Fortifications

Defensive Walls in Kętrzyn

In Kętrzyn, right next to the Teutonic castle, stand preserved fragments of the 14th-century defensive walls. The northern stretch of the circuit has survived almost in its full length — one of the better-preserved town layouts in Masuria.

Building the circuit

The fortifications were raised between 1350 and 1378 on an irregular quadrilateral plan. The walls rested on a stone plinth more than 1 metre wide and reached up to 10 metres at their tallest. The northern and western stretches connected through thirteen bastions with the defences of the Kętrzyn castle, while in the southern part the line of the walls followed the terrain.

The bastion with a medieval kitchen

One bastion has survived to this day, in the north-eastern corner of the circuit. It houses an exhibition on medieval cuisine — a branch of the Wojciech Kętrzyński Museum, which also invites visitors to the neighbouring castle. The other bastions did not endure; their layout is only partly known, and the walls of the western and southern stretches survive in fragments.

Practicalities

The walls run along Zamkowa and Struga streets, with the bastion on Struga Street. A visit combines well with the castle (0.1 km) and the church of St George (0.3 km); further afield in Masuria: Święta Lipka (12 km), Reszel (15 km) and the castle in Ryn (19 km).