n 1236, Teutonic troops invaded and burned the Prussian village of Rezija, which occupied a strategic position on the isthmus between Lake Liwieniec and (no longer existing) Mill Pond. Soon after, Teutonic Knights erected a wooden watchtower called Resinburg in the same place, but in 1243 it was in turn destroyed by Prussian squads. The same year,
Pope Innocent V incorporated these lands into the newly created Diocese of Pomezania, and from then on they belonged to the bishops.
MEDIEVAL TOWN PLAN, 'DIE BAU- UND KUNSTDENKMALER DES KREISES', CASTLE MARKED WITH A CROSS
O
n the initiative of Bishop Albert (d. after 1285), construction of a brick castle began on the site of a Teutonic watchtower, which is believed to have been supervised by a certain brother Rupertus, builder of
Kwidzyń Cathedral. These works lasted from 1276 (or 1277) until the 1340s, when a toilet tower was built and a second line of fortifications was erected. In 1345, the castle is mentioned in documents as Risenburg castro nostro.
According to a legend - in the vicinity of the castle, underground passageways called Jerusalem were excavated, in which once a year the bored monks organized a truly Christian chase after the frightened Prussian peasants. In this way, they fulfilled their vows to fight the infidels.
A MODEL OF THE MEDIEVAL CASTLE, VIEW FROM THE NORTHEAST
T
he 14th century was a period of peace and prosperity for the castle, which ended with the so-called the Hunger War in 1414 and the seizure of the stronghold by the Lithuanian commander Zygmunt Korybut. At the command of
King Władysław Jagiełło (d. 1434), Polish troops then plundered the castle and set it on fire. Eight years later, during the armed conflict remembered as the Golub War , royal troops again entered Prabuty. This time, however, there was no need to storm the town fortifications, as the frightened mayor Jacob Vischer preemptively ordered the gates to be opened. The Polish king apparently did not appreciate this act of submission and ...having seized everything worthy of desire, set it (the town and the castle) on fire. The cathedral also burned and its walls crumbled.
FOUNDATIONS OF THE WEST WING, VIEW TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST
A
t the beginning of
the Thirteen Years' WarWar between Poland (allied with the Prussian Union) and the Teutonic Knights, ending with the victory of the Kingdom of Poland., Prabuty opted to join the Prussian Union. However, when
King Kazimierz Jagiellończyk (d. 1492) demanded that Bishop Kaspar Linke (d. 1463) move to Kwidzyń and surrender the castle to Polish troops, the latter changed his mind and went over to the Teutonic Order. As a result, the stronghold was taken by units under the command of the Knight Hans von Gleichen, who strengthened its defenses and upgraded its armaments. It is worth mentioning, moreover, that it was here, at Prabuty castle, on October 12, 1458, the Polish king and grand master signed a nine-month truce halting the military action until July 1459. After the war (which ended in 1466), the town remained within the borders of the Teutonic state.
FOUNDATIONS OF THE WEST WING, VIEW TOWARD THE NORTHWEST
D
uring the reign of Hiob von Dobeneck, known as the Iron Bishop (d. 1521), the castle often hosted notable poets and philosophers, among them the diplomat and traveler
Johann von Hoefe, the humanist and personal physician of the Hohenzollern family Erasmus Stella, the Renaissance wordsmith
Eobanus Hessus (who lived in Prabuty for four years), and many others. In 1520 the last Polish-Teutonic war broke out, during which the bishop was preparing the stronghold for defense against the royal army, but due to the changing situation at the front the siege did not finally take place.
VIEW OF PRABUTY FROM THE NORTH IN 1684 ACCORDING TO CHRISTOPH JOHANN HARTKNOCH, THE CASTLE IS ON THE RIGHT
A
fter the secularization of the Teutonic Order and the adoption of the Protestant religion by new authorities, the castle was transformed into a residence of the Prince of Prussia
Albrecht von Hohenzollern (d. 1568). The edifice was expanded then and its interiors - transformed according to the prince's requirements. Thanks to the town's favorable location on the important route leading from Germany to Königsberg, it has since often hosted diplomats and politicians. Among them was Dutch envoy Abraham van Boot, whose artistic passions resulted in a series of engravings with Polish and Teutonic castles (I've placed one of them below).
