There are quite a few magnificent masterpieces of architectural thought on our planet. So we have already talked about and much more that can be attributed to the architecture of the Middle Ages. But today I would like to tell you about the largest castle in the world according to Google Maps. Just as there is no limit to architectural imagination, there is no limit to technological progress.
Today the generally accepted opinion is that the largest castle is Marienburg Castle, which gave rise to the city of the same name (now the city of Malbork in Poland), served as the residence of the Grand Master Teutonic Order from 1309 to 1456. This is the largest medieval brick castle in the world, one of the standards of brick Gothic, a historical monument, a monument World Heritage humanity.
The castle in honor of the Virgin Mary was founded by the Teutonic knights on the banks of the Nogat (the mouth of the Vistula) in 1274. Preparations for construction began in 1278, when builders began cutting down forests and collecting Construction Materials(brick, wood and foundation stones). The greatest effort required the production of bricks and tiles. About 4,480,000 units were used in 1278-1280, of which 1,280,000 were spent on the construction of walls, and 3,200,000 on the construction of the castle. But if this castle were built in our time, it would be nice to build a castle fence made of sandstone - a wonderful and beautiful rock. For your information, you can buy sandstone online, without even leaving your home, in the ONLINE NATURAL STONE STORE.
The main selection criterion in in this case became the system proposed by Marek Prokop, a Czech lock expert. It consists of delineating the boundaries of castles in their modern form in Google Maps, which later makes it possible to calculate them total area using a special calculator. Thus, Marienburg Castle with an area of 143.5 thousand square kilometers is intended to be considered the largest in the world. This is a medieval brick castle located in the Polish city of Malbork on the Nogat River, which is made in the Gothic style and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Taking the size of the occupied area as the main criterion, it is worth noting that in essence it is a fortress located on 20 hectares and consisting of three majestic castles (Upper, Central and Lower). But each of them is still so large that even the largest spider in the world will seem like a pea near the walls of these architectural giants.
In addition to the main structures, there are dozens of additional structures on the territory, which, creating a harmonious ensemble, cannot but delight with their power. Today Marienburg is a museum monument, people from all over the world come to see and appreciate its dimensions.
It is interesting to note that if the Moscow Kremlin could be classified as a castle, it would be first in this ranking. Since its territory is almost twice as large as Marienburg, but that is another story.
Hohensalzburg Fortress, which is located in the Austrian city of Salzburg, is one of the largest and best-preserved European castles. It was built in the 11th century (1077), and at the turn of the 14th - 15th centuries it expanded significantly, and in this form has survived to this day. Its area is 54,523 square meters.
Windsor Castle is the largest castle in England. It is believed that today it is also the largest inhabited castle - it belongs to Queen Elizabeth, who often uses it as a residence for social events and just places to relax. Its area is 54,835 square meters.
Prague Castle was built back in the 9th century and was expanded upon several times over the course of several centuries. The residences of the Holy Roman Emperors, kings and presidents of the Czech Republic were once located within its walls. From the inside it resembles small town, so examining it will take a lot of time. Its area is 66,761 square meters.
Mehrangarh Fort, although officially called a fort, is more like a castle. It towers over the city of Jodhpur, India, standing on top of a huge 122-meter hill. It was built in 1459, but, as is usually the case, the bulk of the buildings that have survived to this day belong to a much later period - approximately XVII century. Its area is 81,227 square meters.
Marienburg Castle was built in the 13th century and still holds the title of the largest castle in the world! It was founded by the Teutonic Order, which needed a well-fortified control point for the territories in the north of the Baltic. As the order grew and became richer every year, its residence also grew. Currently, the area of the castle is as much as 143,591 square meters.
These castles could shelter a huge army or the population of an entire city in case of a surprise attack. In peacetime, they most often served as residences for monarchs and influential organizations, and many of them are still used in this capacity. Of course, the maintenance of such a building costs a pretty penny for the city budget, but many tourists flock daily from all corners of the globe to look at the giants of bygone eras.
The main man-made attractions of Poland are palaces and castles. This is due to the fact that in X-XV centuries Frequent wars were fought on Polish territory with external and internal enemies. The fortresses of Poland experienced attacks from the Tatars, Hungarians, Austrians, Ukrainians, Turks, Germans, and Swedes. According to the Polish constitution, the nobility had broad privileges and often fought among themselves. It was because of this that every nobleman tried to build his castle large and strong, capable of withstanding any siege. The most popular among tourists is Malbork Castle.
