Gniew Castle

Gniew Castle is situated on the left bank of the Vistula River, which is the main river in Poland. It is a fortress, once commanded by the Teutonic Knights. Moreover, the castle is one of the few that have survived to this day. You can reach it from Torun in Poland. The trip takes about 1.5 hours.

Brief history

The castle is located in the oldest town, whose population dates back to the 600s, according to historical accounts. In its early days the settlement was a small Pomeranian town. However, one of the first documented mentions of a settlement in this area dates back to 1229. Cistercians from the Monastery of Olive arrived in the area.

Half a century has passed since then and the castle was given over to the Teutonic Order. In 1283 work began on the fortification of the building, as well as the expansion of the entire area. The construction period lasted for over 40 years. The scale of the work as well as the cost of the construction was impressive. In 1290, it was decided not to reconstruct the building, but to build a full-fledged castle.

Walls had a height of 6 meters and were arranged in a rectangular form. Ditches for defensive purposes were arranged nearby. Already in XIV century the height of walls began to increase. Thus, the first towers appeared. Despite the grandiose plans for the castle, at that time it was significantly inferior to many of its counterparts on the Polish territory.

“Military exploits”

The castle was never particularly well armed. This played into its hands in 1410. The entire town surrendered to the army of King Wladyslaw II. Only in 1416 were works to fortify the structure. However, in the next century the castle was constantly under attack. It was in the possession of Poland, the Crusaders, and Poland again.

Calm came in 1466 and lasted more than 1.5 centuries. But in 1625 the territory was conquered by the Swedes. Poles headed by hetman Stanislaw Koncepolski intended to regain the site in 1627. He managed to cunningly drive out the Swedish troops from Gniew, but the King of Sweden did not risk attacking again.

The period of the First World War marked the transformation of the castle into a post. Its purpose was to protect the town from attacks by Russian troops. A camp for Russian prisoners of war was built in the castle. During the Second World War the original owners took over the castle.

Initially, the castle served as a school for the Hitler Youth. It was later converted into a transit point, where captive families were accommodated. More than 1.8 thousand families from Tczew and other nearby settlements were sent there. When the war ended, the castle was occupied by the military. Then it was turned into a prison.

Present day

Today Gniew Castle is a structure that attracts the interest of the town’s guests. There is an archaeological museum where you can see artefacts from different times and iconic events. Short performances are also held here. The house adjacent to the central area has been converted into a hotel.