See the free states of the Baltics in 3 weeks – Malbork Poland 5/2018 (7)

29/5/2018. While in Gdansk, I made a day trip to Malbork, a medieval fortress 40 minutes away, now a United Nations World Cultural Heritage.

It was indeed one of the most impressive of its kind, a castle that was self-sufficient, complete with moat, walls, gates, drawbridges, big halls, courtyards, armory, kitchen, chapels, which could endure sustained sieges from bows and arrows and marauders. It took four hours to complete the earphone-guided tour of the castle. No wonder this was the world’s largest brick castle, Europe’s largest Gothic fortress.

Despite the turbulence and upheavals through the centuries, there was no sign of struggles, of wear and tear, or the ravages of wars. Over the decades, this fortress has been restored to look the way it is, well tucked in, neat and tidy; even the moat is drained and paved with manicured grass. It bodes well for a peaceful future.

29/5/2018 在格但斯克时我到四十分钟外的中世纪马尔堡城堡一日游。这城堡是联合国世界文化遗产之一，规模不小，耳机导游花了四小时才走完。经过多世纪战乱洗礼和多年整修，这堡垒现在完好如故，端端正正；原来的护城河都铺上整齐绿茵；墙体经过呵护，没战火伤疤。

这是世界最大砖块城堡，是欧洲最大哥特式堡垒。我第一次接触规模这么大，且五脏俱全的堡垒；有护城河沟，城墙；拉桥，大堂，厨房，兵器库，教堂，如中世纪那时原封不动出现眼前。堡垒反映以前的战乱，人心惶惶，草木皆兵，时刻警惕，居安思危心理。今天特别安宁，蓝天没丝毫动静，草木枝繁叶茂，城堡容光焕发，一片太平。