Malbork
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Malbork (pronounce: 
['malbork]; German: Marienburg in Westpreußen (help·info); Latin: Civitas Beatae Virginis) is a town in northern Poland in the Żuławy region, with 41,000 inhabitants (2001). Situated in the Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, it was previously assigned to Elbląg Voivodeship (1975-1998). It is the capital of Malbork County.
Founded in the 13th century by the Teutonic Knights, Malbork is noted for its Gothic castle, one of the most striking in Europe.
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[edit] History of the castle
The town was built around the fortress Ordensburg Marienburg which was founded in 1274 on the east bank of the river Nogat by the Teutonic Knights. Both the castle and the town of Marienburg (Malbork) were named for their patron saint, the Virgin Mary. This fortified castle became the seat of the Teutonic Order and Europe's largest Gothic fortress. During the Thirteen Years War, the castle of Marienburg was pawned by the Teutonic Order to their imperial soldiers from Bohemia. They sold the castle in 1457 to King Casimir IV of Poland in lieu of their pay. This separated the castle from the city in political terms, as the citizens there did resist Poland.
Under continuous construction for nearly 230 years, Marienburg Castle, or Malbork Castle, is actually three castles nested in one another. 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 was in the process of being restored when World War II broke out. During the war, the castle was over 50% destroyed. Restoration has been ongoing since the war. However, the main cathedral in the castle, fully restored just prior to the war and destroyed during the war, remains in its ruined state. The castle and its museum are listed as UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.
[edit] History of the town
The town of Marienburg grew in the vicinity of the castle. The river Nogat and flat terrain allowed easy access for barges a hundred kilometers from the sea. During Prussia's government by the Teutonic Knights, they collected tolls on river traffic and imposed a monopoly of the amber trade. The town later became a member of the Hanseatic League, and many Hanseatic meetings were held there.
When the castle was sold to the king of Poland in 1457 and the Teutonic Knights left, the town of Marienburg under Mayor Bartholomäus Blume resisted the Poles for three further years. When the Poles finally took control, Blume was hanged.
As Malbork, the town became part of the Polish province of Royal Prussia after the Second Peace of Toruń (1466). It was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in the First Partition of Poland in 1772 and made part of the Province of West Prussia the following year. As Marienburg, the town became part of the German Empire in 1871. Marienburg was included in the District of West Prussia within East Prussia after World War I. The town was placed under Polish administration after World War II ended in 1945.
[edit] Notable residents
- Tadeusz Brzozowski (1749-1820), Father-General of the Society of Jesus
- Carl Legien (1861-1920), leading politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
- Stanisław Taczak (1874-1960), general and commander-in-chief of the Great Poland Uprising
- Erich Kamke (1890-1961), mathematician
- Heinz Galinski (1912-1992), president of the Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland
- Grzegorz Lato (born 1950), former striker for the Poland national football team
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