In Poland and in the world there are places which we should see even if only once in our life. Some of them, to my regret, are unavailable because they are dangerous. Fortunately, we can show at least some of them to our children. One place which everybody should see in Poland is Malbork Castle.

This castle, which is the biggest in the world in terms of area, is placed on the banks of the river Nogat and is very impressive. It has been built in phases since 1280 and has been passed from German hands to Polish hands many times. Eventually, after a pounding in 1945 by The Red Army, it was rebuilt and deemed a national monument. In 1997 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

Huge but interesting in terms of architecture, this bricky building is intriguing and encourages us to visit it. The features of the castle include: the Karwan Lower Castle, where train equipment, cannons and ammunition were kept; St Wawrzyniec Chapel and outbuildings; the glamorous Medium Castle, which was the political centre of authority and in which we can find St. Bartłomiej Chapel, the Great Refectory, the Grand Master Palace, and the Monastery of the Teutonic Knights, known as the High Castle.

Visiting the castle takes 3.5 hours and is conducted by an experienced guide or (for a fee) with an audio-guide. I don't know any child - even one who is very interested in medieval castles - who patiently follows his parents, listening about the historical and architectonic details of this wonderful castle.

Fortunately, during the holiday The Castle Museum introduced a few improvements for families with children. You may choose the family tour. The visit lasts one and half hours (plus half an hour for additional events). Under the care of a guide, the children and their parents visit the medieval castle following a shorter route with fewer details, and the information is adjusted to suit the age of the children. For us it was the best solution. The guide was so interesting that all of the young visitors listened with pleasure. Wearing knight's helmets, the children were put into teams that had to solve the great mystery of the castle. They listened, sang, asked questions, solved riddles, got rewards and finally read the secret castle motto from a wax tablet leading to the Teutonic Knights' treasury.

During the tour the guide gave out information specifically tailored to children. They learnt that the Castle was built with 30 million bricks; that if you wanted to go by wooden bridge to the monk's world in the High Castle you had to know the secret password; what the knights ate and what they used for eating; where they slept and what they slept on and where they went to the toilet and what they used as toilet paper.

As a reward, they stood before the grand master and were dubbed Discoverers of the Castle's Secrets. They sat a knight's qualification exam and received a formal certificate. With the knight commander they participated in a workshop of writing with a goose feather.

Of course, for an adult who has never been to the Castle, the family tour only scratches the surface of its mysteries. Fortunately, adults who would like to know more may join another guided trip which is already paid for within the price of the family ticket. By accident we visited the Castle on the annual Malbork Days fete. We could therefore join in a festival in the Lower Castle, where we took part in a show of medieval weaponry and cannon fire. My children were happy because cabbages were the engine of war cannonballs. We saw a falconry show and also a theatre taken directly from a medieval city market. The realism of the visit was enhanced by knights and ladies dressed in medieval-style clothes, who walked around preparing themselves for the evening's outdoor event "The Siege of Malbork".

My children left the castle happy with ink-stained fingers, with certificates, knight's helmets and souvenirs from the kermess. They were so tired that they fell asleep in the car before we left the city.

I recommend it!

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Gdańsk also for children – exhibition People-Ships-Ports
Time machine.