Malbork Castle in Photos
Words by Dalene Heck / Photography by Pete Heck
Another thing to surprise us about this area of northern Poland: it is home to the largest castle in the world (by surface area).
The Malbork Castle was built by the Teutonic Knights and completed in 1406 after the conquest of Old Prussia. It is a dominating presence on the banks of the Nogat river, having been expanded several times to house the number of knights who resided there and soon became the largest fortified Gothic building in Europe.
Throughout history the castle has been a residence of the Polish Kings, used for barracks for the Prussian army, and as a destination for a pilgrimage for the Hitler Youth and League of German girls.
After WWII the castle again became a part of Poland and has been reconstructed and restored from the damages of the war and after a fire in 1959.
The Malbork Castle now stands as the largest brick building in Europe.
Beautiful photos as always, guys 🙂
I guess castles are not my thing because even knowing this is the biggest castle in the world, I was thinking to myself “Meh, I’ve seen better…”
And then I saw your photos of the INTERIOR of the castle, and that definitely looks like something I would be interested in checking out. Love the arched ceilings and all the paintings and tilework… shame that’s the part that you have to pay to see! 😉
It is not only the biggest but one of the best preserved ones as well. We are very proud of this one and all the school trips to Malbork are obligatory 🙂 Glad to see so many bloggers visiting Poland this summer!
I will admit that I am not the biggest fan of castles – or should I say, the history. For me, stories blur before the 1900s 🙂 But Malbork is really something else!
Poland has such an interesting history! I’d love to visit and this castle would definitely be on my itinerary. Your pictures beautiful and inviting.
Thanks Debbie. The history, mostly so tragic, is very fascinating to learn here.
Beautiful pictures! I love old structures, and this one has a rich history. Great post.
Oh I’ve been here, ages ago on a Baltic cruise. How fun to revisit it on your blog!
Your photos are amazing!
Breathtaking! If they allow picnicking on the grounds I’d be hard pressed to ever leave!
Ooh…we never even thought of a picnic! Damn, we should have tried!
Gorgeous photos! We were there last year, on a very cloudy day… Your photos make me want to go back…
Beautiful place.
I can’t wait until I get the chance to explore castles again!
I love castles! This looks like a good one, I’ll have to remember it for whenever we get to Poland.
If you like castles than you would LOVE this one Ali. It is really something.
wow what a place, now on my list of places to see 🙂
Worth the trip out there though? We are in Gdansk and considering going there for a day trip, but not sure…. we’ve seen a few castles already….. hard to decide!
Had to revisit your post because we are heading up to Gdansk area for the long Polish holiday this week. Can’t wait to explore the Baltic Sea area for the first time! 🙂 This castle is on our list too!
I love the first photo, it does look magnificent and historical. The castle is definitely huge and they have wonderful paintings showing their history. Nice photos and thanks for the post!
Beautiful photos! We’ve visited so many castles and they all start to look the same on the inside, but I still love looking at them from the outside.
My grandmother/gr’father and their ancestors were born in Bytow,Poland, west of Gdansk. Now I’m really motivated to discover my roots
and travel to northern Poland!
Hello, I am an art teacher in Florida. My middle school students will be studying Malbork Castle this fall. May I use your photos for drawing references? They will not be used for commercial or financial gain purposes–just sources of inspiration. Thank you in advance!
That would be fine Kathleen!