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Historic crucifix returns to the Malbork Castle Museum
On 10 June 2026, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage handed over a crucifix, found in Germany, to the Malbork Castle Museum. Expert analysis has shown that it is part of the pre-war furnishings of Malbork Castle.
Photographs from the handover of the artefact to the Malbork Castle Museum on 10 June 2026.
The result of a search for items lost during the war
The crucifix became the subject of research following a search for items lost during the war conducted by the Malbork City Museum. It turned out that a former resident of Malbork, now living in Germany, was in possession of the artefact, which had been taken from Malbork after the Second World War. Mr Tomasz Agejczyk, Director of the Malbork City Museum, asked the Malbork Castle Museum to verify whether the discovered sculpture depicting the crucified Christ originated from the former collections of Malbork Castle.
Crucifix NN, current condition
Pre-war photographic documentation
Evidence in this case is provided by archival photographs from the Annals of the Reconstruction of Malbork Castle. A photograph from 1906 shows the interior of the Maślankowa Fortified Tower, arranged in the spirit of 19th-century historicism as the interior of a guardhouse. Hanging on the wall is a crucifix with characteristics consistent with that found in Germany. Despite the limited quality of the photograph, both the distinctive arrangement of the perizoma and the strongly arched silhouette of Christ are visible, making it possible to identify the depiction.
The interior of the Maślankowa Fortified Tower at Malbork Castle – archive photographs from 1906.
Further photographs date from 1908 and provide much better comparative material. Above the doorway between the porch in the east wing of the Middle Castle and St Bartholomew’s Chapel, the Crucifixion Group – a copy of a work by Tilman Riemenschneider – was displayed. It was this crucifix that formed the central figure of the work in question.
The interiors of the Middle Castle at Malbork Castle – archive photographs from 1908.
An inspection of the monument revealed the signature of Osmar Trillhaase (1857-1932), a sculptor from Erfurt, who also created other works for Malbork Castle.
Photographs from the inspection of the artefact when it was handed over on 10 June 2026.
A thorough examination of the artefact, including an assessment of the extent of subsequent alterations to the sculpture’s structure, cannot be carried out without additional research.
The mission to return cultural property
The return of the crucifix marks another success in the mission to return cultural property lost as a result of the Second World War. Since 2018, as part of the ‘Losses Project’, carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, over 20 exhibits have been returned to the Malbork Castle Museum, including the head of the statue of St James the Greater, recovered in December 2025.
Photographs from the handover of the artefact to the Malbork Castle Museum on 10 June 2026.
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