UNESCO World Heritage Sites
The UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Teutonic Order are, in modern times, the principal institutions of the international heritage of the Order’s architectural legacy. The most substantial of these is the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997. The other UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Teutonic Order are the Historic Centre of Riga, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997 and which contains substantial elements of the Order’s architectural legacy; the Historic Centre of Tallinn, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997; and the Historic Centre of the City of Toruń, also inscribed in 1997.
The Inscription of the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork
The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in December 1997, on the basis of criteria (ii), (iii), and (iv) of the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention. Criterion (ii) is satisfied by the fact that the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork is an outstanding example of the interchange of human values between the northern German building tradition and the Order’s own architectural patronage, and the way in which the two traditions have been synthesised into a distinctive regional architectural tradition. Criterion (iii) is satisfied by the fact that the castle is an outstanding example of a type of building — the convent castle — that is a distinctive regional expression of the broader European monastic-military tradition. Criterion (iv) is satisfied by the fact that the castle is an outstanding example of a type of building — the brick Gothic convent castle — that illustrates, in an exceptional way, the historical development of the European military architecture.
The inscription of the castle was, the conclusion of a long process of international heritage campaign, conducted, in the course of the late twentieth century, by a succession of Polish and international heritage institutions. The international heritage campaign was, in the early 1990s, the subject of a substantial expansion under the Polish government, and the international heritage campaign was, in 1997, the subject of substantial expansion under the Polish government in preparation for the inscription.
The Management of the Site
The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork is, in modern times, the subject of a substantial management programme, conducted by a succession of Polish and international heritage institutions. The management programme is, in its present form, a substantial programme of conservation, restoration, and presentation, conducted in accordance with the principles of the European historic preservation movement. The most substantial of the management programmes of the early twenty-first century are the management programmes for the conservation of the High Castle, for the conservation of the Middle Castle, for the conservation of the Fore-Castle, for the conservation of the outer curtain wall, and for the conservation of the principal interior spaces.
The Wider International Heritage Campaign
The wider international heritage campaign of the Teutonic Order is, in the early twenty-first century, the subject of a substantial programme of international cooperation, conducted in accordance with the principles of the European historic preservation movement. The most substantial of the wider international heritage campaigns of the early twenty-first century are the wider international heritage campaigns for the conservation of the Order’s brick Gothic churches, for the conservation of the Order’s convent castles, for the conservation of the Order’s parish churches, for the conservation of the Order’s defensive architecture, and for the conservation of the Order’s residential architecture.
The Principal Other Sites
The principal other UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Teutonic Order are, in addition to the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork, the Historic Centre of Riga, the Historic Centre of Tallinn, and the Historic Centre of the City of Toruń. The Historic Centre of Riga was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997, and contains substantial elements of the Order’s architectural legacy, including the principal buildings of the Order’s Livonian administration. The Historic Centre of Tallinn was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997, and contains substantial elements of the Order’s architectural legacy, including the principal buildings of the Order’s administration of northern Estonia. The Historic Centre of the City of Toruń was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997, and contains substantial elements of the Order’s architectural legacy, including the principal buildings of the Order’s Prussian administration of the lower Vistula.
The Future of the Sites
The future of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Teutonic Order is, in the early twenty-first century, the subject of a substantial debate, and the debate over the future of the sites is, a debate over the future of the international heritage of the Order’s architectural legacy. The sites are, in modern times, the subject of substantial international heritage campaigns, and the sites are, in modern times, the subject of substantial international cooperation.
Sources
- Boockmann, Hartmut. Der Deutsche Orden: Zwölf Kapitel aus seiner Geschichte. Munich: Beck, 1981.
- Rohde, Hans. Macht und Pracht der Marienburg. Königstein: Langewiesche, 1952.
- Smith, Laurajane. Uses of Heritage. Oxford: Blackwell, 2006.
Related Reading
The wider context of the international heritage campaign is examined in the parent article on the heritage of the castles today, and the principal institution of the international heritage campaign is examined in the article on the Marienburg Castle Museum. The architectural character of the principal site is treated in the article on the major castles of the Teutonic Order, and the architectural style in which the principal site was built is treated in the article on brick Gothic architecture. The wider context of the Order’s architectural patronage is examined in the parent chapter on the castles and built legacy of the Teutonic Order, and the political circumstances in which the Order’s architectural legacy was created are examined in the chapter on the Prussian state.