Unique calendars for 2023

With the approaching New Year, we have received unique calendars for 2023. An innovative look at the history of the castle by the artist Patryk Mogilnicki can accompany you every day of the next year. We invite you to our stationary and online stores. There’s a treat – 30% Christmas promotion!

Here are a few words about the calendar concept.

Conrad Steinbrecht (1849-1923), who died 100 years ago and was in charge of the reconstruction of the castle in Malbork for forty years (1882-1922), has permanently entered its history. Supported by the results of interdisciplinary scientific research, he decided to rebuild the post-Teutonic stronghold in its medieval shape. It wasn’t easy. The devastation of the High Castle by the Prussian authorities and its reconstruction for military purposes as well as the first stage of reconstruction of the castle (1817-1856) significantly distorted the historic substance. Steinbrecht was first faced with the task of removing the later layers and restoring the original state. This, in turn, was not fully possible due to the lack of sources and traces. Despite the scientific background of the Conservator’s work, his work was largely a conservation creation.

With the whiff of the approaching New Year, we have received unique calendars for 2023. An innovative look at the history of the castle by the artist Patryk Mogilnicki can accompany you every day of the next year. We invite you to our stationary and online stores. There’s a treat – 30% Christmas promotion!

Here are a few words about the calendar concept.

At the same time, the reconstruction of Malbork was supervised by a powerful and very ambitious protector – German Emperor Wilhelm II (1859-1941). He wanted a medieval Teutonic castle to be able to build the dynastic legend of his family. The Hohenzollerns recognized the Teutonic Knights as their Prussian predecessors, and the state built by them was a model. Therefore, in many places of the castle, as well as during the ceremonies organized there, Teutonic motifs appeared, not necessarily always imitating medieval prototypes. The new motifs referred to the Teutonic Knights and their Prussian history, but at the same time they implemented the assumptions of the imperial historical policy. The involvement of the Teutonic Order (without its knowledge and consent) in the cogs of the Wilhelminian policy, which adopted an anti-Polish character, deepened its black legend, which is still alive today. Today, when we look at the castle, which is largely a conservation creation, and admire the decoration with Teutonic elements, we should remember about it.

Therefore, it is no coincidence that we combine the commemoration of the round anniversary of the death of the Malbork restorer with the planned exhibition, which we are mentioning today. It will discuss the black and white legend of the Teutonic Order and its ideological “life after life”. These two threads are inextricably linked.

These are topics that are difficult to show and are still very emotionally received. That is why we asked an artist with a recognizable style to illustrate them in this calendar, and at the same time far from historicism or realism. Recalling important places and events from the period of C. Steinbrecht’s activity, carrying a huge historical and political burden, which became a breeding ground for nationalism, false assessments and stereotypes, Patryk Mogilnicki built his story in a lighter, easier form and so far available in the publishing houses of the Castle Museum unprecedented. The illustrations are therefore an intentional and conscious escape from very serious issues, which, filtered through the artist’s sensitivity, take on a completely new dimension. They allow you to look at the history of the castle from a different perspective and in a new way.

– I believe that the Year 2023 will also give us the opportunity to reflect on the world and the processes that are taking place in it, and to see the beauty that is still in it. I wish us all peace, health and the opportunity to pursue our passions away from wars, hatred and political turmoil. All the best! – says Dr. Janusz Trupinda Director of the Castle Museum in Malbork