Malbork

A Teutonic castle and a Polish residence

From 1309 Malbork was the seat of the Teutonic grand masters. The castle passed to Polish rule in 1457 and remained a royal residence until 1772. Following the Peace of Toruń in 1466 it belonged to Royal Prussia; a Maritime Commission operated here in 1568. During the Deluge the Swedes therefore occupied a complex with a long Polish political history. The castle represents both the medieval Order and the administration and royal authority of the later Commonwealth¹.

Town and diplomacy

Malbork was an important point in Royal Prussia. On 26 June 1656 Charles X Gustav and Elector Frederick William concluded the Treaty of Malbork. It promised the elector territorial gains in return for military aid. The war was fought at the negotiating table as well as in the field².

Later fighting

Malbork also appears in Aleksander Koniecpolski's later service: he campaigned in its vicinity in 1658. The town was more than a treaty name; the surrounding region was still contested after Sweden's early successes had begun to unravel³.

Two separate Swedish occupations

Malbork was already under Swedish control in 1626–1629, during an earlier war, when earthworks with eleven bastions were built. The Deluge brought another occupation: Swedish troops took the town in February 1656 and strengthened its defences again. The gate chapel was destroyed. Occupying forces remained until the Peace of Oliwa in 1660. This was the setting of the Treaty of Malbork discussed above⁴.

Three parts of one stronghold

The complex comprises the High Castle, Middle Castle and outer bailey. Its extensive brick architecture shows how the Order’s headquarters combined religious, residential, economic and defensive functions. UNESCO also emphasises the restoration work that influenced monument conservation from the nineteenth century onward. Malbork is therefore both a medieval ensemble and evidence of the history of conservation⁵.