The 12th Maciej Kilarski Malbork Meetings – event report

The 12th Maciej Kilarski Malbork Meetings is a regular scientific conference that has been organised since 2004. It serves as a forum for the exchange of knowledge and experience amongst researchers and specialists in the fields of history, art history, culture and the conservation of historic monuments. The event is dedicated to the memory of Maciej Kilarski – an eminent art historian, conservator of historic monuments, researcher of Malbork Castle’s architecture, a long-serving employee of the Malbork Castle Museum and a member of the Museum Council. This year’s theme was ‘The Palace of the Grand Masters in Malbork – in the light of the latest research’. Although the building has been the subject of much research, it still hides many secrets.

The event was opened by the Director of the Malbork Castle Museum, Dr Janusz Trupinda, who outlined the theme of this year’s event.
‘We have gathered here to explore one of Maciej Kilarski’s areas of interest. This year, it is the Palace of the Grand Masters. A building that fascinates, a building that intrigues. As we shall see today, there are still many questions about this place’.
Next to take the floor was the conference secretary, Bartosz Skop, who welcomed the guests, including Maciej Kilarski’s daughter, Dr Grażyna Totwen-Kilarska.

The series of presentations was opened by Dr Bogusz Wasik (Malbork Castle Museum), who presented new information about the Palace of the Grand Masters in the light of archaeological research. Dr Janusz Trupinda, Director of the Museum of the Order of the Teutonic Knights (Malbork Castle Museum), spoke on behalf of Agnieszka Kowalska, Deputy Director for Research and Conservation (Malbork Castle Museum), about the scope of conservation work at the Palace.
Next, Prof. Jarosław Jarzewicz from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań discussed the composition of the vault in the Summer Refectory. Dr Tomasz Ratajczak from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań presented his observations on the architectural style of the Grand Masters’ Palace.
Bernard Jesionowski (Malbork Castle Museum) spoke about the construction history of the Palace up to around 1400, whilst Dr Kazimierz Pospieszny from the Michał Drzymała Museum in Miasteczko Krajeńskie discussed the reorganisation of the monastic residence.
Dr Justyna Lijka (Malbork Castle Museum) presented the Palace in iconography, followed by Dr Gregory Leighton (Malbork Castle Museum), who discussed the residence as described in the medieval travel accounts of Philippe de Mézières. Towards the end of the meeting, Ryszard Rząd (Malbork Castle Museum) presented a talk on the heraldic decorations of the Summer Refectory. The event was brought to a close by Bartosz Skop (Malbork Castle Museum), who spoke about the restoration of the Palace of the Grand Masters from both a romantic and a scholarly perspective.

The meeting was an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences and discuss the future of research into and the conservation of one of the most valuable monuments of medieval architecture in Europe.
As Dr Tomasz Ratajczak emphasised, such events are highly regarded in the academic community.