Malbork — the largest brick castle in the world.

Malbork Castle was begun around 1274 as a seat of the Teutonic Order and, from 1309 — after the Order moved its capital from Venice — as the residence of the grand masters. Extended over decades, it became the largest Gothic fortress in Europe and the largest castle in the world measured by area.

The complex falls into three parts: the High Castle (the monastic heart, with the church of the Blessed Virgin Mary), the Middle Castle with the ceremonial Grand Masters' Palace, and the Low Castle (Outer Bailey) with the working quarters. The whole is ringed by walls, moats and gates above the Nogat.

Badly damaged in the Second World War, the castle was painstakingly rebuilt; in 1997 it was added to the UNESCO list as an outstanding example of medieval defensive architecture and brick Gothic. Today it houses the Castle Museum with one of the most important amber collections in Poland.

Malbork lies on the Gdańsk–Warsaw railway line, about 60 km from Gdańsk. From the Tricity the train takes roughly 40–60 minutes, which makes the castle the most popular day trip from Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia. A visit with the audio guide takes about 3–4 hours.