For Schools

Initial learning (integrated)

A charm in glass – Malbork’s stained glass windows

The role, purpose and method of making medieval stained glass windows. Watching Malbork’s stained glass windows, recognizing the characters depicted on them. Creating stained glass for a large gothic window. Amber secrets Watching amber nuggets, getting to know the colors and characteristics of amber (experiences), the amber trail. Artistic amber products – exhibition.

The tale about a knight

The story of how a boy was raised to be a knight, what he did when he became a knight, what his weapons looked like, how he fought in battle and what his favorite activities looked like in peacetime. The lesson is conducted on the basis of the exhibits at the exhibition of weapons and can be extended with art activities.

In the footsteps of castle legends.

A trip around the castle following the trail of selected legends. Using the castle plan. Art workshops – work in teams.

Warrior, knight, soldier.

An attempt to answer the questions: where did the knights come from? When did they live and what happened to them? Have the ideas of chivalry survived to our times? How the ways of fighting changed in the Middle Ages. Demonstration of replicas of medieval knight’s armament.

Knight’s coats of arms.

Explanation of the concept of a knight’s coat of arms. Finding the characteristic rearrangements of knightly coats of arms found in the castle in Malbork. Extending the lesson with art classes on designing a coat of arms. What was the everyday life of a Teutonic knight (knight and monk) like in Malbork Castle? Explanation of what the Teutonic Knight’s daily schedule looked like. What were his daily duties? what did he eat? What was the costume of a knight-monk characterized by? Classes are held at a knight’s chest filled with period props.

Old medieval costumes.

Explanation of the concept of medieval costume. Watching sculptures, paintings and paintings depicting clothing characteristic of the era. Getting to know and analyzing individual elements of women’s and men’s clothing. Art activities related to this topic.

Primary school and junior high school

The life of a knight-monk in the Teutonic castle.

Introduction of the terms: castle, knighthood, monk, Teutonic Knight. The classes are an attempt to answer the questions: how did the inhabitants of the Teutonic castle live in the Middle Ages? What was the knight’s schedule like? What does the rule of the Teutonic Order say about everyday life? The rights and duties of the knight-brother.

The state of the great master.

Establishment and development of the Teutonic Order, achievements in administration, economy (cities, castles, churches) and military. Exploring the interiors of the Palace of the Grand Masters (representative and private rooms) or a simulation game of the election of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order.

The castle as a defensive structure.

Searching for defensive elements of the stronghold during the walk through the Castle. Getting to know the terminology of individual devices, ways of besieging, the evolution of the art of defense. Homes and residential interiors of our ancestors. Getting to know living conditions over the centuries, including medieval and modern times. Interior fittings (furniture, ceramics), heating systems.

What is a museum?

A conversation about the role of museums, why it is worth visiting them, where the museum collections come from? What is the job of a museologist and monument conservator? Getting to know the terms: museum, exhibits, collection, collection, exhibition and looking for their examples in historic interiors.

In the great master’s office.

Familiarization with the former writing workshop (tools, materials, workplace). Introduction of terms: office, scribe, scriptorium, parchment. Getting to know the office staff and types of documents. Watching the seal, learning how to make it. Correspondence flow control.

Castle legends

Getting to know and analyzing the legends related to the Malbork Castle.

Clothing in the Middle Ages.

Getting to know the elements of medieval women’s and men’s costume. Colors, types of fabrics, sewing method. Characteristic costumes for particular social groups.

Secondary Schools and Secondary Schools

Gothic style in architecture.

Explanation of the name Gothic style, learning the time and place of creation. Introduction of terms: rib vault, tracery, pointed arch, rosette, keystone. Classes also take into account the defensive features of the castle. Gothic style on the example of Malbork Castle Patron saints.

Getting to know the medieval sacral sculpture.

The shape, the material, the way of making, the sculptor’s tools. Introduction of the concept of polychrome, triptych, pentaptych. Deciphering the names of patron saints and their attributes on the basis of sculptures. The topic is carried out on the basis of developed task cards.

The history of the construction and expansion of the castle (second half of the 13th century to the first half of the 15th century).

Getting to know the location, method of building and architectural changes of the castle from the time of its construction to the mid-15th century. Familiarization with architectural details (practical exercises).

Great War with the Order in 1409-1411.

Causes and course of the Great War with the Order. Provisions of the First Peace of Toruń. Siege of Malbork during the war.

Thirteen Years’ War.

Causes, course and effects of the Thirteen Years’ War for Poland, with particular emphasis on Malbork. The entry of King Casimir IV Jagiellon into the castle.

Weapons and armaments from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.

Discussion of various types of medieval weapons and protective armament on the example of a richly equipped exhibition of military items. Overthrow of myths and legends on the examples of replicas of weapons and armament.

Between East and West, the evolution of arms and armaments in medieval Europe.

Searching for the influence of Eastern and Western cultures in the development of weapons and armaments in the Middle Ages. Comparison of cultures in the area of ​​the former Kingdom of Poland and the state of the Teutonic Order on the example of the Battle of Legnica (1241) and the Battle of Grunwald (1410)

Malbork apocalypse.

Discovering the content of seven wall paintings depicting fragments of the Apocalypse according to St. John. A short history of the creation of biblical texts, the interpretation of symbolic apocryphal literature.

Stone Bible Pauperum.

Finding biblical sources of selected architectural details and their theological interpretation in the context of the activity of the Teutonic Order.

Medieval Bible Explorer.

How the books of the Bible were created, the authorship and language of the Holy Scriptures, navigating the space of the biblical text by means of siglies, milestones in the history of salvation, the role of inspired texts in the everyday life of the Teutonic Order.

Biblical symbolism.

Reading and interpretation of some elements of biblical symbolism in the castle. Deepening the ability to use the Holy Scripture – finding the sources of representations.

The church in the Middle Ages.

Showing the culture-forming role of the Church. Expanding knowledge about the Gothic cathedral, you will penetrate its symbolism, read the ideas that it has become a carrier of. Finding Gothic elements in the castle and their interpretation. Learn Gregorian Chant.