Castles

Tykocin Castle

On the right bank of the Narew, amid the former marshes, the rebuilt castle brings back a fortress that once housed the most important arsenal of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The story begins in 1433, when Jan Gasztołd received the Tykocin stronghold as a donation; the wooden castle burned down around 1519, and when the family died out in 1542, the estates returned to the king.

The castle of Sigismund Augustus

It was Sigismund II Augustus who raised the brick stronghold here. By the end of the 16th century it operated the largest arsenal in the state, and within its walls the embalmed body of the king, who had died in Knyszyn, rested for 14 months awaiting the funeral and the election of his successor. The humanist Łukasz Górnicki served as starost of Tykocin.

The Order of the White Eagle

In November 1705 Augustus II the Strong, received by Peter the Great, presented the Order of the White Eagle here for the first time — still the oldest Polish order of merit today. After wars and fires, Jan Klemens Branicki had the castle pulled down for building materials.

Practical

Today the cellars host an exhibition on the fortress's history, the Glass Hall features a reconstructed grand tile stove, there is a display devoted to the Order, and the former prison tower offers a panorama of the area. A restaurant serving Podlachian cuisine and guest rooms operate within the walls.