Szymbark () is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in the administrative district of

Gmina Iława __NOTOC__ Gmina Iława is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Iława County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. Its seat is the town of Iława, although the town is not part of the territory of the gmina. The gmina covers an ...

, within

Iława County __NOTOC__ Iława County () 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 (), subsequently renamed Iława County ...

, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. It lies approximately north-west of

Iława Iława (; ) is a town in northern Poland with 32,276 inhabitants (2010). It is the capital of Iława County in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. The town is located in the Iławskie Lake District, on the longest lake in Poland – Jeziorak.

and west of the regional capital

Olsztyn Olsztyn ( , ) is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with powiat rights, city with county rights. The population of the city was estimated at 169,793 residents Olsz ...

. The village 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 Teutonic Order is a religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious institution founded as a military order (religious society), military society in Acre, Israel, Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Sa ...

as a summer residence of the Bishop of Pomesania. 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 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) 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. He ha ...

with

John Malkovich John Gavin 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 BAFTA Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and ...

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 Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

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

Notable residents

* Katharina Dorothea Finck von Finckenstein

References

External links

Szymbark and John Malkovich

19th century view
{{Authority control Populated lakeshore places in Poland Villages in Iława County