KL Stutthof, German nazi concentration camp, Sztutowo, Poland (part 2 of 2)

It was said that the camp was created by neighbors for neighbors. Survivors recalled that they recognized their old German friends among the supervisors, with whom they had good neighborly relations before the war. However, KL Stutthof quickly became a real death factory. During its nearly six years of existence, from September 2, 1939 to May 9, 1945, 110,000 people from 28 countries passed through it. The Germans murdered about 65,000 people there, mostly Jews. Today, the Stutthof Museum is located on this site, which occupies only one sixth of the former camp. The rest is covered by forest.

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KL Stutthof, German nazi concentration camp, Sztutowo, Poland (part 1 of 2)

Konzentrationslager Stutthof was established in 1939 on the annexed territories of the Free City of Gdańsk (Freie Stadt Danzig), near the town of Sztutowo. It was the longest-operating concentration camp outside the pre-war borders of Germany. The first transport of prisoners arrived here on September 2, 1939, and numbered about 150 people. In total, about 110,000 prisoners from 28 countries passed through the camp.

Initially, ten wooden barracks were erected on an area of about 4 hectares, where prisoners were placed. This was the so-called Old Camp. From the very beginning, they were overcrowded, poorly insulated, lacking sanitary facilities and basic equipment. In such conditions, various types of parasites and vermin appeared. It quickly turned out that the plans had to be modified - Stutthof was to be larger than the camp in Auschwitz. At the turn of 1940 and 1941, an SS guardhouse and the camp commandant’s office building were built. When Heinrich Himmler arrived there in November, a decision was made for the Concentration Camps Inspectorate in Oranienburg to take over the camp from the local authorities to whom it was formally subordinate. On January 7, 1942, the camp formally became a concentration camp.

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The Baltic Sea, a beach near Krynica Morska, Poland

#morze #baltyk #morzebaltyckie #plaza #woda #widok #krajobraz #baltic #balticsea #sea #piasek #sand #beach #landscape #view #water

The Market Gate, Elbląg, Poland

Built in the 14th century as one of nine gates in the city’s now-defunct fortifications, the building is one of the most valuable and recognizable buildings in Elbląg. The 26-meter-high Market Gate can be admired from the outside, and in the summer season (from May to September) you can also go inside. It is definitely worth doing so, as a viewing terrace was built in its upper part, from which there is a beautiful panorama of the Old Town.

#elblag #miasto #city #town #staremiasto #oldtown #ulica #street #wieza #tower #brama #gate #citygate #towngate #architektura #architecture #widok #view #krajobraz #landscape

St. Nicholas Cathedral, Elbląg, Poland

It is one of the oldest religious buildings in Elbląg and one of the highest temples in Poland. The tower itself is 97 m high, and the viewing terrace is located at about 70 m. To get to the terrace, you have to climb 365 stairs. However the beautiful views at the top, along with the panorama of Elbląg and the surrounding area, compensate for all the effort! :)

#elblag #miasto #city #town #plac #townsquare #marketsquare #ulica #street #church #kosciol #wieza #tower #architektura #architecture #widok #view #krajobraz #landscape #dzwonnica #belltower

Church Path, Elbląg, Poland

It is a narrow passage between reconstructed tenement houses and connects two streets of the Old Town – Holy Spirit Street and Bridge Street. Its name comes from the two churches it once connected – Dominican and St. Nicholas. In the Middle Ages, it was used by the faithful and monks to move faster from one church to another.

The entire passage of the Elbląg Church Path is bulging with 10 Gothic, strutted and two-level arches. Its route once led from the Old Town to the gate of the former Dominican Church (today Galeria El). It was slightly longer then. The part leading to the monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary was unfortunately destroyed. The fragment of the Church Path that survived is now one of the original and few preserved medieval elements in the Elbląg Old Town. The rest was devastated during World War II.

#elblag #staremiasto #oldtown #ulica #street #sciezka #path #churchpath #sciezkakoscielna #architektura #architecture #widok #view #landscape

Castle of the Teutonic Order, Malbork, Poland

The best guarded part of the Malbork stronghold was the High Castle. Surrounded by two lines of walls and a moat, it was connected to the Middle Castle by a drawbridge. The High Castle was closed during the day. It was home to about 50 Teutonic brothers. The castle’s central point was a courtyard surrounded by cloisters with a well in the middle. The ground floor of the castle contained a kitchen, utility rooms and a cell for the most important prisoners. The first floor housed the monks’ rooms, the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the chapter house and the treasury. The convent chamber was located even higher. Grain supplies were hidden in the attics, which were supposed to last two years of a potential siege. A 66-meter watchtower, which was also the church’s bell tower, towered over everything.

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Castle of the Teutonic Order, Malbork, Poland

In addition to the Great Refectory, the Middle Castle also contained the Grand Master’s Palace, the Grand Commander’s chambers, the Armoury, rooms for visitors and an infirmary.

#malbork #zamek #castle #polska #poland #historia #history #architecture #architektura #gothicarchitecture #gothic #widok #landscape #krajobraz #krzyzacy #zakon #teutonicorder #teutonicknights #knights #rycerze #walls #wall #mury #mur #defensivetower #defensivewall #defensivewalls #birdseyeview

Castle of the Teutonic Order, Malbork, Poland

The most representative place of the entire complex was the Great Refectory, a huge hall located in the western wing of the Middle Castle. It was in this hall that the Teutonic Knights organized feasts and banquets. The hall, measuring 30m x 15m, was the largest room of its kind in the whole of Central Europe. It could accommodate 400 people. Its magnificent, palm vault is still supported by three slender pillars to this day. The interior design of the room was complemented by windows with colorful stained glass and frescoes, headed by the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the patron saint of the Teutonic Order, located above the main entrance.

#malbork #zamek #castle #polska #poland #historia #history #architecture #architektura #gothicarchitecture #gothic #widok #landscape #krajobraz #krzyzacy #zakon #teutonicorder #teutonicknights #knights #rycerze #walls #wall #mury #mur #defensivetower #defensivewall #defensivewalls

Castle of the Teutonic Order, Malbork, Poland

In what areas is the castle in Malbork record-breaking?

1) The largest brick castle in the world - a fortress so fortified that it was never conquered militarily, the inhabitants could survive 3 years without any supplies, and the monastery part was accessed by 4 bridges thrown over the water.

2) The largest kitchen hood in the world - the most exquisite food of the Middle Ages came out of the kitchen, this was confirmed by important heads of Europe at that time, it was also tasted by King Casimir the Great.

3) The largest sculpture of medieval Europe - the Malbork Madonna is over 8 meters high, it was recreated by modern conservators, covered with a mosaic containing real gold. It can be seen on the castle walls of the chapel, from under the ticket office building. Interestingly, the glass cubes were brought from Venice, and the gold elements from Gdańsk.

4) The largest number of latrines in a stronghold in the Middle Ages - even cooks had their own toilet, and cabbage leaves were often used as toilet paper, which also had medicinal properties, e.g. anti-inflammatory.

5) The largest number of wells in a castle in the Middle Ages. Interestingly, the fortress also had access to running water.

6) The oldest underfloor heating in these lands - large stones in the basement were heated in fireplaces and acted as storage furnaces. The heat escaped into the rooms through special holes in the floors.

#malbork #zamek #castle #polska #poland #historia #history #architecture #architektura #gothicarchitecture #gothic #widok #landscape #krajobraz #krzyzacy #zakon #teutonicorder #teutonicknights #knights #rycerze #walls #wall #mury #mur #defensivetower #defensivewall #defensivewalls #tower #wieza