Castle in Ełk

ource materials by Hanneberg (1595), Hartknoch (1684) and the "Universal Encyclopedia" by Samuel Orgelbrand (1861) provide information that the castle in Ełk was built in 1273 during the reign of Grand Master von Sangershausen. A different date appears in the chronicle of Jan of Posilge, a Pomesanian official from the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries. According to him, the castle was built in 1398 by the then komtur from Bałga, Ulryk von Jungingen, on the territory of the conquered Yotvingian 

The castle on a postcard from the interwar period

lands. Located on an island in Lake Ełk, on the ruins of a former Yotvingian settlement, it was initially made of wood, in the years 1406-1408 it was transformed into a brick building. The crew consisted of several armed men and servants under the command of the mayor. The castle was to be used for military and intelligence operations in Lithuania. After the Battle of Grunwald, the Elk watchtower was occupied by Polish forces, and in 1415, the Teutonic Knights temporarily pledged it to the Duke of Mazovia. After the Peace of Melno (1422), the Teutonic Knights decided to colonize the areas around the castle, issuing a location charter for a tenement village in 1425. During the Thirteen Years' War, the Elk castle was once again captured by Polish troops and completely destroyed. It was rebuilt and fortified at the end of the 15th century. Before the secularization of the Teutonic state, the castle garrison numbered 22 armed men, and the castle itself consisted of one main building and one additional building, acting as a bailey. On the 

Castle in Ełk in the photo from 1915

eastern side of the island, closer to the city, stood the main building and the watchtower, while on the western side there were farm buildings and stables. When Duke Albrecht secularized the Teutonic state in 1525, the previous komturias and monastic voivodeships were renamed starostwo. Such a starostwo was also established in Ełk, with its seat in the local castle. It also housed the judicial authorities: the Office of Justice (1751), the County Justice Commission (1782), the County and District Court (1818), the National and District Court (1879). Within its walls, the castle also hosted such distinguished guests as the Russian Tsar Alexander I and Napoleon's Marshal Ney. There is also a legend associated with the castle that it connected to the city by means of an underground tunnel, leading under the bottom of the lake to a nearby church. It is said that through this passage, the city's population found shelter in the castle walls when during the "Swedish Deluge" the surrounding areas were invaded by Tatars in the service of the Polish king. 

Castle on a postcard from the interwar period

It also served as a shelter for the population many times during the fires that often visited Ełk, until it itself finally fell victim to this element on June 25, 1833. Only the perimeter walls and its earlier shape remained of the former castle building, and the destroyed interior was later adapted for other purposes.

A prison was built in the castle garden in the 19th century. Soon, the remains of the castle were transformed into one as well. It was surrounded by a wall, and watchtowers were placed in the corners. The Ełk castle also served as a prison after World War II, until 1970.

The castle island, once connected to the mainland by means of wooden bridges, is now connected to the western shore of the lake by a causeway built at the end of the 19th century, and to the city by a bridge built at the beginning of the 20th century.

The local government authorities of Ełk are currently working on the possibilities of renovating and re-developing the castle, which, after being restored to its former glory, would 

An early modern prison building standing in the area once dividing the castle and the outer bailey, photo by ZeroJeden, IV 2007

once again become one of the city's showpieces.