Malbork Castle, also called Marienburg, was built at the end of the 12th century by the Crusader knights. In 1309, the capital of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order was moved there. In the XIV-XV centuries, 4 lines of defense were built around the fortress, which included brick walls, deep ditches and high earthen ramparts. Huge reserves of food and water were accumulated. But during the thirteen-year war between Poland and the Teutonic Order, the castle was bought by the Polish king from the rebellious mercenary knights. After the war, Malbork became the residence of the Polish kings. In the 16th-19th centuries, the palace was repaired irregularly and gradually fell into disrepair.
In the 20-30s of the 20th century, some rooms of the fortress were restored, and a museum was opened. During the war, the stronghold was seriously damaged by bombing. In 1961, a museum was created and gradual restoration of the castle premises began. Now Malbork is the largest castle in Europe. Almost all of its premises are accessible for visiting. Malbork hosts knightly tournaments and theatrical performances. Also in the fortress there are various master classes: pottery, cooking, blacksmithing and many others.
You can get to the castle via Gdansk. To do this, you need to take a local train or bus from the Gdańsk Main railway station and get off at Malbork station. From the station to the castle it is about a 10 minute walk. Trains towards Malbork leave almost every hour.
There is a developed tourist infrastructure near the fortress. Within walking distance from the castle there are 2-4 star hotels, youth hostels and campsites for car travelers. Since ecotourism is developed in Poland, guests can easily find ecotourism resorts where they can stay inexpensively and comfortably. Most ecotourism estates have their own bicycle rental facilities so that tourists can easily explore the surrounding area.
Due to the fact that Malbork has a rich past, has a developed tourist infrastructure and is accessible all year round, it is worth visiting at least once. Perhaps someone will find a piece of themselves in him.
Most people associate the most impregnable fortress in the world with Troy, which, besieged by a huge army, was taken only in the 10th year of the siege and only with the help of cunning - the Trojan Horse.
The higher the safer
What should an impregnable citadel be like? What are the requirements for it? One can easily assume that it should be located on a hill, because from its walls in this case it is easier to survey the surrounding area and notice the approach of the enemy.
And it’s both more difficult and dangerous for the enemy to climb up the steep slope. Inaccessibility obviously implies not only strong and high walls, but also possible ones on the way to them.
The main requirement is inaccessibility
In the old days, almost every impregnable fortress was surrounded, if not by a river (preferably on both sides, like the Moscow Kremlin or Notre Dame), then certainly by a moat filled with water. Sometimes inventive castle owners allowed in animals dangerous to human life, such as crocodiles, or a “wolf pit” of sharpened stakes was built at the bottom of the moat. Where they dug a ditch, there was usually always an earthen rampart, which, as a rule, was poured in front of the water barrier. The area in front of the castle should be deserted and the vegetation should be low.
Fortification tricks
The fortress was built to protect the owners from attack. To be truly impregnable and withstand months-long sieges, such as the castle of Mortan (6 months), it had to have own source water and, of course, food supplies. The impregnable fortress was created taking into account many tricks and subtleties of fortification art. Thus, the crest of the rampart was often equipped with a palisade - a palisade made of pointed stakes. The road leading to the castle was laid in such a way that the attackers' right side, not covered by a shield, was open.
Even the bottom of the ditch had a certain shape - V- or U-shaped. The ditch could be either transverse or crescent-shaped - it always ran along the wall of the fortress. The tricks used by the builders made digging impossible. For this purpose, fortresses were most often built on rocky or stone ground.
Only a citadel could provide a quiet life
Each impregnable fortress was created for specific purposes. They all date back to the Middle Ages, to an era when there was no artillery, and powerful walls could protect the owner. In those distant times, states were weak and could not protect individual feudal lords, who were subject to attacks not only by foreign enemies, but also by envious neighbors.
Each era is characterized by its own methods of warfare, methods of attack and defense. And when building castles, the owner, who could afford such construction, naturally used the latest achievements of fortification art.
