Gothic Castles Trail

The Gothic Castles Trail is a driving route of around 640 km linking the brick strongholds of the former Teutonic Order state and of the Warmian and Pomesanian bishoprics. It takes in twelve castles across Pomerania, Warmia and Masuria – from Malbork and Gniew on the Vistula to Kętrzyn and Ryn in Masuria. Most were built in the 14th and early 15th centuries, and today they house museums, hotels and event venues.

How the trail came about

The route is promoted by the "Polish Gothic Castles" association of municipalities, founded in 1997. The idea was simple: a single castle is hard to market, while many sites along one route draw visitors far more effectively. The association has put up information boards and E-22a road signs, publishes guides and runs a mobile app with an outdoor quest game. Along the way you will find different types of castle: Teutonic (Malbork, Gniew, Sztum, Bytów), the bishops' castle in Lidzbark Warmiński and the chapter castle in Olsztyn.

Castles to start with

• Malbork – seat of the Grand Masters from 1309 to 1457 and the largest brick fortress in Europe, built from roughly 16 million bricks. The Castle Museum has been here since 1961, and the castle has been on the UNESCO list since 1997.
• Gniew – the oldest Teutonic fortress on the left bank of the Vistula, built from around 1290. The future King John III Sobieski served as its starost. Today the castle is known for historical re-enactments, including the Battle of Gniew of 1626.
• Kwidzyn – the castle and cathedral complex of the Pomesanian chapter, a branch of the Malbork Castle Museum.
• Sztum – built in 1326–1331 on an island in the former Lake Białe.
• Bytów – a stronghold of 1398–1405 on a 70 × 50 m rectangular plan; from the mid-15th century until 1637 it was a residence of the Pomeranian dukes.
• Ryn – a conventual castle on the isthmus between Lake Ołów and Lake Ryńskie.

Did you know?

An inventory from 1418 lists 22 cannons, 72 crossbows and 14,000 bolts in the armoury at Ryn, and 187 horses on the castle farm. Ryn's first commander was Friedrich von Wallenrode, brother of Grand Master Konrad – the model for the hero of Mickiewicz's poem. Człuchów also belongs to the association: completed around 1365, its castle was the second-largest Teutonic stronghold after Malbork, with 11 gates and 9 towers.

Tripto tips

You cannot sensibly drive the whole route in one day. It works best split into two parts: the Vistula section (Malbork, Sztum, Kwidzyn, Gniew, Nowe) and the Warmian-Masurian section (Ostróda, Nidzica, Olsztyn, Lidzbark Warmiński, Kętrzyn, Ryn). Allow half a day for Malbork alone and 1–2 hours for each smaller castle. In Gniew and Ryn you can sleep inside the castle walls, as both have hotels. Check opening hours and prices on each castle's own website.