Construction of Marienburg
The castle of Marienburg, on the right bank of the Nogat river in what is now northern Poland, was for more than a century and a half the seat of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order and the administrative centre of the Order’s Prussian state. Built in brick over more than a century of continuous construction beginning in 1274, it was the largest fortified complex in medieval Europe and one of the most technically sophisticated buildings of the late Middle Ages. The castle remains, to the present day, as the most impressive single monument of the Teutonic state and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Site
The site was chosen, in the late 1260s, by the Grand Master Anno von Sangershausen, who was seeking a more defensible and central location for the Order’s principal Prussian convent castle. The site, on a low hill overlooking the Nogat, was at the centre of the Vistula delta, a few miles south of the Baltic coast. It was on the principal waterway of the region, at the junction of the major land routes, and in a region of rich agricultural land that could support a substantial garrison.
The First Phase: 1274 to 1309
The first phase — the construction of the Hochschloss (high castle) — was begun in 1274 and completed in the early years of the fourteenth century. The Hochschloss was the original convent castle, housing the local Komtur, the local chapter, and the local garrison. It was distinguished from other convent castles by its size, the quality of its brickwork, and the sophistication of its design. The chapel was, in its time, one of the largest castle chapels in Europe, and the great hall was a substantial building in its own right.
The Second Phase: 1309 to 1340s
The second phase — the construction of the Mittelschloss (middle castle) — was begun in 1309, when the Grand Master transferred his seat from Venice to Marienburg. The Mittelschloss served as the principal residence of the Grand Master, the headquarters of the central administration, and the venue for the chapter general.
The Mittelschloss was designed to a substantially larger scale than the Hochschloss. It was organised around a series of courtyards, each of which served a particular function. The Annenkapelle was a substantial building in its own right, and the Mittelschlossremter was one of the largest great halls in medieval Europe.
The Third Phase: 1340s to 1380
The third phase — the construction of the Vorgeschloss (fore castle) and the great chapter house — was begun in the 1340s under Dietrich von Altenburg and completed in 1380 under Winrich von Kniprode. The Vorgeschloss served as a fortified enclosure for the storage of grain, the housing of guests, the accommodation of mercenaries, and the quartering of visiting crusaders. The great chapter house, the Großkapitelhaus, was designed to accommodate the chapter general of the Order, which could include up to several hundred knight-brothers.
The Castle as a Whole
The Marienburg, as it appeared at the end of the construction in 1380, was, by any standard, a remarkable building. The castle was the largest brick building in medieval Europe, organised in three principal parts — the Hochschloss, the Mittelschloss and the Vorgeschloss — each of which served a particular function. The castle was an important example of the brick Gothic architecture of the Baltic region, and it had a profound influence on the development of the regional architectural vocabulary.
The End of the Castle’s Use as the Grand Master’s Seat
The Marienburg was the seat of the Grand Master from 1309 to 1457. In 1457, during the Thirteen Years’ War, the castle was sold by the Grand Master Ludwig von Erlichshausen to the Bohemian mercenary captain Kaspar Hanau, in exchange for the sum of 190,000 Hungarian gulden. The sale was never completed: the castle was besieged and captured by the Polish forces, and it was incorporated into the Polish crown.
The castle was, after 1457, used by the Polish crown as a residence of the Polish starosts of Malbork. The castle was ceded to the Kingdom of Prussia in 1772 as a result of the First Partition of Poland, and the Prussian authorities used it as a military barracks and hospital. The castle was severely damaged in 1945, and it was, after 1945, incorporated into the territory of the Polish Republic, which has undertaken a substantial programme of restoration. The castle is, since 1997, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Sources
- Biskup, Marian, and Gerard Labuda. Dzieje zakonu krzyżackiego w Prusach. Gdańsk: Wydawnictwo Morskie, 1986.
- Boockmann, Hartmut. Der Deutsche Orden: Zwölf Kapitel aus seiner Geschichte. Munich: Beck, 1981.
- Biskup, Marian, and Janusz Trupinda. Das Marienburger Konventsbuch 1399–1412. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 2003.
Related Reading
The Marienburg is discussed in the main article on the golden age, and the reign of the Grand Master under whom the castle reached its final form is examined in the article on Winrich von Kniprode. For the architectural tradition, see the article on brick Gothic architecture, and for the convent castles more generally, see the article on the Order’s castles. For the loss of the castle during the Thirteen Years’ War, see the article on the war.