Malbork Castle Museum
The Castle Museum at Malbork — in Polish Muzeum Zamkowe w Malborku — is the principal institution of the modern heritage of the Teutonic Order, and one of the most impressive medieval castle museums in Europe. The museum is housed in the great complex of Marienburg, the principal seat of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order from 1309 to 1457, and the largest brick building of medieval Europe. The museum is, in its present form, a substantial institution with a permanent collection, a programme of temporary exhibitions, a programme of educational activities, and a programme of research.
The History of the Museum
The museum was established, in its original form, in 1857, in the course of the German imperial restoration campaign, and was, in the early twentieth century, the principal institution of the German imperial heritage of the Order’s architectural legacy. The museum was, in its original form, housed in the Middle Castle of Marienburg, and contained a substantial collection of architectural fragments, sculptural fragments, glazed brick fragments, painted fragments, and other materials from the Order’s principal buildings.
The museum was, after 1920, taken over by the Polish government, which had been established in the western Prussian territories in 1920, and was, in the interwar period, the principal institution of the Polish heritage of the Order’s architectural legacy. The museum was, during the second world war, the subject of substantial damage, and the collection was largely evacuated to safety. The museum was, in 1945, the subject of substantial restoration under the Polish government, which had been re-established in the western Prussian territories, and the collection was, in 1946, the subject of a substantial return to the restored complex.
The Permanent Collection
The permanent collection is, the principal collection of the Order’s architectural legacy in Europe, and contains substantial collections of architectural fragments, sculptural fragments, glazed brick fragments, painted fragments, and other materials from the Order’s principal buildings. The most impressive single object in the permanent collection is the Danziger Marienaltar, a monumental late Gothic altarpiece of considerable sophistication, which was, in the early fifteenth century, the principal altarpiece of the parish church of St Mary in Danzig. The Danziger Marienaltar is one of the most impressive late Gothic altarpieces in northern Europe, and is one of the principal objects of the museum’s permanent collection.
The other principal objects are the architectural fragments, including substantial collections of glazed brick, moulded brick, and figure sculpture; the sculptural fragments, including substantial collections of late Gothic figure sculpture; the painted fragments, including substantial collections of wall paintings; and the historical objects, including substantial collections of weapons, armour, and other historical objects.
The Programme of Temporary Exhibitions
The programme of temporary exhibitions is, in its present form, a substantial programme of exhibitions on subjects relating to the history of the Teutonic Order, the architectural legacy of the Order, and the wider history of the medieval European military orders. The most substantial of the temporary exhibitions of the early twenty-first century are the temporary exhibitions on the restoration of the Marienburg, on the architectural legacy of the Teutonic Order, on the history of the Teutonic Order, on the wider history of the medieval European military orders, on the history of the Order’s brick Gothic architecture, and on the history of the Order’s defensive architecture.
Educational and Research Programmes
The programme of educational activities is, in its present form, a substantial programme for school groups, university students, adult learners, family groups, and specialist researchers. The programme of research is, in its present form, a substantial programme on subjects relating to the history of the Teutonic Order, the architectural legacy of the Order, and the wider history of the medieval European military orders. The most substantial of the research projects of the early twenty-first century are the research projects on the architectural history of the Marienburg, on the restoration history of the Marienburg, on the archaeological investigation of the Marienburg, and on the wider history of the Order’s architectural legacy.
Sources
- Boockmann, Hartmut. Der Deutsche Orden: Zwölf Kapitel aus seiner Geschichte. Munich: Beck, 1981.
- Rohde, Hans. Macht und Pracht der Marienburg. Königstein: Langewiesche, 1952.
- Smith, Laurajane. Uses of Heritage. Oxford: Blackwell, 2006.
Related Reading
The wider context of the modern heritage of the Order’s castles is examined in the parent article on the heritage of the castles today, and the international heritage campaign is treated in the article on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The architectural character of the complex is treated in the article on the major castles of the Teutonic Order, and the architectural style in which the complex was built is treated in the article on brick Gothic architecture. The construction of the complex is treated in the article on the construction of Marienburg, and the wider context of the Order’s architectural patronage is examined in the parent chapter on the castles and built legacy of the Teutonic Order.