The foundation is the bridge and walls
A bridge connecting the inhabitants of the fortress with the outside world played a major role in protecting the castle. As a rule, it was either retractable or liftable. The impregnable fortress had walls that were difficult to overcome, which, as a rule, were built on an inclined base with a deep foundation. They are one of the most important reasons for the inaccessibility of a fortress or castle. And it’s not just about the height, width and material from which the walls are made. Their design played a huge role. After all, inside every meter of the fortress was built taking into account the conduct of battle with the conquerors who had broken through. Everything was calculated in such a way that the defenders were invulnerable for as long as possible, and the attackers were always in sight.
San Leo
An interesting fact is that the impregnable fortresses of the world, which appeared on different continents, were built according to the same rules - an open area in front of a castle standing at a considerable height, a rampart, a moat, walls with loopholes, containers with resin, and so on. The fortress of San Leo (Saint Leo, Italy) can fully personify inaccessibility. It stands on a steep, high cliff located at the confluence of two rivers - San Marino and Marecchia. The only narrow road leading to it is cut into the rock. This one mentioned by Dante in " Divine Comedy“The citadel was also known as one of the most terrible prisons in the Vatican. spent in it last years of his life, he died in the basements of the fortress.
Valletta
Most often, such fortifications cannot be taken by storm, but only by cunning. The Valletta fortress is considered the most impregnable citadel. It began to be built as a symbol of the invincibility of the Order of Knights, after the troops of Suleiman the Great were unable to take Malta (in 1566) and retreated. Erected according to all the rules, the fortress is recognized as the most impregnable in the world, primarily due to the shape and location of its bastions, which provide the highest defensive effect.
Indian citadel
The list of “The Most Impregnable Fortresses in the World” includes unique fort Janjira, located directly in the sea off the coast of India. It was built over 20 years. Twelve-meter walls, standing on 22 arches going deep, made the fortress impregnable to enemies for 200 years. The fort itself is about 5 hundred years old.
It was also made impregnable by powerful artillery, some fragments of which still exist today. The impossibility of digging, the existence of a unique freshwater well in the center of the island - all this contributed to the fact that the defenders could hold their positions for a long time.
"The sky will soon fall to the ground..."
The impregnable Turkish fortress of Izmail fell thanks to the military genius of A.V. Suvorov. This brilliant victory of Russian weapons, when, in violation of all laws, the attackers died an order of magnitude less than the besieged, the anthem “Thunder of Victory, Ring Out!” was dedicated. Neither N.V. Repin nor I.V. Gudovich, nor P. S. Potemkin. A.V. Suvorov spent 6 days preparing for the assault, then sent an ultimatum to the commandant of the fortress demanding that he surrender voluntarily within 24 hours, to which he received an arrogant response.
Artillery preparation for the assault took place for two days, ending 2 hours before it began. After 8 hours the fortress fell. The victory was so brilliant and incredible that even now there are Russophobes who call the assault a “spectacle.” In spite of everything, it will remain in history as one of the glorious pages of Russian history.
Once impregnable, but now actively visited
As noted above, impregnable castles and fortresses are scattered throughout the world. The most famous is Pingyao (China), built in 827-782. BC and still exists today, and in good condition. A visual embodiment of inaccessibility is the fortress of Arg-e Bam (Iran), built in 500 AD, and standing on a steep cliff in Portugal.
Herons in Japan, Frontenac in Canada, Chenonceau in France, Hohenwerfen in Austria and some others are among the twenty most impregnable fortresses in the world. The history of each of them is incredibly interesting, and each of them is incredibly beautiful and unique.
When asked what is the largest medieval castle in the world, the Internet will most likely answer you that this is this one. Well, he will certainly be among the biggest. Although, of course, according to some information and some criteria, the largest is also called Hradcany Fortress in Prague Castle, but we’ll talk about it later, but now...
Construction of the castle in Malbork continued from the end of the 13th century. until the middle of the 15th century. Its origins are closely connected with the Order of the Hospital of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the German House - better known in Poland as the Teutonic Order.
The Malbork fortification complex arose in a place where there were special natural defense conditions. It was built in the northern part of a relatively narrow peninsula, surrounded on two sides by the Nogat River (from the west and partly from the north) and a large swampy valley (from the northeast and east). Only on the southern side was a convenient entrance, which was limited by a complex of defensive walls and ditches. A small stream flowed in the valley, which could easily be found even on 19th-century plans, draining water from the nearby swamps. The rowing of the Mlynówka canal, which was poured across the valley in the 12th century, formed a large lake, which could be seen in the oldest preserved sketches of Malbork from the 15th century. and plans from the times of the Polish-Swedish wars. It was an additional defensive element. Highest point territory, possibly separated from the peninsula by natural lowlands, was located where the High Castle stands today. It was here, in 1278, that the Teutonic Knights began construction of the castle.
