page_title: Malbork
section_title: History of the castle
hierarchical_section_title: Malbork / History of the castle
caption_attribution_description: Español: Castillo de Malbork, PoloniaEnglish: Malbork Castle, Poland This is a photo of a monument in Poland identified by the ID 636782
context_page_description: Malbork is a town in northern Poland, within the historical region of Pomerelia. Situated in the Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, it was previously assigned to Elbląg Voivodeship. It is the capital of Malbork County and the population was estimated at 38,723, as of 2018.
  Founded in the 13th century by the Knights of the Teutonic Order, the town is noted for its medieval Malbork Castle, built in the 13th Century as the Order's headquarters, which was also the seat of the early modern Polish province of Royal Prussia.
context_section_description: 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 (named Marienburg in German and Malborg or Malbork in Polish) 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 soldiers from Bohemia. They sold the castle in 1457 to King Casimir IV of Poland in lieu of indemnities. From 1457 to 1772 the castle was one of Poland's royal residences. Polish Kings often stayed in the castle, especially when travelling to the nearby city of Gdańsk. Also astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus visited the castle. From 1568 the castle also housed the Polish Admiralty (Komisja Morska) and in 1584 one of the Polish Royal Mints was established here. The largest arsenal of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was located in the castle.
  Under continuous construction for nearly 230 years, the castle complex is actually three castles combined in one. 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 by the Germans when World War II broke out. During the war, the castle was over 50% destroyed. Restoration has been ongoing since the war. The castle and its museum are listed as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.
caption: Malbork Castle viewed over the Nogat River
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