Gniew Castle

The brick quadrangle above the point where the Wierzyca flows into the Vistula is one of the mightiest castles the Teutonic Knights built on the river's left bank. Gniew Castle was built from 1290 over about 40 years, and in the 17th century its starost was John Sobieski, the future king. Today it is a hotel with suites in the castle chambers, a guided tour route and the stage for one of the largest battle re-enactments in Poland.

History: commandery, starosty, granary

The Order began construction after 1290 with a four-sided curtain wall. Once complete, the castle was, alongside Człuchów and Gdańsk, the strongest Teutonic fortress on the left bank of the Vistula and the seat of the Gniew commander. Four wings enclosed a square courtyard with sides of about 47 m; three corners had slender turrets, the fourth a massive main tower. In 1410, after Grunwald, Polish knights captured the castle, but it returned to the Order. In the Thirteen Years' War it was besieged by Piotr Dunin's army, and after the defeat of the Teutonic relief force on the Vistula Lagoon the garrison surrendered on 1 January 1464.

Under the Second Peace of Thorn (1466) Gniew passed to Poland, and the castle became the seat of royal starosts. In 1623 Sigismund III Vasa stayed here, and in 1625–1627 the Swedes held the castle. In the second half of the 17th century the starost was John Sobieski, who built a Baroque palace in the outer bailey for his wife Marie Casimire. After the First Partition (1772) the Prussians turned the castle into a granary, and in 1855–1859 they rebuilt it, demolishing the main tower, filling in the moats and pulling down the latrine tower.

Fire and reconstruction

In 1921 a great fire gutted the castle, and after 1939 the German occupation authorities set up a prison for Poles here. Reconstruction began in 1968–1974, funded by the FAMA marine machinery works. From 1991 Jarosław Struczyński, with the local cultural centre and volunteers, brought the ruins back to life: knightly brotherhoods, tournaments and festivals followed, and the French association Les Compagnons du Tour de France trained craftsmen in Gniew. Since 2010 the castle has been owned by the company Polmlek.

What to see

• The Teutonic castle with its courtyard and restored interiors — guided tours, including night tours by torchlight.
• Marysieńka's Palace — Sobieski's Baroque palace in the outer bailey, now part of the hotel.
• The view over the Vistula valley from below the walls on the river side.
• Re-enactments and tournaments: every August since 2001, the Battle of Gniew of 22–29 August 1626, fought between two cousins — Gustavus II Adolphus and Sigismund III Vasa — is restaged as part of "Vivat Vasa".

Did you know?

The castle now has 17 suites in its chambers, and together with the Knights' Hotel (48 rooms) and Marysieńka's Palace (120 beds) it forms a four-star complex. In 2013 a helipad was built next to the castle on the Vistula side.

Tripto tips

Allow 1.5–2 hours for the castle tour and a walk around the outer bailey and old town. Tour times and ticket prices are not published on the castle's home page, so check the "Castle tours" section or phone before you go. In August, during the battle re-enactment, Gniew gets very crowded — book accommodation well in advance. The castle is at ul. Zamkowa 3, a few minutes' walk from the market square.