Europe 2019 - Day 24 (Part 2j

30 May 2019, Thursday 

Then the great refectory (dining room) which was the place to receive distinguished guests and have feasts. There were original paintings on the wall, but one of the paintings had a line across it which was due to a crack in the wall from gradual shifting of the foundation in the 16th century. We also saw a 14th century keystone that locks the arch of the roof - a sculpture of Mary and Jesus riding a donkey to Bethlehem with Joseph beside them. Then the Grand Master’s private room. There is a place for his robes, and a glass window on the floor for spying on the banquet hall downstairs, and a private bathroom.

Then the summer refectory for banquets in summer, and the winter refectory for banquets in winter. Then the Grand Master’s council chamber, also known as  Koeningsberg hall because the renovations here were funded by the Koeningsbergs, whoever they were. Then the Grand Master’s office - here we saw replicas of the writing materials used at that time - feathers and ink, papyrus and seals (black for the Order). Some of the more distinguished guests of the Grand Master included Nicholas Copernicus, Chopin, kings and queens, scholars, painters, and a Japanese ambassador who was the last foreign diplomat to sign the guest book before WW II.

Then to the High Castle which was the oldest part of the fortress, and the place for friars and monks of the Order. The High Castle floor plans is almost a perfect square. First we walked through the drawbridge which had a dry moat - sometimes tournaments were held in this area. Then a small chapel dedicated to St Anne where 12 Grand Masters were buried; 3 tombstones still remain here. Then we passed the burial ground of Teutonic Knights, the Grand Master’s rose garden, a mill for processing flour, and a courtyard with a well in the middle. The well had a sculpture of a pelican feeding its young at the top. The legend is that a pelican will feed their young with their own blood until they themselves died. This is supposed to be symbolic of Christ who died for us on the cross.

Then the kitchen which prepared food for 40 monks everyday, the bakery, the Chapter Room which was named after the chapters, a group of friars who would make decisions on the most important matters concerning the Teutonic order, the treasury, a tower which serves as the main latrine (the waste would drop about 17 meters into the moat down below!), and a dorm for the monks. The monastic vows are: chastity, poverty, obedience. Therefore, I cannot be a monk as I cannot do one of the vows. Which vow, I leave it to your imagination. 

Then to a small exhibition where there was a beautiful Sculpture of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. Then to a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, patron saint of the Order. Some parts of the church still survived from the Middle Ages; whilst some parts had to be restored after being destroyed during the wars. Here there was another beautiful keystone of Jesus holding Mary’s chin. Then we went inside the castle tower but I didn’t climb all the way to the top because the stairs were really narrow and winding - suddenly I became claustrophobic, weak, sick etc etc.

Then to the utility room which was also known as the room with the 2 chimneys because obviously it had 2 big chimneys. Then the refectory or the friars’ dining room. It had long tables like a canteen. This was a mere reconstruction based on tables found in another monastery. Overhead was a 19th century painting of the Last Supper. Dishes were carried straight from the kitchen to this room through the floor, by a pulley. Lastly, the the Knights’ room - perhaps for the monks / friars to rest.

And then we were done with my castle (I mean Malbork Castle) and we walked to the train station. On the way we tried czebureki kurczak which is fried dumpling with chicken filling. Kurczak means chicken in Polish. And thank you is dziekuje (pronounced gin-koo-yeh). When we got back to Gdansk, we had dinner (I was already tired of pierogi so we had Middle Eastern food) and then back to the hostel, shower and sleep.