1278 - start of construction
1280 - transfer of the order's seat from the city of Zantir to Malbork
Construction began with the location and construction of the peripheral wall of the monastery castle, designed as a rectangle measuring approximately 52 by 61 meters. At the corners were turrets typical of Teutonic castles, built in the final stages of construction above defensive porches that emphasized the decorative pinnacles of each wing of the castle. In addition, they were also a defensive element, allowing shelling from four sides.
The entrance to the castle was placed differently than in other castles built by the Order. According to the project, it ran from the then Front Castle (currently the Middle Castle) through the northwestern corner. This decision was due to the topography of the place (the high ridge of the peninsula with a long gentle slope was an almost ideal place to build an entrance road). The buildings of the chapel, capitulary hall and dormitory were attached to the walls surrounding the monastery castle from the inside. In 1280, the seat of the Order was moved from the city of Zantir to Malbork. The first monks lived in the oldest wing of the castle - the northern one. Later, the western wing was erected, in which there was a refectory and the residence of the commander. At the end of the 12th century, the castle-monastery was surrounded by a fortress wall. Thus, a space appeared between the walls, which was used for walking and as an area for warehouses (including a cannon warehouse), as well as for the burial of monks.
At the same time, a tower was built, called Gdanisko (which remains to this day), connected to the castle by a long (64 m) covered porch. Her purpose was final stage defense The tower also contained latrins, although its main task was to monitor the section of the road leading through the bridges, the Bridge Towers (which remain to this day) and the Shevsky Gate leading into the city. A similar, slightly smaller tower, called Klesha, was located on the opposite side, in the northeastern part of the defensive wall. Both towers were an additional fortification element, flanking the fortified monastery. The towers played this role until the 20th century, when German troops defending in the castle destroyed several Soviet tanks from Gdansk that tried to enter the castle from the city. The Klesha Tower lost its defensive character after the expansion of the castle church.
XIV century
1309 – rebuilding of the castle
1330-1334 - construction of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, expansion
After 1309, the castle was completely rebuilt, and many of its rooms lost their original purpose. The Order became more and more powerful thanks to further military successes in Pomerania. The final decision was made to move the residence of the Grand Master from Venice to Malbork. This event necessitated the expansion of the castle, which was to become the capital of the monastic state. The former castle-monastery became the abode of the Teutonic Order. Construction of the next wings of the castle began. The southern wing was built first, then the eastern. Due to the ever-increasing number of monks, the newly built wings housed a dormitory, a refectory and a meeting hall. The upper floors were occupied by warehouses and granaries. The walls were also strengthened: additional defensive porches appeared on their tops, which, together with the main tower and corner towers, created a general fortification system. On the ground floor and in the basements there were utility rooms: food warehouses, a monastery kitchen, a brewery and other utility rooms.
Major changes were made in 1330-1334. The entire silhouette of the castle and the internal division of the monastery premises have changed. The northern wing, which until that time had housed a chapel, was expanded. In its place, a two-story sacral building was built, with a single-hall Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary (currently at the stage of restoration of post-war damage), and on the second floor and on the first floor under the presbytery there was a chapel of St. Anna. In the Middle Ages it was the tomb of the Grand Masters of the Order. At the same time, the bell tower was rebuilt and expanded. It was an additional fortification element, serving both for defense and for sounding alarms. The use of a system of smoke and fire signals made it possible to quickly exchange information between nearby castles (Tczew, Gdansk, Elblag, Dzierzgon), as well as the summer residence of the Grand Master in Sztum.
The austere-looking building of the castle-monastery was decorated with decorative towers, defensive porches, decorative friezes and sidewalls, and above all, portals with religious themes. Thanks to this, the massive walls gave the impression of lightness.
A separate part, which still remained the main component of the castle-monastery, was the church. It was an excellent example of the combination of religious ideology with bold architectural solutions and was the main temple of the monastic state in Prussia. From the 14th century to the present day, it can be easily seen against the background of the buildings on the eastern wall of the castle. A striking effect was produced by the 8-meter statue of the Madonna and Child, the patroness of the Order (it was destroyed during the war in 1945 and has not yet been restored).
