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Castles and Palaces in Poland (with pictures)


Bratwurst Boy  8 | 11821
2 Aug 2009   #31
Not the castle...it was build by the Order as "Marienburg".

The Poles can't stand any reminders of their german past and renamed it to "Malbork".
They did alot of renaming after '18 and '45.

Now I am confused...who built it?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malbork

Founded in the 13th century by the Teutonic Knights, the town is noted for the Gothic Marienburg Castle, one of the most striking in Europe.

yes, after the tutons occupied Malbork they renamed it

ROFL, THEY BUILD MARIENBURG!

...he town was built in Prussia around the fortress Ordensburg Marienburg which was founded in 1274 on the east bank of the river Nogat by the Teutonic Knights....

Sometimes I get the impression that when one takes out the polish things which are in core german there would be not much left...

...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...

The Hanse...another german thing...
scorpio  20 | 188
2 Aug 2009   #32
What castle should I, or anyone, really visit ?

If you enjoy castle ruins, I suggest you visit the Melszytn ruins located near the small town of Zakliczyn, which stands above the Dunajec river. There are MANY hidden tunnels located all around where the castle walls once stood, and numerous wall fragments and partial bastions still stand. Part of the former aqueduct still survives near the main structure and there is a tunnel in the aqueduct 'pit' which is supposed to lead far underground, underneath the Dunajec river. The authorities have sealed off this tunnel due to several reports of people entering it and never coming back. I live only 10 km East from Melsztyn. It's a great place to go hiking, have a picnic, and to do some mountain biking.
Bratwurst Boy  8 | 11821
2 Aug 2009   #33
German past is German past not our past,

I fully agree!
That's why calling something german with a polish name still doesn't make it polish....
PlasticPole  7 | 2641
2 Aug 2009   #34
The German castle simply underwent Polanization :D
PennBoy  76 | 2429
2 Aug 2009   #35
That's why calling something german with a polish name still doesn't make it polish....

Yes you're right, it isn't a Polish castle, its just located in Poland nowadays, it was a castle of the German Teutonic Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary, i believe that was they're full name.
z_darius  14 | 3960
2 Aug 2009   #36
Malbork is a Polish name for Marienburg. Much like Warschau is German for Warszawa. The name of Marienburg was not changed after 45. The name was used by Poles much earlier. Just like the Polish city of Poznan, that had been know to germans as Posen.

The castle was purely German.

Sometimes I get the impression that when one takes out the polish things which are in core german there would be not much left

Are you counting in the buildings Germans destroyed during WW2 to get rid of the culture they claimed didn't even exist? The destruction was in the area of 60% of all buildings in pre WW2 Poland.
PlasticPole  7 | 2641
2 Aug 2009   #37
It's clear why the Poles want the castle to be called Malbork instead of Marienburg, being a symbol of Teutonic expansion and aggession. Calling it Malbork is like saying, "we won after all".
z_darius  14 | 3960
2 Aug 2009   #38
Calling it Malbork is like saying, "we won after all".

Don't look for meanings where there are none.
Germans call it Malbork too :)
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malbork

yep, only when they come to visit Poland

No, not only.
They also use the name when they refer to the place because they need to on some occasions. The entry I linked to was from German Wikipedia. Not all readers of German Wikipedia come to visit Malbork, do they?

Here's another entry from German Wikipedia where they use the name Malbork.
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grzegorz_Lato

They don't even other with including the German version of the place's name.

Back to the topic.
One of the nicest castles in Poland is Zamek w Kórniku.
galeriawielkopolska.info/zamekkornik1.html

Rich history and breathtaking woodwork throughout the castle. I recommend a visit.
Bratwurst Boy  8 | 11821
2 Aug 2009   #39
Nice! Looks abit oriental, doesn't it?
z_darius  14 | 3960
2 Aug 2009   #40
There are various influences, kinda melange of styles. The oriental part is based on India's architectural influence.

I remember most vividly the woodwork. Unfvcking believable. Take a trip one day. Really worth a visit. Kinda similar in the feel of it (not in style or size) Sanssouci to near Berlin

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanssouci .
sobieski  106 | 2111
2 Aug 2009   #41
Zamek Kśiąż near Wałbrzych is one of the biggest castles in Central Europe.
OK, Wałbrzych is a city best forgotten. The castle is impressive though.
As a bonus you get the nearby town on Świdnica with its fair share of monuments.
Nice place :)

zamek-ksiaz.pl
lukaszkozub
3 Aug 2009   #42
To preciese it:
Malbork (Marienburg) castle was sold to Polish by it's defendants during 13-year war in 1466.
Then it was a Polish fortess and from this times name Malbork originates (I don't say there was no renaming after 45 - there was and many places have today competely created names but not Malbork), then it was again incorporated to Prussia during first partition of Poland in 1772, so we can say it was longer in Polish than in German hands...

Of course it was build by Teutonic Knights. It was also severely demolished during Swedish invasion in 1656 (as most Polish castels) and since then remained deserted till reconstruction in XIXth century. It was also much destroyed in IInd WW an then renovated...

So it is not so easy as it seems.
equinox  1 | 4
5 Aug 2009   #43
The Krzyżtopór ( "Cross Axe" ) Mannerist castle in Ujazd is pretty unique. The name derives from the coat of arms of the builder, voivode Ossolinski, displayed on the castle gate. What sets this castle apart is the positively kooky personality of the builder. Ossolinski seems to have been into some strange mystical / astrological ideas: the castle had 365 windows (days in a year), 52 rooms (weeks in a year) and 12 ballrooms (months in a year). To show off his wealth, Ossolinski had crystal mirrors (!) installed in his stables for his animals, and the animals were fed from marble (!) troughs. He also had a glass ceiling mounted above the dining room to enclose a large aquarium, so that tropical fish could entertain the guests as they swam above their heads. I believe it's the second largest castle in Poland after Malbork. Over the years, several proposals have been made to rebuild this strange castle; one proposal suggested that the castle be turned into a retreat for the officers of Polish People's Army. Because of the size of the complex, so far the cost has proved prohibitive (one estimate I've heard was $100M).

