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Malbork

Malbork, Ger. Marienburg, town (1994 est. pop. 40,100), Pomorskie prov., N Poland, on the Nogat River. It is a rail junction with sugar refineries and dairies. Originally a castle founded (1274) by the Teutonic Knights, Malbork became the seat of their grand master in 1309. It successfully withstood sieges by the Poles in 1410 and 1454, but in 1457 Malbork was sold to Poland by mercenaries whose pay was in arrears. The town passed to Prussia in 1772. Germany took control of the town in 1920, and it was returned to Poland in 1945. The castle (rebuilt in the 14th and 19th cent.) is one of the finest examples of German secular medieval architecture.

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Malbork

Malbork (Marienburg in Westpreußen; Civitas Beatae Virginis) is a town in northern Poland in the Żuławy region, with 41,000 inhabitants (2001). Situated in the Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, it was previously assigned to Elbląg Voivodeship (1975-1998). It is the capital of Malbork County.

Founded in the 13th century by the Teutonic Knights, Malbork is noted for its Gothic castle, one of the most striking in Europe.

History of the castle

The town was built in Prussia around the fortress Ordensburg Marienburg which was founded in 1274 on the east bank of the river Nogat by the Teutonic Knights. Both the castle and the town of Marienburg (rendered in Polish as Malborg or Malbork) 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. During the Thirteen Years War, the castle of Marienburg was pawned by the Teutonic Order to their imperial soldiers from Bohemia. They sold the castle in 1457 to King Casimir IV of Poland 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, Marienburg Castle/Malbork, 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 was in the process of being restored when World War II broke out. During the war, the castle was over 50% destroyed. Restoration has been ongoing since the war. However, the main cathedral in the castle, fully restored just prior to the war and destroyed during the war, remains in its ruined state. The castle and its museum are listed as UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.

History of the town

The town 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 town later became a member of the Hanseatic League, and many Hanseatic meetings were held there.

When the castle was sold to the king of Poland in 1457 and the Teutonic Knights left, the town of Marienburg under Mayor Bartholomäus Blume and others resisted the Poles for three further years. When the Poles finally took control, Blume was hanged and quartered. A monument to him was erected in 1864.

As Malbork, the town became part of the Polish province of Royal Prussia after the Second Peace of Thorn (1466). It was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in the First Partition of Poland in 1772 and made part of the Province of West Prussia the following year. Marienburg became part of the German Empire in 1871.

According to the Treaty of Versailles after WWI the inhabitants were asked whether they want to remain in Germany or join the new Second Polish Republic by the Allenstein and Marienwerder plebiscite on July 11, 1920. 17.805 votes were given to remain in Germany, 191 votes for Poland. Based on that result Marienburg was included in the Regierungsbezirk Marienwerder within East Prussia. With the Allied victory in World War II and the Potsdam conference Malbork returned to Poland. All German residents were expelled.