Directly to the north of the castle-monastery were the buildings of the Front Castle. It housed warehouses and utility rooms. It had its own fortification system in the form of external walls, four corner towers, an entrance tower, and a moat filled with water. Here stood the two oldest buildings, one of which housed an arsenal. Currently, the Middle Castle is located on the site of the former Front Castle. In the first half of the 14th century, construction of the residence of the Grand Masters began on the site of the former Front Castle. Unlike the High Castle-Monastery, this part was called the Middle Castle and occupied a fairly large area. Because of its purpose, it was necessary to abandon the defense function in favor of an economic and representative one. The difference in development is noticeable to this day. In the Middle Castle, on the basis of the remaining buildings of the Front Castle, a three-winged building was erected, open to the High Castle. This was the standard method of construction for strategic reasons. After the eventual conquest of the Middle Castle, the attackers would still remain in full view of the defenders of the High Castle. At the entrance to the High Castle, by transforming the former arsenal building, a residential building for the Grand Master with a chapel of St. Catherine. At the end of the 14th century. under the leadership of Nicholas Fellenstein it was expanded, taking the form of the Grand Master's Palace, similar to the one we see today.
Reception halls were designed: Summer and Winter Refectories, High Entrance Hall. The Grand Master's private rooms were also expanded. The palace rebuilt in this way was decorated with a luxurious façade on the courtyard side. The low-lying rooms housed the office, archive and scriptorium. It was here, in 1400, that the first map of West Prussia was created. At the same time, work began on painting the walls. Today we can admire the preserved fragments of old ornaments and arch paintings, thanks to which the Grand Master's palace stood out from the background of the entire castle complex. WITH north side adjacent to the palace was the western wing, in which the Great Refectory was located. This was the largest hall of the castle, measuring 15x30 meters. It hosted luxurious feasts, which were attended by more than 400 people.
More intimate receptions were held in the halls of the palace, depending on the time of year - in the Summer or Winter Refectory. Both rooms were of great artistic value, which, combined with appropriately selected furnishings, gave a stunning effect. Extracts from account books that have survived to this day show what a luxurious life the Grand Master of the Order led. Malbork was in no way inferior European capitals that time. Tournaments, hunting, lavish receptions and other high-society entertainment took place here. The eastern wing of the Middle Castle was reserved for guests of the Order, who willingly came here, lured by the opportunity to become famous in the fight against the pagans, whom the Order considered to be the inhabitants of Prussia. In the northern wing there was the residence of the Great Commander, the monastery infirmary (infirmerium) and the entrance tower.
The largest part of the Malbork fortress was the Front Castle, which was also called the Lower Castle. It was built almost simultaneously with the Middle Castle on the vast territory of the Nogat River floodplain and was the economic base of the Order. It housed workshops, warehouses, arsenals, stables, barns, barns, an infirmary and living quarters for servants. There was also a church erected in honor of St. Lawrence, whose remains rest here to this day (a designated place after the tower of St. Lawrence in front of the main entrance tower to the Middle Castle). As befits a military structure, the Front Castle was equipped with an extensive system of defensive walls with entrance gates built into them. It was also surrounded by a system of moats. There were several entrance gates to Malbork Castle, and all roads led alternately through the Front Castle, the Middle Castle to the High Castle. For example, visitors entering from the west (the most exposed side) had to pass through 14 gates, 4 drawbridges and 3 gates with bars. In a similar way The entrance from the eastern side was strengthened, through the New Gate built in 1418-1420.
With so many fortifications, the castle needed a strong and organized garrison. Not everything was always in order here, as exemplified by the brave escape of the Lithuanian prince Keistut from imprisonment in the very heart of the Malbork fortress, in the High Castle. We can still examine this prison room, called “Witold” (the name reflects only the wishes of the crusaders - Prince Witold never ended up here) today, after entering the High Castle. In addition, secret information leaked out of Malbork much more often than the Grand Master could have foreseen. An example of a secret Polish intelligence agent of those times was Stanislaw of Bolemin - a courtier of Ulrich von Jungingen, as well as a member of the Lizard Union.