As far as Malbork, Frombork, Rastembork, etc. They are simply Polish medieval renditions of Marienburg, Frauenburg and Rastenburg. These names have nothing to do with Communism, nor any post-WW2 attempt at Polonization. That's how these towns were called by Poles at the time of Ducal / Royal Prussia. On the other hand, there are a few towns in the former East Prussia which were deliberately renamed after WW2. Rastembork ( German: Rastenburg ), of Wolfsschanze fame, became Ketrzyn in 1950, named after the Kashubian activist Ketrzynski.
beckski  12 | 1609
7 Sep 2011   #44
Everyone thinks this is a painting. I had taken this pic of the castle in Lublin with my cell, late in the evening. I love the photo. It looks so surreal.


  • Lublin
OP pawian  221 | 25303
21 Dec 2012   #45
Wawel Castle in Krakow is the most important in Poland - Polish kings and queens used to reside and are buried there.

 wawel
subarumad  1 | 21
21 Dec 2012   #46
your missing a few, here's a few of my favourites:


  • 213149svetik.jpg

  • 45674uygkhjkhj.jpg

  • Niedzica_castle1.jpg
OP pawian  221 | 25303
21 Dec 2012   #47
your missing a few,

No, I have just started a new thread, give me some time, please, I am begging you......

here's a few of my favourites:

Very nice choice. I will develop these castles.

here's a few of my favourites:

Niedzica Castle - looks pretty insignificant but is shrouded in a great mystery. Castle workers don`t want to talk about it with tourists in fear of invoking bad luck on them!

 s

In the post-World War II period Polish newspapers wrote at length about Sebastián Berzeviczy[1] (one of Niedzica's owners) who traveled to the New World in the 18th century.[2] According to a popular legend, he fell in love with the alleged Inca princess. Their daughter Umina[3] married the nephew[4] of an Inca insurrection leader Túpac Amaru II, whose assumed name implied descent from Inca kings. Túpac Amaru was eventually executed by the Spaniards after rebelling against the colonial government. The legend goes on to claim that the sacred scrolls of the Incas had been handed down to his surviving family members.
Richfilth  6 | 415
21 Dec 2012   #48
The girlfriend and I explored the ruins of Odrzykon as one of our first dates: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odrzykon

Very picturesque in the autumn mists...
OP pawian  221 | 25303
21 Dec 2012   #49
Yes! Ruins of castles will also do in our thread!

Panorama
panoramy.zbooy.pl/360/show.html?max=1&p=odrzykon-zamek-maszt-0369&lang=e&t=32
Bieganski  17 | 888
22 Dec 2012   #50
Zamek Książ is an impressive structure; the third largest castle in Poland.

ksiaz

en.ksiaz.walbrzych.pl - Zamek Książ - Official website
Ant63  13 | 410
22 Dec 2012   #51
You have some real beauties in Poland. High on my list of places to visit.
berni23  7 | 377
22 Dec 2012   #52
Zamek Książ is an impressive structure; the third largest castle in Poland.

This is my favorite, although i liked it better before the renovation:



Also i cant believe that nobody mentioned Malbork, the biggest castle in the world:
David_18  65 | 966
22 Dec 2012   #53
@Pawian

Does Palaces count?
OP pawian  221 | 25303
22 Dec 2012   #54
David, sorry, they don`t. If you want, start a new thread titled Palaces of Poland. There are many of them.

Bieganski: Zamek Książ is an impressive structure; the third largest castle in Poland.

This is my favorite, although i liked it better before the renovation:

Bieg and Bern, thank you for bringing Książ Castle up. I have never visited it, must go one day.




David_18  65 | 966
22 Dec 2012   #55
David, sorry, they don`t. If you want, start a new thread titled Palaces of Poland. There are many of them.

You can do that, i'm to lazy ;)

The reason i asked is because Poland and later on The Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth kinda abandoned the idea of building castles to protect important trade routes etc..

Since the PLC govement was kinda decentralized, it was more up to the Polish nobles aka Szlachta to build up the defences in the country. The most common defensive structures became the Palazzo in fortezza (fortified palace)

Krzyztopor



Lancut


OP pawian  221 | 25303
22 Dec 2012   #56
What??? You have already initiated 50 threads and you say you`re lazy???? :):):):)

Also i cant believe that nobody mentioned Malbork, the biggest castle in the world:

Bern, the thread was only begun yesterday. Give us some time, I am begging you. :):):):)

But your remark is very accurate. Malbork Castle is grand, indeed.


pam
23 Dec 2012   #57
Malbork Castle is grand, indeed.

It certainly is, and it's massive. It's like a maze inside, i kept getting lost!
P.S Glad you're back :):)
Marysienka  1 | 195
23 Dec 2012   #58
both Krasiczyn and £ańcut palaces/castles are officially called "zamek" on their websites so I guess they count

Krasiczyn:

£ańcut


David_18  65 | 966
23 Dec 2012   #59
Podhorce Zamek



Kamieńcu Podolskim - "bramą do Polski"



Chocim Castle



Noone of these are located in Poland today, but they were built by and for Poles during the PLC era.
Marysienka  1 | 195
23 Dec 2012   #60
Kamieniec Podolski is inverse of for example Malbork- build by somebody else against Poles at Land that is now Polish.

Well, we now show how impressive our enemies were, and travel to see what Polish people (or Commonwealth ) build.


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