Szymbark (; german: Schönberg) is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

in the administrative district of Gmina Iława, within

Iława County __NOTOC__ Iława County ( pl, powiat iławski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, northern Poland. In the years 1945-1958 it existed under the name Susz County ( pl, powiat suski ...

Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship or Warmia-Masuria Province or Warmia-Mazury Province (in pl, Województwo warmińsko-mazurskie, is a voivodeship (province) in northeastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Olsztyn. The voivodeship has an ar ...

, in northern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. It lies approximately north-west of

Iława Iława (; german: Deutsch Eylau ) is a town in northern Poland with 32,276 inhabitants (2010). It is situated in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (since 1999); previously it was in Olsztyn Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Iława C ...

and west of the regional capital

Olsztyn Olsztyn ( , ; german: Allenstein ; Old Prussian: ''Alnāsteini'' * Latin: ''Allenstenium'', ''Holstin'') is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. ...

. The village has a population of 395. It is located on the northern shore of Szymbarskie Lake.

The castle

The construction of the castle began in 1301. It was built by the

Teutonic Order The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...

as a summer residence of the

Bishop of Pomesania The Bishopric of Pomesania (german: Bistum Pomesanien; pl, Diecezja pomezańska) was a Catholic diocese in the Prussian regions of Pomesania and Pogesania, in modern northern Poland until the 16th century, then shortly a Lutheran diocese, and b ...

. A Latin inscription above the main gate (''Hec Porta Constructa Est Anno Domini MCCCLXXXVI Tempore Fratris Henrici De Skarlin Prepoziti'') dates back to 1386 and mentions brother Henry of Skarlin as constructor.The history of Szymbark Castle at zamkipolskie.pl
/ref> Sometimes he is described as the founder of the castle. The castle became property of the last Catholic and first Lutheran Bishop of Pomesania, Georg von Polentz, after the secularization of the Order. In 1699 it was bought by Ernst Graf

Finck von Finckenstein The House of Finck von Finckenstein is a noble family classified as ''Uradel'' ( German for 'ancient nobility'). It is one of the oldest Prussian aristocratic families extant, dating back to the 12th century in the Duchy of Carinthia. Origins ...

and remained property of the Finckenstein family until In April 1945, about three month after the conquest by the Soviet Union, and again in 1947 the castle was set on fire and completely destroyed. The ruins were used for the 1996 movie The Ogre by

Volker Schlöndorff Volker Schlöndorff (; born 31 March 1939 Friday) is a German film director, screenwriter and producer who has worked in Germany, France and the United States. He was a prominent member of the New German Cinema of the late 1960s and early 1970s ...

with

John Malkovich John Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Aw ...

in the title role. File:Szymbark, zamek, pierzeja wschodnia.jpg, The south-east flank and main gate File:Szymbark, zamek, pierzeja południowa.jpg, The south view File:Szymbark5(js).jpg, The north-west tower File:Szymbark4(js).jpg, The north-east tower

Sports

The local football club is LZS Zamek Szymbark. It competes in the lower leagues.

Notable residents

* Katharina Dorothea Finck von Finckenstein

Notes and references

External links

Szymbark and John Malkovich

19th century view

Populated lakeshore places in Poland Szymbark {{Iława-geo-stub