In summer 2015 years we decided to visit eastern Poland. We began, however, more to the north. The first attraction was visiting Gothic castle in Malbork.
The castle was built in the years 1274-1457 and is one of the largest medieval fortresses in Europe. It was the seat of the State of the Teutonic Knights.
Route from Poznan to Malbork is easy thanks to the existing sections of S5 express road and A1 highway. The only exception is a 3 km of DK22 around Tczew, which is the pavement. Apaved road?
On the Malbork’s website we read that in Malbork is large road repair and it is recommend to leave the car on the other side of the river. We did it. The castle can be reached by footbridge. Going through footbridge with children allowed to know new river name Nogat.
Parking the car on the other side of the river, unfortunately, it led to the fact that you have a fairly long walk to the ticket offices, which are located on the other side of the castle.
Tour takes place in organized groups with a guide, the group organized on a regular basis, every 15 minutes. We got to the Castle on Monday and internal exhibitions were closed. Interestingly we didn’t found information about this on website. Pricing was also different in ticket office and different on website. A bit chaotic. Finally that does not matter, because the parking was more expensive than the ticket price.
Tour started from crossing the drawbridge leading into the ward. Next we went through a wet moat reaching the courtyard of the Middle Castle. Later, we were guided over a dry moat at the High Castle. During the guided tours we got to know the history of the Teutonic Knights and the fate of the castle. We learned how people could become the Spider Knight and what were the purpose of each building and rooms. We also saw the heating system used at the castle.
The castle was severely damaged during the war and reconstruction still continues. Currently, restoration works were carried out on the part of the High Castle. These works, however, does not interfere with the sightseeing. We were able to walk a balcony in the High Castle, we also saw the toilet of the Teutonic Knights. Coming back we could go cellars, which were made available to watch part of the museum exhibits.
Although part of the exhibition was closed, we absolutely loved the Castle. Mainly due to the guide, who spoke interestingly about the castle. At the exit from the castle to the castle grounds they were located souvenir stands. We bought there a fridge magnet with the image of Malbork Castle – to our collection of magnets of the visited places.
After visiting the castle we went to the Baltic Sea, heading in the direction of Krynica Morska.