Stop 8: Teutonic Castle in Kwidzyn
Kwidzyn is a small city located on a steep ridge on the eastern bank of the Vistula River. It overlooks a wide floodplain and has a clear view of the hills on the opposite side of the river, including Gniew Castle. In Kwidzyn, the huge brick gothic cathedral is located at the peak of the ridge. The 3-sided castle is attached to the rear of the cathedral forming a square courtyard. The castle sits perched on the edge of the steep drop-off, with defensive walls extending along the ridge in both directions and gated entrance ways leading to steep staircases down the hill. Extending from the castle out into the open air is a 50-meter long covered causeway supported by massive arches and leading to a solitary tower. The tower, sitting beyond the defensive walls, once sat alongside a small offshoot of the river. It served as both the latrine and the castle's last defensive holdout. Many Teutonic castles, including at Malbork and Toruń, included this unique architectural feature.
Stop 9: Teutonic Castle at Brodnica
A 90-minute drive brought us southward to Brodnica, a small but curious town on the Drwęca, a small river that ran through several medieval Polish towns before draining into the Vistula at Toruń. The castle at Brodnica is little more than foundations now, but it does include an intact 54-meter tower open for climbing. The castle commanded a sharp bend in the river and from the tower one can see for dozens of miles in every direction. Brodnica also had an original medieval city gate, a medieval brewery, and a cobblestone Old Town with a large triangular market square and narrow, winding streets. Brodnica was particularly important as a medieval crossroads of both water and overland trading routes, particularly in fur, grain, and amber.
Stop 10: Teutonic Castle and Church at Lubawa
Even though we thought the Lubawa castle was only ruins, we had to stop there because Dantiscus had occupied the castle on several occasions during his first tenure as Bishop! But it was great to find that the Polish Ministry of Culture is reconstructing the castle, and the entire lower level is complete already. The square-plan castle had high, thin walls and four corner towers and was surrounded by a wide moat. The brick gothic St. Anne's Church, only a block away at the entrance to Old Town, was gorgeous and imposing from the outside, but unfortunately we could not go inside because there was a wedding taking place. But while walking around the castle, we read one of the informative plaques describing the castle's restoration, and who should we find but one of the inhabitants of the castle - Dantiscus himself!
Stop 11: Teutonic Castle Ruins at Szymbark
Our next stop - Szymbark - was perhaps the smallest village we visited. Well off the main road and in some thick woods, the village abutted a hidden, tree-lined lake and couldn't have had more than 6 houses. The well-preserved castle ruins sat almost at water lever, but the foundations were so tall that the castle seemed to be atop a high hill. A long driveway and artificial ramp led up to the soaring causeway bridge leading to the castle gate. The castle facade was remarkably well preserved for being left to ruin, and it seemed like the entire village was enjoying a Sunday afternoon stroll around the ruins. It was an incredibly peaceful visit and really gave us perspective on some of the different ways that these ruins can blend into the modern landscape, especially in the villages.
Stop 12: Shenanigans at the Teutonic Castle Ruins at Rogóźno
Our late-afternoon stop was definitely our most interesting, even before we consider the actual castle. Rogóźno was almost as small as Szymbark. It was basically a few small tenement buildings along one street, which terminated at a barbed-wire-fenced military installation. in the middle of a forest. To reach the castle we drove through the village and down the narrow dirt road that swung around the outside of the military base. At first we thought the road just ended there, but a group of ragged-looking Polish men emerged from the trees and told us that we could hike around the rest of the base to the castle ruins. So off we went! As we picked our way through the trees and scrub, we could see the ground fall away steeply beside us for almost 200 feet - the castle was perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking a deep gorge that cut through the forest! As we closely traced the base's brick wall, which also appeared to be a former part of the castle, suddenly a depression swung around in front of us and we could see the main part of the castle on a small forested plateau extending out into the gorge. Defensive walls lined both sides of the depression, and pillars of the former causeway extended up out of the slopes. The tall gatehouse tower sat just on the edge of the plateau, and a smaller tower sat closer to the outer edge of the plateau. We scrambled up the slope to the gatehouse and wandered through the ruins, taking in the view of the deep gorge below.
Stop 13: Grudziądz
The last stop of day was a castle town on the high eastern bank of the Vistula River. One of the best preserved medieval towns in Poland, Grudziądz was the capital of the inland grain trade in the medieval and early modern period. Grain from all over the Polish countryside would be brought there and loaded onto ships, sailed up the river to Gdańsk, and exported to Western Europe. To facilitate this trade, huge grain warehouses were erected on the ridge overlooking the river, with extensive tubes to transport the grain down to the boats on the river. These warehouses still form the outer edge of the Old Town and make a striking sight along the riverbank. On the highest peak of the ridge, another 100 feet above the warehouses, once sat the castle-fortress protecting the town. Now only the foundations exist, but they are being excavated and are on public display. A neo-gothic watch tower sits at the highest point and from its summit one sees amazing views up and down the river. After walking around Old Town, we headed back up the river to Gniew for our last night in the Castle Hotel.
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