address:
Muzeum Zamkowe w Malborku
ul. Starościńska 1, 82-200 Malbork
Description:
Malbork with its extensive Gothic castle complex. The Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights once lived in this fortress. “Light and sound” spectacles are held here as well as knights’ tournaments for those who find looking at museum collections is not enough.
This 13th-century fortified monastery belonging to the Teutonic Order was substantially enlarged and embellished after 1309, when the seat of the Grand Master moved here from Venice. A particularly fine example of a medieval brick castle, it later fell into decay, but was meticulously restored in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of the conservation techniques now accepted as standard were evolved here. Following severe damage in the Second World War it was once again restored, using the detailed documentation prepared by earlier conservators.
Treasures of the earth Amber, a fossilized resin from coniferous trees which also has therapeutic properties, has been collected on the shores of the Baltic Sea since at least the 1st century B.C. In the times of the Roman Empire, merchants came to Gdańsk from the Mediterranean basin in search of amber. The History of Amber exhibit at the Malbork Castle Museum presents marvelous examples of amber and amber jewelry.