Malbork
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Malbork (pronounce: 
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History of the castle
The town was built around the fortress Ordensburg Marienburg which was founded in 1274 on the right bank of the river Nogat by the Teutonic Knights. Both the castle and the town of Marienburg were named for their patron saint, the Virgin Mary. This fortified castle became the seat of the Teutonic Order and Europe's largest Gothic fortress. However, it was sold during the Thirteen Years' War in 1457 to king Casimir IV of Poland by the Bohemian king's imperial soldiers in lieu of their pay. This separated the castle from the city in political terms, as the citizens there did resist Poland.
Under continuous construction for nearly 230 years, Ordensburg Marienburg is actually three castles nested in one another. A classic example of a medieval fortress, it is the world’s largest brick castle and one of the most impressive of its kind in Europe. The castle and its museum are listed as UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.
Panorama of Malbork at River Nogat, with the Ordensburg Marienburg
History of the town
The village of Marienburg grew in the vicinity of the castle. The river Nogat and flat terrain allowed easy access for barges a hundred kilometers from the sea. During Prussia's government by the Teutonic Knights, they collected tolls on river traffic and imposed a monopoly of the amber trade. The city later became a member of the Hanseatic League, and many Hanse meetings were held there.
When the castle was sold to the king of Poland in 1457 and the Teutonic Knights left, the city of Malbork under mayor Bartholomäus Blume resisted the Poles for three further years. When the Poles finally took control, he was hanged. The city then shared the history of Royal Prussia.
After World War II, Marienburg was put under Polish administration under the name of Malbork.
Famous residents
- Tadeusz Brzozowski (1749-1820), Father General of the Society of Jesus
- Stanisław Taczak (1874-1960), general and commander-in-chief of the Great Poland Uprising
- Carl Legien (1861-1920), leading politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
- Erich Kamke (1890-1961), mathematician
- Heinz Galinski (1912-1992), president of the Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland
- Grzegorz Lato (born 1950), former striker for the Poland national football team
External links
- () [Tourist Information]
- () [Municipal website]
- () [The Malbork Castle Museum]
- () [Malbork Music Festival]
- () [Church records - statistics of burghers - 1684-1900, filmed by LDS]
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