MALBORK IS HUGE!

So I almost want to type this whole blog in caps to express how HUGE this castle is! But I’m jumping ahead... Malbork is a town about a 40 minute train ride east of Gdansk. The town itself is quite cute. There is an array of boutiques and the area I walked through was a really nice ped-mall. This area was new in appearance and there was still scaffolding up as I think they are still developing this town too! Sadly, I did not get to the heart of Malbork where there is an old cathedral and more boutiques - my feet were simply too sore after my marathon days of walking ;)
When I reached the castle I was disappointed to find that there were not any tours in English or German available AND the posted sign stated that you could not go inside the castle rooms without a guide. Well, as cliché as it is, rules are made to be broken! Rather out of character, I went around the castle opening any door that would open and walked through all the exhibits that were open armed with a simple guidebook. I got a couple halting looks from the docents, but in the end they just shook their heads - I was one of “those damn tourists” (and loving it - ha ha). At one point I even had to ask how to get to the next level as you could only up or down certain staircases for safety reasons (too narrow). In the end it was like being on the playground for the big kids. Searching out the halls, rooms and defensive walls was fun! Of course I’m glad I didn’t get too lost as this castle is said to have secret tunnels and passageways to the town and other castles (and that really would have been way too much walking)!
Malbork Castle was started by the Teutonic Knights (monastic order started in the Holy Land during the Crusades) in the 13th century. This was their staging ground against the pagan Prussians. There was actually a group of castles in the region, but this was the largest as it was the home to the Grand Masters of the Order (so want that on my next business card). Later, in 1457, the castle was sold and became the northern seat for the Polish monarchy. It would stay an important state center for three centuries - even housing the Prussian stewards. (I’ll spare you all the history lesson - just always keep in mind, Poland has had a lot of change throughout all of its history!)
Quick Tour
The first section is known as the Middle Castle. This is where the chivalric events such as jousting and feasting took place on a grand scale. Guests including kings, princes and other knights were entertained here as alliances were formed. As welcoming as that sounds, the gate entrance had a drawbridge and 5 gates made of oak and iron!

Then it is on to the High Castle - this was the elite area for the Teutonic monks. A huge dry moat and then another draw bridge and gate. This gate was usually kept closed and only opened by password. A real fortress, the well in the center was guarded to make certain the water supply could not be poisoned.

The Chapter Hall is where all the laws and rules were passed by the monks. Originally a group effort, this became more elitist later. Sadly, I didn’t get the best picture of this room, but the keystones were neat and the second floor had a lot of great views and rooms.

The Church of Saint Mary was, like most of the castle, destroyed by bombing. The upper chapel is a shell now which showcases the old pews, fresco fragments and wood and stone carvings.

The other rooms and dining halls hold some exhibits and are relatively stoic. But I really fell in love with the ornate tiles!

Then it was off to walk around the outer High Castle and Outer Bailey. I love all the little finds down in the dry moat!

Finally, walk out on the bridge over the Nogat River and enjoy the view!

Thoughts About the Train
So I was lucky to accidentally purchase a ticket to Malbork on the Express Link. This train was very nice and the trip went quickly. The only unnerving part was when we crossed the Wisla River on a rather old metal bridge. There was, you guessed it, scaffolding on here too as they are making repairs/improvements. What was unnerving was the welders were working on the bridge as we were on it - their gas tanks were sitting right next to the tracks with no discernable ropes/ties keeping them firmly rooted. I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if one of those canisters fell over! I could only tell myself, “I will have faith in welders, I will have faith in welders.”
On the way back I made the mistake of getting a standard/local ticket. This train would stop at each town on the way back to Gdansk. I got a lot of reading done. However, it wasn’t until after being entertained by a showcase of young male pizzazz/machismo. A group of about 10 young men (about 16-20yo) came chanting through the train station. There were all dressed in red t-shirts and two had capes. When the train arrived they started chanting again and were answered by another group of about 10 young men already on the train. Some then did pushups outside the train doors while the others counted. They also continued to chant back and forth. When the train pulled out they were all on board and singing songs. At the next stop the push-ups started again on the platform. They did this for about 4 stops and then suddenly all departed and got the train going back the way we had just come. My guess is that this was somehow sports related but I cannot be certain as I really have no idea. I will bug my local expert Sara and see if she has an idea!