Who wants to go to the largest castle in the world? That was the start of the week and I admit I had never heard of Malbork before and it was a shock to hear that the largest castle in the World was so close to where we were and I was clueless. Of we went and upon arrival, you will be impressed by the extension of the walls but also by its location right next to the river Nogat, a beautiful location indeed.
History
Malbork Castle is a 13th-century Teutonic castle and fortress. The medieval castle was built in the 13th century as a fortress by the Teutonic Knights, a Catholic religious order of Germany and names Marienburg in honour of Mary, mother of Jesus. It was substantially enlarged and embellished after 1309 when the seat of the Grand Master moved here. It occupies an area of 21 hectares making it the largest castle in the world measured by land area. It has since been used as a Royal residence, a poorhouse and it faced complete destruction during the WWII.
It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Castle tour
We had one of those audioguides and I must say it was great, we learned a lot about the history but also curiosities about the rooms as we walked freely through the complex. We would recommend getting the audioguide even if you skip some of the explanations, I assure you there are very interesting stories and facts that you’ll miss if you don’t.
Malbork is the largest castle in the world so to visit you really need a day, we arrived quite early in the morning and already faced a huge line to buy tickets and took us about 1 hour to actually start our visit. By lunchtime, we were up to the tour and the line of people outside was so large it didn’t fit the main square. Go early!
Expect to see large brick buildings, inner courtyards, gardens, towers and lots of space. After waiting for one hour we thought the visit would be difficult and we would be pushing people trying to see things but with such a large area it’s not bad at all and it’s comfortable to visit.
Castle Interior
The rooms are fascinating and a mix of visiting a museum and a palace. The armoury, St Mary’s Church, Grand Master Palace or the Hight Castle there is so much to see. You can check our youtube video on this page to have an idea of what to expect but in short, I would say it’s remarkable.
After being almost destroyed after WWII the restoration work is outstanding and looking at a photo from those days I couldn’t believe how well it was made.
Malbork castle facts
- Originally constructed by the Teutonic Knights
- It’s the largest castle in the world measured by land area with 21 hectares.
- It’s the largest brick-built castle in the world
- It’s the largest brick building in Europe
- Served as a blueprint for the Order Castles of the Third Reich
- More than half the castle was destroyed during WWI
Tickets
Tickets are avaiable here and currently cost around €7 in winter and €9 in summer. Children up to 7 years old don’t pay.
Location
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