15th century
1410 - first siege of the castle
1414 - reconstruction of fortifications
1454 - second siege of the castle
1457 - purchase of the castle by the Polish king Casimir Jagiellon, transfer of the capital of the Order to Königsberg
1457-1460 - battles for the city of Malbork, destruction of the Artus Court and the Town Hall building
1466 - Malbork became the capital of the voivodeship
After the defeat of the Order near Grunwald in the summer of 1410, the first siege of the Malbork fortress began in history. The new Grand Master, Heinrich von Plauen, decided to burn the city and move the people to the castle. The siege lasted 2 months, and although it was not successful, it showed the need to make changes to the defensive system due to the widespread use of artillery. Stone cannonballs reached the castle, and one of them quite spectacularly damaged the premises of the Summer Refectory, giving rise to a romantic legend. This event is a genuine fact confirmed by historians and restorers. The shocked defenders built the cannonball into the eastern wall of the Summer Refectory as a keepsake, as a symbol of their steadfast defense.
Immediately after the withdrawal of Polish troops, reconstruction of the fortifications began, especially on the northern and eastern sides. In 1414, earthen fortifications were created, prepared for the use of firearms. At the end of the 40s of the fourteenth century, concrete bastions were built along the outer ramparts, allowing for flanking fire from firearms.
In 1454, the fortress survived a second siege, which lasted 6 months. And this time Malbork did not give in. After the defeat at Chojnice, the royal troops retreated. In 1457, Malbork Castle passed into Polish hands.
More precisely, the Poles bought the castle from mercenary troops. The Order at this time was struggling with increasing financial problems and was unable to pay mercenaries. For the considerable sum of 190 thousand Hungarian florins, on June 7, King Casimir Jagiellon, surrounded by servants, entered the castle, giving rise to 315 years of Polish rule of Malbork. The capital of the Order was moved to Konigsberg. In September 1457, due to the betrayal of the mayor of Malbork, Bartholomew Blume, the Order captured the city. This time, however, a well-thought-out strategy of fortifications turned against the Teutonic army - Polish troops stationed in the castle successfully repelled the assault on the castle, but only 3 years later, in September 1460, they entered the city back.
Military actions, unfortunately, did not leave a mark on architecture. Many buildings were destroyed, including the church, the Artus Court and the town hall.
After the Peace of Torun in 1466, Malbork became the capital of the voivodeship. The castle housed the offices of provincial and local authorities. The Palace of the Grand Masters became the residence of the Polish kings. The castle housed one of the largest arsenals in Poland, with a permanent garrison of 200 people.
XVI - XVIII centuries
1626 - Malbork falls into the hands of the Swedish army
1629 - expansion of the earthwork fortification system
1772 - invasions of the Prussian army, period of Prussian destruction of Frederick II
1812-1813 - invasion of Napoleon’s army, modernization of fortifications
At the end of the 16th century, another modification of the Malbork fortifications was made. During the Polish-Swedish wars, Malbork changed hands several times. The Polish garrison of the fortress was not ready for a siege, and on July 19, 1626, the Swedish king Carl Gustav captured Malbork. In 1626-1927, the Swedes strengthened Malbork, erecting a series of earthen bastions on the southern and eastern sides. The remains of some of them have survived to this day (the hill on which the statue of G. Sienkiewicz stands). In 1629, another series of fortifications was erected, consisting of bastions, stars and redoubts. It covers the territory from the Shtum suburb to the sands. On this protected territory there was a camp for the 10,000-strong Swedish army.
Further changes in the fortifications of Malbork were carried out depending on the political and economic situation of the next owners. At the end of the 18th century. Together with the change in military doctrine, it turned out that Malbork's defensive system was already outdated and was quite badly damaged. Further destruction occurred after 1772, when power passed into the hands of the Prussian army. In 1774, the city sold its last cannon in exchange for a fire pump. Only the Napoleonic campaign managed to interrupt the process of devastation of Malbork. After military destruction in the 17th century. All that remained of the former fortress were ruined walls, defended by a few, poorly armed soldiers. The defensive character of Malbork was replaced by an economic one.
