Webcam Malbork Castle
In Poland is the largest fortress in Europe, built in the Gothic style. It is located in a city with the same name and a fairly rich historical past. It is the former ancient capital of the Teutonic Order. This amazingly attractive castle is called Malbork and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Malbork is a castle whose history began seven centuries ago, when Polish Duke Konrad Mazowiecki appealed to the Teutonic Knights for help. They were to protect the Polish lands from the raids of pagan Prussian tribes and force their enemies to be baptized. The Pope gave his blessing for this crusade against Prussia, in connection with which he issued an edict ("Golden Bull") granting freedom of action to the knights in the Baltics. Although the lands that the Teutonians conquered were placed under the guardianship of the papal throne, the knights felt like full masters of the land.
They took control of the entire Baltic coast, settled in the territories they conquered, and brutally suppressed all manifestations of paganism. As a result, a people with centuries of history (the Prussians) was almost completely exterminated. In the conquered lands of Poland the knights built their own border fortresses. The Teutonians in 1274 laid the foundation of the described castle. It was then named Marienburg after the Virgin Mary. Within only a few years a four-storey building with numerous barracks designed for knights grew over the slopes of the Nogat river bank and in 1280 the Knights' Council was established there.
Between 1454 and 1466 the Teutonians and Poles fought the long Thirteen Years' War. Poland won it and regained part of its conquered lands, which gave it access to the Baltic. The Marienburg castle was sold in 1457 to Casimir IV Jagiellon (the Polish monarch) for gold (665 kg) and since then it had been home to the king's administration.
The Prussians, who came to power in 1772, converted the castle into a military warehouse. The fortress was pretty badly destroyed in 1945 (more than in all previous 7 centuries). After World War II the entire structure was rebuilt. Today Malbork Castle in Poland is a powerful brick walls with pointed towers reflecting in the waters of the Nogat River.
In the castle premises there is a museum with a rich collection of armor, weapons, and amber jewelry. Craft fairs, concerts and fascinating theatricals staging the seizure of Malbork are often held in the castle.
