Malbork in Poland

Malbork and Monheim am Rhein have been partners since 2005.

Malbork has a population of around 42,000 and is the capital of Malbork County in the Voivodeship of Pomerania in northern Poland, not far from Gdansk. The town is known for its imposing Castle of the Teutonic Order, which is called "Marienburg" in German and was the model for Marienburg Manor in Monheim. Situated on the bank of the Nogat river, the castle complex was the seat and center of power of the Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order in the 14th and 15th centuries.

Youth Summit on the "City of the Future"

Mehrere Jugendliche sitzen an einem Biertisch unter einem Zelt. Sie halten kleine Deutschland-, Fankreich- und Israelfahnen. Die Jugendlichen lächeln und trinken Softdrinks. — The delegates of the youth panels spent a week together discussing what a youth-friendly "City of the Future" would look like. Photo: Tim Kögler

Fifty young people from four twin towns came together at the Youth Summit in Monheim am Rhein in July 2022. The young delegates from the youth panels of Bourg-la-Reine, France; Delitzsch, Saxony; Malbork, Poland; Tirat Carmel, Israel; and the Monheim Youth Parliament pitched their tents on Kapellenstrasse and spent a week discussing what a youth-friendly "City of the Future" would look like. Apart from the workshops, there was enough space and time for the participants to make friends with each other. At the end of the summit, the young people presented their results to the mayors and representatives of the twin towns.

The Youth Summit was funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union.

School trip of the Otto Hahn Gymnasium

Gruppenfoto von etwa 30 Schülerinnen und Schülern des Otto-Hahn-Gymnasiums vorm Liceum Ogólnokształcące in Malbork. Das Gebäude besteht aus hellem Putz und roten Backsteinen. Davor steht ein großer Baum. — Photo: Stefan Menke

In June 2022, students of the Otto Hahn High School visited the twin town of Malbork in Poland for the first time ever and established contacts with the Liceum Ogólnokształcące there.

The history class visited the famous Malbork Castle, the Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk and Stutthof concentration camp.

Inline Hockey Tournament

Vier Personen, eine Person hält ein rotes Eishockeytrikot in die Kamera mit der Aufschrift: "Nawrocki 72 Monheim" — Picture: SG Monheim Skunks

The SG Monheim Skunks and the Malbork Bombers have been competing against each other since 2017. The partnership works so well that the teams organize a big tournament every year. In June 2019, it was the Monheim Skunks’ turn to host; they invited almost 50 people in several teams from Malbork. An action-packed supporting program meant that plenty of fun was had both on and off the court.

The friends meet not only for their annual tournament, but also to train together like they did this summer in Malbork.

The twin towns meet

Drei Frauen stehen rund um einen Mann in einer altertümlichen Rüstung, er hält eine Lanze — Olivia Konieczny, Dafna Graf and Laura Töpfer (from left to right) traveled to Malbork. Photo: Laura Töpfer

Olivia Konieczny, Dafna Graf and Laura Töpfer (from left to right) traveled to Malbork. Photo: Laura Töpfer

In July 2019, a small delegation with then Deputy Mayor Laura Töpfer traveled to Malbork for a twin town meeting. A varied program provided an opportunity for the participants from all of Malbork’s eight twin towns to get to know each other. The highlight was the castle festival, which ended with a historical reenactment of the Siege of Malbork Castle in 1410. Everyone made plenty of new contacts, which will continue to inspire more new encounters.

Youth parliament meets youth council

Eine Gruppe Jugendliche und junge Erwachsene auf dem Vorplatz des Kölner Doms — The youth parliament and youth council take in Cologne’s sights together. Photo: Eva Heggemann

The youth parliament and youth council take in Cologne’s sights together. Photo: Eva Heggemann

The youth council from Malbork visited Monheim’s youth parliament for the second time in June 2019. Their joint work focused on learning about, and from, German-Polish history. During the meeting, five "Stolperstein" sidewalk plaques were laid in memory of forced laborers from Poland. Young people from both towns played music and recited specially written poems during the ceremony. The Monheim City Festival provided an opportunity for the youngsters to get to know each other better and celebrate together. Everyone is already looking forward to the next visit to Malbork.

Secondary school student exchange with Malbork

Eine Gruppe Schülerinnen und Schüler auf dem Platz des Leverkusener Fußballstadions — Students from Monheim’s secondary school and Szkoła Podstawowa No. 2 in Malbork visit the Bayer Leverkusen soccer stadium. Photo: Martin Paeslack

Students from Monheim’s secondary school and Szkoła Podstawowa No. 2 in Malbork visit the Bayer Leverkusen soccer stadium. Photo: Martin Paeslack

In September 2018, students from grade 8 of our secondary school visited Malbork. In May 2019, they welcomed the Polish exchange students in Monheim am Rhein. The youngsters made and deepened many friendships during a packed and highly interesting program. In addition to excursions to Leverkusen and Cologne, there was an educational program at the school and the Haus der Geschichte museum in Bonn. The next exchange is planned for 2020.

Bursztynki dance at SG Monheim dance gala

Eine verkleidete Tanzgruppe bei einer Tanzperformance in einer Turnhalle — The youth dance group Bursztynki from Malbork dance at the SG Monheim dance gala. Photo: Engin Altinova

The youth dance group Bursztynki from Malbork dance at the SG Monheim dance gala. Photo: Engin Altinova

In March 2019, the dancers from SG Monheim also invited groups from all our twin towns to take part in their dance gala. Three dance groups from Delitzsch, Ataşehir and two groups from the cultural center in Malbork accepted the invitation. The crowd first went wild for a joint performance by all of the visiting groups, before our guests from Malbork showcased their incredible skills in folklore, ballet and modern dance.

Freundeskreis Malbork

“Freundeskreis Malbork” (circle of friends of Malbork) is a group based in Monheim that has been cultivating contacts between the two towns for many years now. Every year, it organizes trips to Poland and Malbork, but also return visits to Monheim am Rhein.

Marienburg, big and small

Daniel Zimmermann und eine Delegation aus Malbork in einem Innenraum der Monheimer Marienburg — Mayor Marek Charzewski and a sports delegation visit the Marienburg in Monheim.

Mayor Marek Charzewski and a sports delegation visit the Marienburg in Monheim.

You might be surprised to learn that the “little” Marienburg in Monheim am Rhein – a 19^th-century villa – owes its name to the large castle complex in Malbork, which is called Marienburg in German. Naming the villa after the castle was inspired by the fact that the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Winrich von Kniprode, was born in Monheim am Rhein in the 14^th century.