Castles of the State of the Teutonic Order in Prussia - Pomesania, Prussian uplands, Warmia, MazuriaAuteurs : Małgorzata Jackiewicz-Garniec & Mirosław Garniec
Studio Arta, 2013
"Castles of the State of the Teutonic Order in Prussia" is a subsequent book from the series initiated and superbly received by rewiewers and the readership of "Pałace i dwory dawnych Prus Wschodnich" ("Palaces and manor houses of the former East Prussia"). This time the authors guide us round the beautiful and mysterious castles of Warmia and Masuria, Pomesania and the historical Prussian uplands - following in their creators', Knight-monks' footsteps.
The book combines the features of an album, popular-science publication and guidebook. It contains 475 photographs and, which is an absolute novelty, 21 pictoral reconstructions of Gothic castles in the form of medieval large painting as wel as maps, plans, drawings and panoramas of old masters owing to which we get to know the landscape of former Prussia. The book provides interesting and detailed descriptions of 47 teutonic, episcopal and chapter fortresses together with the history of the towns coming into being their vicinity. The history and architecture of the region are brought closer by the articles penned by outstanding researchers - prof. Marian Arzyński and dr. Janusz Trupinda, and a detailed historic-tourist map facilitates using the book as guide.
The description of the system of the teutonic fortresses with the brand-new separation of castle models, acording to which seats for lower officials (vogts, procurators, and baillifs) were raised will - so far olnly the model of the most important commandery castle was familiar, will be a real treat for history of architecture lovers.
Małgorzata Jackiewicz-Garniec was born in Olsztyn. She is an art historian : she graduated in conservation and museology at the Department of Fine Arts from the Mikołaj Kopernik University of Toruń, UMK. She has worked at the historic preservation institutions, and since 1994 at the Bureau of Art Exhibitions in Olsztyn (since 2010 its director).
Since 2005 she as been co-creating the regional collection of polish contemporary art within the framework of the National Culture Programme "Znaki czasu". She has been fascinated with the history of architecture of the Warmia-Masuria Province and involved in landscape and cultural heritage protection. She is the co-author of the book "Palaces and manor houses of the former East Prussia" and a popular , three-year cycle of broadcasts in the second programme of the Polish Radio on the monuments of the region; She was appreciated by the redership of "Gazeta Wyborcza" who nomitated her in 2005 to be the Godmother of the m/v Warmia.
Mirosław Garniec was born in 1959 in Szamocin (Wielkopolska/Greater Poland). He is an editor, photographer and graphic designer. He graduated in painting in the Department of Fine Arts from the Mikołaj Kopernik University of Toruń, UMK. He has designed several dozen posters and books, he has also preapared several photographic exhibitions. In 1993 he set up Studio Wydawnicze Arta (Arta Publishing Studio), with the passage of time transformed into a privately-owned (author's) publishing company. Its publications come into being in accordance with the concept whose superior role is played by the artistic graphic elaboration of the book, where especially executed photographs, together with texts and other, adequately prepared illustrations are to create a true masterpiece of editorial art. The present publication is the second, after "Palaces and manor houses of the former East Prussia", made in this way.