Szymbark Castle

Above Lake Szymbarskie, some 10 km north of Iława, rises one of the largest castle ruins in northern Poland: the Gothic castle of the Pomesanian chapter, covering 75 × 92 m and once ringed by a moat with a drawbridge. Construction began in the 1370s on the initiative of provost Henryk of Skarlin, and a Latin inscription above the gate records the year 1386.

Ten towers

The outer walls were reinforced by eight towers; a second range of buildings later filled the courtyard, and the whole complex grew to 10 towers, each with a different design. The clock tower reached 24 m. The castle served representational purposes more than military ones.

From the Finckensteins to Malkovich

Between 1699 and 1945 the castle was the seat of the von Finckenstein family. In 1946 soldiers of the Red Army set it on fire, and it has remained a ruin ever since. In 1996 Volker Schlöndorff filmed scenes of "The Ogre" here with John Malkovich — mismatched windows on the ruin still recall the film set.

Practical

The ruin is privately owned and closed to visitors, but a path allows you to walk all the way around it. Parking is available at Szymbark 10a; the family graveyard of the Finckensteins lies on a nearby hill.