Today we got up bright and early in order to have a leisurely breakfast before continuing on our journey north. Breakfast was a small but filling buffet of fried eggs, sausages, crepes with assorted fillings, devilled eggs, and deli meats and cheeses. We were able to pack some small sandwiches for our "second breakfast" later in the day.
After breakfast, we sped off to Malbork Castle. Piotr stopped on the other side of the river to allow Matt to take some nice pictures of the castle from a distance. We probably spent about 3 hours exploring the castle with the aid of audio guides (ipods!) and some very knowledgeable staff members throughout the castle. Malbork was built in the 1300's by the Teutonic Knights and has never been successfully defeated. The castle has been under constant renovations for quite some time. The Chapel of St. Anne suffered great destruction during WWII. It was only restored to the point that visitors were allowed entry to it in 2001. It is currently unclear if the chapel will be fully restored or if it will remain in it's current condition to show the damage that occurred during WWII. New sections of the castle are opened to the public as restorative work progresses.
Our next destination was Święta Lipka. We had a quick meal of pierogies (alas, not the bilberry filled ones that Piotr had wanted) and then hurried to attend an organ performance at the Our Lady's Church. It was a huge surprise to us that such a small town would have such a grand church. It is one of the finest examples of baroque churches in Poland. In the summer, organ recitals are given several times a day. Although they do not charge for tickets, they request donations. During the recitals, the figures on the organ become animated and move with the music! The church and recital were a very pleasant surprise for us.
Our final stop before arriving at our accommodations for the evening was a more sinister one: Hitler's headquarters in Gierloż, or "Wolf's Lair". During WWII, Hitler had a number of concrete bunkers constructed to house himself and about 2,000 people. The bunkers were camouflaged by green rooftops (moss and other plants) and were equipped with guns. He eventually returned to Germany and ordered the bunkers to be destroyed in January 1945. This lair was not discovered by the Allies while Hitler was living there.
Malbork Castle from across the river Nogat:
St. Anne's Chapel at Malbork Castle, heavily damaged during WWII:
Bunker at the "Wolf's Lair" in Gierloż:
Another bunker at the "Wolf's Lair". All bunkers were destroyed by sappers when the Nazi regime was withdrawing from Gierloż:
