Kętrzyn Castle

Kętrzyn Castle is a Gothic Teutonic Order stronghold built around 1360–1374, the oldest monument of the former Rastenburg and today home to the Wojciech Kętrzyński Museum and the town library. The three-winged brick building tells the story of the region from the Teutonic Knights to the destruction of 1945. The Wolf's Lair lies just a few kilometres away, so the two are easy to combine in one trip.

History: from watchtower to museum

The settlement of Rast first appears in records in 1329. The Teutonic Knights first built a timber-and-earth watch post here, which was raided in 1345 and 1348 by the Lithuanian dukes Algirdas and Kęstutis. The brick castle was built as the seat of a procurator subordinate to the commandery at Balga, and the town received its charter in 1357. In 1410, after the Battle of Grunwald, the townspeople surrendered the castle to King Władysław Jagiełło's army, but it returned to the Order a year later.

The most dramatic episode came in 1454: at the start of the Thirteen Years' War, rebellious townspeople stormed the castle and drowned the Teutonic procurator Wolfgang Sauer in the pond. After the Order was secularised, the castle became the seat of a district governor; an oriel above the gate was added in 1528 and a cylindrical stair tower in the courtyard in 1622. In December 1797 a fire destroyed part of the building. In the early 20th century the town fitted it out with flats and offices.

In January 1945 Soviet troops burned most of the old town and the castle. Reconstruction in 1964–1966 restored its Gothic character: the roofs were raised, and the north wing regained its original height and decorative gables, based on drawings by Conrad Steinbrecht.

What to see

• The "Old Art" exhibition with paintings, sculpture and furniture from the 15th to 19th centuries.
• A multimedia town model showing the town's history – shows every half hour from 9:30 to 15:30, included in the ticket.
• The Bastion (Baszta) – a museum branch with temporary exhibitions.
• The courtyard with the 1528 oriel and the 1622 cylindrical stair tower.

Why "Kętrzyn"

Until 1945 the town was called Rastenburg. After the war it was named after Wojciech Kętrzyński, a historian born in Giżycko as Adalbert von Winkler, who discovered his family's Polish roots and took his ancestors' surname. The castle museum bears his name too.

Tripto tips

The castle and the Bastion are open Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00–16:00. A castle ticket costs PLN 17 (reduced PLN 12), castle plus Bastion PLN 20 / 15, the Bastion alone PLN 7. The museum also sets free-admission days, when the multimedia model does not run. A guide for groups of up to 10 costs PLN 70, for 11–30 people PLN 100. Allow 1–1.5 hours. The museum is at pl. Zamkowy 1; afterwards head to the Wolf's Lair at Gierłoż or the Baroque sanctuary of Święta Lipka.