VIEW OF THE TOWN FROM THE SOUTH IN AN ENGRAVING BY ABRAHAM VON BOOT (1627), THE CASTLE IS SHOWN ON THE LEFT
I
n April 1688, a farmhand working on the castle inadvertently started a fire, resulting in a blaze that consumed all roofs and almost all castle furnishings, including the valuable archives of the Pomezanian bishopric. Thus, the castle lost its representative character forever. Only some outbuildings were repaired, which henceforth served as wool stores, a lazarette and granaries. The representative wings, after making makeshift repairs, became barracks, offices and housing for its employees. Almost a century after the great fire, the castle burned down again (1787), and again lost all its facilities. It never recovered from this disaster and its collapse was hastened by wall demolition carried out throughout the 19th century. The last above-ground parts of the former bishops' seat were removed after 1945.
CASTLE RUINS DURING ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS IN 2007, PHOTO BY PRZEMYSŁAW WORONKO
he castle was built on a hill between the Mill Pond and Lake Liwieniec, which is sometimes called Castle Lake. With steep slopes descending toward the water, the area had very good natural defenses. The castle hill had an oval shape and was separated from the town by a wide, lowered strip of land, in which a moat was dug. The stronghold was integrated into town's line of fortifications, which consisted of defensive walls and towers.
THE TOWN WALLS IN THE WESTERN PART PROVIDED A SECOND LINE OF DEFENSE FOR THE CASTLE
HERE THE WALL ON A POSTCARD FROM THE 1920S AND A PHOTOGRAPH FROM 2003
T
he castle's buildings consisted of three wings: the representative western, northern and southern wings, while on the eastern side the courtyard was enclosed by a high wall with two corner towers and a gate in the middle. The third tower stood in the western part of the upper castle. On the higher floor it may have connected with the south wing by a porch.
BASEMENT PLAN OF THE WEST WING, "DIE BAU- UND KUNSTDENMÄLER DES KREISES" 1897
UNCOVERED RELICS OF THE WEST WING
A
rchitectural details of the castle and its interior layout are unknown. We only know that there was a church on the castle grounds, as well as (mentioned in documents): refectory, bishop's chambers, armory, and a kitchen, brewery, bakery, stable and granary. The stronghold featured an inner wall in a trapezoidal shape, and an outer wall that was part of the town fortifications. The entrance to the castle led through two gates located in the southern and eastern curtains. Sanitary functions were performed by a toilet tower (dansker), erected near the western wall and connected to the western wing.
PLAN OF THE CASTLE ACCORDING TO B. SCHMID: 1. WEST WING, 2. SOUTH WING, 3. NORTH WING, 4. WEST TOWER,
5. EAST TOWER, 6. EAST GATE, 7. SOUTH GATE, 8. INNER WALL, 9. OUTER (TOWN) WALL, 10. DANSKER
odest fragments of defense walls and west wing cellars, covered with cross vaults on pillars, have survived to the present day (the cellars of the south wing are underground). The ruins are complemented by a fine model of the castle and town, set roughly on the plan of the south wing. There is a picturesque view of Lake Liwieniec - a waterfowl reserve - from the castle hill.
VANTAGE POINT ON CASTLE HILL
Free admission
You can visit the place with your dog.
People with disabilities may have difficulty entering the ruins. However, they can view the castle relics from the courtyard (which is located slightly higher), the model of medieval town and beautiful panorama of the lake.
MEDIEVAL TOWN MODEL IS LOCATED ON THE SITE OF THE FORMER SOUTH WING OF THE CASTLE
GETTING THERE
T
he ruins are situated about 200 meters north of St. Adalbert's co-cathedral (address: Miła Street).
We can park the car in a small square (former castle courtyard) on Miła Street,
right next to the ruins.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. M. Garniec, M. Jackiewicz-Garniec: Zamki państwa krzyżackiego w dawnych Prusach, Studio Arta 2009
2. M. Haftka: Zamki krzyżackie w Polsce, 1999
3. L. Kajzer, J. Salm, S. Kołodziejski: Leksykon zamków w Polsce, Arkady 2001
4. R. Sypek: Zamki i obiekty warowne Państwa Krzyżackiego, Agencja CB 2000
5. A. Wagner: Murowane budowle obronne w Polsce X-XVIIw., Bellona 2019
CASTLE RELICS, IN THE BACKGROUND WE CAN SEE LAKE LIWIENIEC
Castles nearby: Kwidzyn - the Pomezanian chapter castle from the 13th/14th centuries, 21 km Sztum - the Teutonic castle from the 14th century, 26 km Dzierzgoń - relics of the Teutonic castle from the 13th century, 28 km
Przezmark - ruins of the Teutonic castle from the 14th century, 29 km Malbork - the Teutonic castle from the 13th/14th centuries, 41 km Gniew - the Teutonic castle from the 13th/14th centuries, 42 km
Rogoźno - ruins of the Teutonic castle from the 13th/14th centuries, 44 km
Nowe - relics of the Teutonic castle from the 14th century, 48 km
