Malbork Castle (German: Ordensburg Marienburg) was built by the Teutonic Order as Ordensburg and named Marienburg (literally Mary's Castle). The city which grew around it was also named Marienburg, now called Malbork.
It is a classic example of a medieval fortress; it is the world’s largest brick castle and one of the most impressive of its kind in Europe. The castle and its museum are listed as UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.
In the early 13th century the Teutonic Knights launched its first crusades to the territories around the central stretch of the river Nogat in order to convert the local Prussian inhabitants to Christianity.
At the beginning of the 1280s the Teutonic Knights started building a castle here (54°02′32″N, 19°01′54″E) which they referred to as Marienburg (St. Mary's Stronghold). In just under 30 years they raised a quadrangular convent building complete with chapel, chapter house, dormitory, refectory, an enclosed courtyard and a bailey situated to the north. A long, high gallery was built leading from the south-west corner to the Danske or sewage-tower, which was also used for defence purposes.
On September 14, 1309 Grand Master Siegfried von Feuchtwangen moved the Teutonic Order's headquarters to Marienburg. As the seat of the Teutonic Hochmeister, the castle rose in rank to become capital of one of the most powerful states on the southern Baltic coast. It quickly became clear that the building was inadequately equipped for its new role.
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