EUROPEAN VACATION DAY 2 :: MALBORK, POLAND :: On our first full day in Poland, we decided it would be best to hire a private guide to take us on a tour of the area. We're glad we found
Agnieszka Syroka, who is very friendly, energetic, and passionate about her country. (In particular, she loves Poland's medieval legacy and collects handmade bricks from the era!) "Agnes" provided us with a fascinating crash course on Polish culture and history, in addition to showing us the sites. She is highly recommended on forums such as TripAdvisor, and also by
Rick Steves himself.
Our first destination was Malbork Castle, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site located about 60 miles South-East of
Gdynia. It has the distinction of being the largest brick castle in the world and the former capital of the Teutonic Knights. As we drove to the site, we crossed a scenic lowland engineered by Mennonites during the 18th and 19th century. They successfully turned the once marshy area into productive farmland via a complex system of dikes and canals. Unfortunately, the Soviet "liberation" forced all Mennonites to flee or assimilate. There are no Mennonite communities in Poland today, although Agnes says many have come back to visit their ancestoral homes and graves. The region is also famous for the country's cherished white storks, and we stopped to see several nesting pairs during our drive back. They are the subject of many Polish legends and superstitions.
Upon arriving at Malbork Castle, I turned into a little boy again, fascinated by the impressive walls, towers, bridges and gates. Kristie was excited too, as this was her first visit to a real castle. Built in 1274, Malbork Castle was expanded several times to become the largest fortified Gothic structure in all of Europe, once housing over 3,000 knights. The castle was the headquarters of the Teutonic Order for nearly two centuries. As Agnes told us more about the Knights, however, the charm of the castle's former inhabitants gradually wore off. Basically, you only need a fortification like Malbork if you have a lot of enemies, and during their time at Malbork, the Teutonic Order excelled at pissing people off. Knights once known for being compassionate, subservient and highly-educated, became militant, corrupt and disdainful of basic literacy. The Order eventually imploded due to infighting, and the castle was pawned to mercenaries as payment during the Thirteen Years War. In 1457, the mercenaries sold the castle to Poland, the kingdom they were originally hired to fight. Malbork Castle was never conquered by force, although it was almost completely dismantled and destroyed during WWII.
The castle has been almost completely reconstructed and converted into a public museum. We made our way through the three concentric sections of the Lower, Middle and High castles, each with greater security measures and corresponding importance. We enjoyed being guided through a maze of corridors, courtyards and grand halls. Agnes explained the various components in each room, such as the heating system and the interesting Toilet Tower, which in addition its named purpose, was designed to be the most defensible room of the castle, capable of withstanding months of siege. Throughout the tour, Agnes also excitedly pointed out which sections of bricks were original. Medieval bricks are significantly larger than modern bricks, and sometimes we spotted the fingerprints of their makers from centuries ago.
Next stop:
Gdańsk!
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