Malbork Castle (Marienburg) founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1274 in honor of the Virgin Mary. In 1309 it became the residence of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order. During the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, Malbork withstood a siege by Polish-Lithuanian troops, but was sold for debts. In the XVII century, the fortress suffered from the invasion of the Swedes, later it was used for their needs by Napoleonic troops and the Nazis.
The greatest destruction was inflicted on Malbork during the bombing of World War II. Malbork Castle was completely restored by the Polish authorities and in 1997 was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Now Malbork is visited annually by about half a million tourists.
The majestic building combines Gothic elements with Romanesque monumentality. There are legends about him: allegedly, you can meet the ghost of a woman whose husband languished in captivity with the Teutonic Knights. Do not be afraid: the meeting promises good luck in love. According to another legend, vampires live here: the appearance of rumors was the abundance of bats. What beckons them here is a mystery. But even skeptical tourists will not be bored here. The main entertainment is the museum of the history of the castle, an exhibition of amber and a café, stylized as a medieval tavern.
Siege of Malbork Castle
Immediately after the Battle of Grunwald, Malbork Castle was besieged by the Polish king Władysław Jagiełło, but did not surrender. Since 2000, sieges have taken place every year, in mid-July. The three-day event is full of performances and presentations not only for children. Tickets are usually sold out before a siege, so make sure to buy them in advance.
Malbork Castle Museum
Since 1961, the Malbork Castle Museum has occupied the fortress and the castle is available for visiting. The museum offers to visit most of the castle buildings, including the High Castle, the Middle Castle and the Palace of the Grand Masters.
How to get to Malbork Castle
From Kaliningrad to Malbork can be reached directly by BUS ECOLINES or by car (140 km). A railway line passes through Malbork, connecting it with Warsaw and the cities on the coast of Gdańsk-Sopot-Gdynia (Three Cities). Most tourists travel to Malbork from Gdansk by train.
Trains Gdańsk-Malbork run frequently, the journey time is from 26 min to 1 hour. The fastest and most comfortable way to get to Malbork is by high-speed train Intercity (EIP, EIC, TLK), tickets with seats. Regional trains (REG) are 2-3 times cheaper. If you want to save money, write out the schedule of regional round-trip trains, otherwise you will have to wait more than an hour. My ticket for a regular train cost 17 PLN, back 12 PLN, the probability of taking seats depends on the time and route.
Malbork Railway Station is 1 km from the castle. From the historic station building, turn right and walk 15-20 minutes through the city center. Halfway through will be the Malbork Information Centre (ul. Kościuszki 54) — free tourist materials, luggage storage, souvenirs.
Opening hours and tickets
The Malbork Castle Museum operates according to summer and winter schedules:
- summer season – from May 1 to September 30 9:00-19:00
- winter season – from October 1 to April 30 10:00-15:00
The territory of the castle complex can be visited within an hour after closing with a separate ticket.
Ticket offices are located in front of the entrance to the territory in a separate building. In order not to stand in line, they can be bought online. The ticket is printed or presented electronically.
The cost of an adult ticket is 45 PLN. Along with the ticket they give a free audio guide (the number is limited). In July and August, every day at 12:00, group excursions are held in Russian language at the standard ticket price. 2 hours before closing, tickets are sold at a discount. On Mondays, some of the interiors are closed, tickets are cheaper – 7 PLN. Information for visitors on the official website of Malbork Castle.
Where to eat in Malbork
We ate near the station at The Bar Bis Café. It is very cheap there, but may not speak English (menu soup + cutlet + puree + salad cost 13 zlotys). Cooking is delicious, but there will be no frills. Clean. Password for Wi-Fi dworcowa24.
On the territory of the castle there are two restaurants: Gothic Cafe and Piwniczka, but we were not there, we can not advise. According to the rating on Google Maps, Gothic Cafe is better.
On the main street (Kosciuszki) there is a McDonald’s, some other cafes and a couple of bakeries (sandwiches, buns, cakes, etc. food).
Practical information
How to get from Gdansk to Malbork Castle
Gdańsk to Malbork Castle by train
There are frequent trains from Gdansk. The journey takes about 40 minutes, the ticket price starts from 13.5 zlotys depending on the train. From the train station to the castle you need to walk about 15 minutes.
From Gdańsk to Malbork Castle by car
If you decide to get there by car, keep in mind that it can be difficult to find parking near Malbork Castle and you may have to pay for it. But be careful, as the private parking spaces near Malbork Castle are very expensive and you can pay more than PLN 50 for parking during a visit to the castle. So look for municipal parking lots where rates start at 1 PLN/hour and are charged only from Monday to Friday from 8.00 to 15.00.
