The next morning, we packed up and hit the road toward our next stop — Malbork — to explore the famous Malbork Castle, just about an hour away. After parking, we strolled through the downtown area before making our way toward the fortress itself.
Malbork Castle, built in the 13th century by the Teutonic Knights, is the largest brick castle in the world and one of Europe’s most impressive examples of medieval fortress architecture. Originally serving as the Knights’ headquarters and a symbol of their power, the massive red-brick complex features towering walls, expansive courtyards, chapels, and intricate Gothic details. Over the centuries, it has been expanded and restored, and today it stands as a UNESCO World Heritage Site — a living monument to Poland’s medieval past and the legacy of the Teutonic Order.
Before heading in, we grabbed our passes — which happened to be free that day since it was a Monday and the interior was closed — along with headsets for a self-guided tour and some coffees to keep us fueled. Since we could only explore the exterior, we made the most of it, wandering through courtyards and along the massive brick walls. The headset system was impressive — it automatically detected where we were within the castle grounds and began describing what we were looking at. Grayson especially loved that feature.
The entire complex was enormous — as a castle should be — but this one felt especially vast, true to its title as the largest brick castle in the world. After a couple of hours of exploring the grounds, we made our way back to the car, grateful for the experience. It was a fantastic stop — and one we’ll definitely revisit next time to see the interior.
