Olsztynek Castle

On a hill above Olsztynek stands a Teutonic castle that has housed schools since the 19th century. It was built in 1350–1366 on the orders of the Ostróda commander Günther von Hohenstein, and the town that grew up around it was called Hohenstein in German. In the 19th century a grammar school opened in the castle halls; among its pupils was Emil von Behring, the first winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Today it houses the Krzysztof Celestyn Mrongowiusz School Complex.

History: from burgrave to grammar school

The castle was neither a monastery nor a commandery, but the seat of a burgrave – an administrator who organised defence and collected taxes, while a court official held hearings here. When the building was finished, Grand Master Winrich von Kniprode stayed here with his whole retinue. The stronghold was built on the site of an Old Prussian fort, on a regular quadrangular plan: three sides were tall buildings, the fourth, facing the town, a wall with a gate and a high tower. In 1410 the townspeople seized the castle and handed it over to King Władysław Jagiełło, and in 1414 it was damaged. After the Order was dissolved, Olsztynek was the seat of a starosty, which lasted until 1610; during the Swedish wars the castle served as an armoury. From 1845 to 1857 a lower secondary school operated in the restored halls, and thanks to the historian Max Toeppen it became a full grammar school.

What to see

• Brick walls on a fieldstone foundation – about 2 m thick and filled with rubble.
• Two granite stones on the gable wall of the main building, which probably supported a gdanisko, a medieval latrine tower.
• Cellars with rib vaults resting on a central pillar – according to Toeppen the castle had two cellar levels, the lower of which was filled in during the 19th century.
• Fragments of Gothic portals and windows that survived the 19th-century alterations.
• A plaque commemorating Emil von Behring in the courtyard.

Did you know?

The castle was once at least one storey higher, and inside were a chapel, refectory, bathhouse, armoury, storerooms, stables and cowsheds. According to Olsztynek's town website, the water level in the Middle Ages was so high that small boats could sail up to the castle with supplies for the garrison. From 1926 to 1945 a grammar school known as the Behringschule operated within its walls. After the war the building served in turn as a tailoring school and a military unit, and in November 1961 a fire destroyed the main roof. Archaeological research in 2006 confirmed the existence of a south wing.

Tripto tips

The castle is on Zamkowa Street, a few minutes' walk from the market square. It is a working school, so the interior is not open to visitors – you see the building and its surroundings from outside, and 20–30 minutes is enough for an unhurried look. Combine it with a walk along the surviving sections of the town walls with their towers and a visit to Olsztynek's open-air Museum of Folk Architecture.