred to as the Lower Castle. The Layout of the Middle Castle reflected the extensive administration and represented the needs of the Teutonic state. For the same reasons, the Grand Master's Palace underwent extensive renovation throughout the fourteenth century. The interior layout of the four wings of the High Castle obtained its final shape in connection with the change of function and the increased importance of the Castle as the central seat of the Order. In the oldest section of the north win, two rooms, namely the Chapter Hall and the castle Chapel, were significantly extended. The Chapel, which initially covered only half of the wing area, was extended towards the east owing to the construction of a multilateral chancel. This resulted in the creation of the magnificent interior of the most important temple of the Teutonic state. The extension was based on St. Anna's burial chapel, constructed in the years 1335-1340, in which the Grand Masters were buried. Both interiors (those of the church and the chapel) provide a valuable array of architectural forms, pieces of figurative art, and mural paintings. Next to the church, a high belfry was erected, which also served as a vantage point. The belfry is the highest point of the castle's silhouette.

At that time, the castle in Malbork was an impregnable stronghold. Individual sections of the fortress were ringed with walls, which not only made a tight system of fortifications, but also made it possible to defend each of the sections separately. The elements that were most important from the point of view of defense, such as the gates and passages, were equipped with all the defensive devices known in the Middle Ages, These included portcullises, inter-gate spaces, battlemented parapets, machicolations (openings in the floor of projecting galleries through which missiles were cast on the enemy below), shooting galleries, etc. For many years hence Malbork was a standard reference for many defensive complexes developed in Europe.

The course of history caused the Castle to pass into Polish hands during the Thirteen-Year Was (1454-1466), just when the Teutonic builders, who were erecting a new defense line in the east and north, finished their work. For over the next three centuries, it served as the seat for the Malbork 'starosta' (regional treasurer and steward). The former Grand Master's palace was adapted to be a temporary residence of the Polish monarchs, who stayed there when visiting the regions of Pomerania. The use of the castle's interior for new purposes often required constructional changes and modifications were frequently connected with changing or removing the former layout of the interiors.

On the basis of the descriptions of the castle contained in the inspection reports of 1565-1746, we may infer that in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it still had the character of a stronghold, as old mechanical devices, such as drawbridges and the characteristic gate-locking systems, were still in use at that time. The same descriptions tell us just how well equipped with weapons the Castle was. They were mainly kept in the 'Karwan' in the outer bailey, which was one of the biggest arsenals in Poland at that time.

The seventeenth century Swedish wars left the Castle considerably devastated. The 1644 fire that consumed the roofs of the High Castle inflicted further damage. Due to the fire and the long-lasting renovation works, the Castle also lost the gothic gables and galleries surrounding the courtyard. The importance of the Castle as a stronghold slowly but surely, yet significantly, diminished. As a result of the first partition of Poland in 1772, the Castle passed into Prussian hands and was at first turned into gigantic barracks and then, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, into military stores. The resulting alterations introduced radical changes to its architecture. The demolished vaults were replaced with wooden ceilings lit by newly cut rectangular window. There were even plans to demolish the entire castle and use the thus obtained material for the construction of new stores. Fortunately for the ruined fortress, a group of people stoop up for this 'monument to medieval art of construction', for, as from the end of the eighteenth century, some new attitudes, generally referred to as romantic, began to crystallize, rejecting the pragmatism of the Enlightenment (European philosophical movement of the 17th and 18th century). Spiritual significance was noticed in the old edifice and a motion was put forward to grant the castle official protection. In consequence, the post-Teutonic stronghold was subject to many restoration works lasting throughout the nineteenth century until the Second World War. As a result, the castle regained its near former appearance and its initial splendor. The war was another misfortune, which spelled disaster once again for the castle. The price of bitter battles for the historical fortress was almost 50% destruction. The gigantic task of renovation was this time undertaken by a group of Polish conservators. As a result of their long, strenuous and dedicated work over the years, the grand architectural gem - the Malbork castle - once again regained its former magnificence.

Heating System of the Castle

In the West Wing of the Middle Castle there is a little entrance, with stairs leading down to the inside of the stove that used to heat the Great Refectory in the Middle Ages. The two-chamber system made it possible to heat a pile of large, loosely arranged fieldstones until they were almost red hot and gave out a great amount of heat. The stove delivered the warm air to the hall on the ground floor through special ducts, located in the walls and vaults. During the castle's heyday, there were at least ten similar stoves heating the most important halls of the complex. Rooms of lesser importance were furnished with fireplaces or sometimes stoves covered with medieval jug-tiles (hollow burnt clay tiles).