Malbork Castle

The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork is a Teutonic castle and stronghold built in the 13th century near the town of Malbork, Poland. It is the world's biggest castle in terms of land size and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was initially built in the shape of an Ordensburg fortification by the Teutonic Knights, a German Catholic monastic order of crusaders. The Order called it Marienburg after Mary, Jesus' mother.

During the Thirteen Years' War, Bohemian mercenaries sold it to King Casimir IV of Poland in exchange for indemnities in 1457, and it then served as one of several Polish royal residences and the seat of Polish offices and institutions, interrupted by several years of Swedish occupation, until the First Partition of Poland in 1772. From then on, the castle was under German control for nearly 170 years, until 1945, when it fell into disrepair as military technology developments left it a mere historical curiosity. The building period is debatable; nonetheless, most historians recognize the 132 years between 1274 and 1406 as the construction period.

The castle is a superb example of a medieval fortification and, when completed in 1406, was the biggest brick castle in the world. In December 1997, UNESCO listed the "Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork" and the Malbork Castle Museum as World Heritage Sites. It is one of the region's two World Heritage Sites, along with the "Medieval Town of Toru", which was built in 1231. Malbork Castle was also recognized as a National Historic Monument in Poland on September 16, 1994. The National Heritage Board of Poland maintains its listing.

Location: Malbork, Poland