Malbork Castle (Latvia)
| Marienburg | ||
|---|---|---|
 Ruin of the convent house |
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| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Place: | Alūksne | |
| Geographical location | 57 ° 25 '44 " N , 27 ° 3' 7" E | |
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The ruins of the Marienburg ( Latvian Alūksnes viduslaiku pils ) are located on the Marieninsel ( Pilssala ) in the Alūksne Lake ( Alūksne-ezers ) near Alūksne in northeastern Latvia . There is an open-air stage in the ruin.
history
The castle was founded in 1342 under Landmeister Burkhard von Dreileben and formed a link in the fortification of the eastern border, for which purpose the neighboring Neuhaus Castle was built. Marienburg became the order's commandery instead of Adsel after Commander Gerlach von Haren began building a stone building for the castle.
During the Livonian War , the castle fell to the Russians without resistance. Later the castle was owned by Sweden and Poland. After the war ended with the Treaty of Jam Zapolski in 1582 , the castle came to Poland-Lithuania as part of the Wenden Voivodeship .
The region later became part of Swedish Livonia and the castle was thoroughly reinforced. During the Great Northern War , the castle was besieged by Russian troops led by Count Boris Sheremetyev. During the war, the future Empress Catherine I was also imprisoned at the castle. After ten days of siege, the Swedes blew up the castle and Russian troops devastated it. The castle was not restored and fell into disrepair.
Castle description
The foundation walls of the brick-built convent house have been preserved, while the outer walls made of field stones are even larger. The castle island was connected to the mainland by a 120 meter long lifting bridge. At the end of the bridge there was a strong kennel ( Latvian Cvingers ). The castle itself consisted of a main castle (80 × 65 m) and a southern outer bailey (80 × 90 m). The convent house was almost square in shape. The Burgbergring was reinforced with eight towers. The wall system of the outer bailey was partly built at the same time as the convent house, but essential parts of the outer bailey date from the beginning of the 16th century.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Armin Tuulse: The castles in Estonia and Latvia (= negotiations of the Estonian learned society . Volume 33 ). Õpetatud Eesti Seltsi Toimetused, S. 147-148 .
- ^ A b Karl Woldemar von Löwis of Menar: Burgenlexikon für Alt-Livland . Walters and Rapa, Riga 1922, p. 81 ( digitized version ).