In 1772, Malbork was captured by the Prussian army. Frederick II began his reign with the reception of the oath of the population in the Great Refectory of Malbork Castle. Frederick II's attitude towards the castle was marked by pragmatism. It's time for the castle Hard times, later called the period of Prussian destruction. The Gothic vaults were destroyed. The palace was turned into military warehouses and barracks. In the Great Refectory, which was the pride of the Order, soldiers rode horses. The Palace of the Grand Master was turned into a weaving factory. Many buildings were dismantled, including part of Gdansk, the chapel of St. Bartholomew and the gate at the Church of St. Lawrence. The dismantling was led by David Gilley. These works caused discontent among a significant part of society, especially young people. The initiator of the protest was Friedrich Gilli, the son of the leader of the dismantling of the castle. In 1804, dismantling of the castle was stopped.
During the Napoleonic Wars, Malbork fell into the hands of the French. Their reign lasted until January 1813. At this time, Malbork was returned to the status of a fortress, due to the suspension of the development of the city. During the extensively planned modernization of the fortification system, the infirmary of St. Spirit, entrance to the Gate of St. Mary's Chapel and Sand Gate. French troops left the city destroyed. Payment of debts was completed only in 1830.
XIX - XX centuries
1830 - beginning of the “romantic restoration”
1882-1921 - reconstruction of the castle under the leadership of K. Steinbrecht
1945-1950 - branch of the Museum of the Polish Army
1961 - creation of the Castle Museum in Malbork
1997 - inclusion in the UNESCO list
Arrived next period, called the "romantic restoration". At the same time, museum collections began to be collected and exhibited in the castle. But only the methodical architectural and archaeological research of Konrad Steinbrecht made it possible to carry out an extensive restoration of the entire castle complex. In 1882-1921, based on his own sketches, the castle was reconstructed. After Steinbrecht's death until 1944, his idea was continued by his student, Bernard Schmid. It was thanks to the efforts of these two people that the castle was restored to the form in which it appeared in the Middle Ages. The adopted plan was almost completely implemented. Work was suspended due to the approach of the front.
The ideologists of the Third Reich paid great attention to the castle. The leaders of the Nazi Party often met within the walls of Malbork. And in 1940, after the partition of Poland, the flag of the Teutonic Order, which the Poles conquered in Battle of Grunwald in 1410 and kept in Wawel Castle in Krakow.
In June 1944, the command of the German army declared Malbork a fortress and sent SS units into it. The battles took place from January to early March 1945. As a result of hostilities, 50% - 80% of one of the most valuable monuments of defensive architecture in Europe was destroyed.
Since June 1945, the castle has been surrounded by care. In 1945-50 it became a branch of the Museum of the Polish Army in Warsaw. In 1959, the Ministry of Culture and Arts transferred the castle to the management of Tourist Sites.
Since 1957, the castle has been managed by the Malbork branch of the Polish Tourist and Local Lore Society. At the same time, restoration work is underway under the direction of the Voivodeship Restorer of Historical Objects from Gdańsk. In 1956, the Social Committee for the reconstruction of the castle was formed. On January 1, 1961, the Castle Museum in Malbork was created. This decision was accelerated by the outbreak of a serious fire on the roofs of the western and northern wings of the castle on September 7, 1959. On July 3, 1965, an amber exhibition opened in the partially rebuilt eastern wing, which still attracts crowds of tourists today.
In December 1997, Malbork Castle was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Several years ago, opposite the most valuable fragment of the Malbork castle, with the consent of the city authorities, a floating pontoon was installed, on board of which there is a restaurant. Big sizes and the location of the pier of this object violated the harmony of the western panorama of the Malbork fortress that had been formed over many centuries. The greatest treasure of culture, the western façade of the Palace of the Grand Masters, protected by the international laws on which the World Heritage List was created, has been defaced by unwise administrative decisions. Every lover of memorable photographs of the western panorama of the Malbork castle has an ugly detail of the pontoon-restaurant on his photo card. Attempts to remove this ugly addition have no effect.
Since 2000, in the second half of July, an event called “The Siege of Malbork” has been held near the castle. This event is of great interest to tourists. These days, Malbork hosts a fair of medieval crafts, a knight's tournament, and a tournament of archers and crossbowmen. In the evening, on the ramparts of von Plauen (in the eastern part of the castle), a reconstruction of the events associated with the siege of the fortress by Polish and Lithuanian troops in 1410 is carried out. Knights' societies from all over Poland come to Malbork for the "Siege of...", and there are also foreign guests, so it is really worth seeing.
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