The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork

The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork is a 13th-century Teutonic castle and stronghold near the Polish town of Malbork. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world's largest castle in terms of land size.

It was built in the shape of an Ordensburg fortification by the Teutonic Knights, a German Catholic monastic order of crusaders. Marienburg was given to the Order in honor of 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 until 1945, the castle was under German control for more than 170 years.

The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork is a superb example of a medieval fortification and, when completed in 1406, was the largest 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 two World Heritage Sites in the region (north-central Poland), together with the 1231-founded "Medieval Town of Toruń". Malbork Castle was also recognized as a National Historic Monument in Poland on September 16, 1994.

Location: Malbork, Poland