The Teutonic Order began building Malbork, then called Marienburg after Mary, its patron saint, after suppressing the Great Prussian Uprising in 1274. Most historians date construction from 1274 to 1406, and the Order made the castle its headquarters in 1309.
It has three parts, the High, Middle and Lower Castles, separated by dry moats and towers and ringed by several layers of defensive walls. By 1406 it was the largest fortified Gothic building in Europe and the world's largest brick castle, and it remains Europe's largest brick complex. About 3,000 brothers in arms once lived there.
The principal church was largely destroyed in the fighting of 1945, and a severe fire in 1959 added damage. Restoration has run since 1962, and the church restoration was completed in April 2016. UNESCO listed the castle in 1997.
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