This morning Evelina came to take us to Malbork castle a fortified monastery built in the 13thC as the headquarters of the Teutonic Knights a German order of Crusaders -warrior monks.
It is a huge brick castle and has been painstakingly restored. It was pouring rain and the cobblestones are tough both for walking and pushing a wheel chair..
One of the gates to Malbork castle.
A black cross on a white ground was the symbol of the Teutonic Knights.
Some of the beautiful vaulted ceilings.
An elaborate lock within the castle.
Medieval floor tiles
There was even a chairlift to gain access to the upper floor.
On the way back to Gdansk we drove through an area where Dutch Memmonites settled in the 16thC after religious intolerance forced them to leave the Netherlands. The Polish king welcomed them and their skills in draining swampy land were used to reclaim land in the delta of the Vistula river. They were industrious and built themselves large wooden houses. and successfully farmed in the area. After the Second World War many of the Memmonites were expelled to West Germany and most of those people subsequently moved on to Canada and the USA where there were already Memmonite communities.
Typical Memmonite house. This one is dated 1803.
The ornate posts supporting the front room which was used to store grain .
Local enthusiasts are restoring some of the houses .
.
Beautiful ornate lock, love the metalwork.
ReplyDeleteSpectacular ceilings, and very impressive carved balustrading on that staircase.
ReplyDeleteSo good that you are able to get around to so many interesting places. Your photos of the decorative details are marvellous.
ReplyDelete