he history of the Gdańsk castle begins after the arrival of the Teutonic Knights in Pomerania. Previously, there was a stronghold of the Pomeranian dukes here, which after the death of the last of them - Mestwin II - came into the possession of Przemysław II, and then Władysław I the Elbow-high. The Teutonic Knights took over the Gdańsk stronghold in 1308, but the castle was built only after the uncertain situation in Pomerania was clarified. After the war with Władysław I the Elbow-high and the conclusion of the treaty in Kalisz, the Teutonic Knights decided to build a brick monastery.
After 1343, wooden and earth fortifications were gradually replaced with brick ones. On the existing ramparts, walls were erected, reinforced with towers and towers. The defense of the castle was significantly
Gdańsk in the 17th century
increased by the waters of the Motława and Vistula rivers, in the fork of which it was located. The Vistula was such a good protection that initially not even a defensive wall was erected on its side, only when it changed the main stream bed it was decided to build a wall along the eastern frontage of the castle.
The buildings of the castle proper were erected on a square plan with towers at the corners. To the north and west of the castle there was a two-part outer bailey surrounded by a wall. Between the Vistula and the Motława Rivers, a moat was dug along the wall of the outer bailey, which could also be supplied with water from the Siedlce Stream. Also the outer bailey could be separated from the main castle by a moat and walls.
Unfortunately, no plans of the castle have survived. From the lustration inventories one can only put forward hypotheses about the number of buildings and their functions. The castle consisted of: infirmary, kitchen, chamber next to the kitchen, bakery, armory, church with library and monastery rooms - chapter house, refectory,
Gdańsk on the engraving by Erik Dahlbergh from Samuel Pufendorf's work 'De rebus a Carolo Gustavo gestis', castle marked with the number 28, 1656
dormitories brothers, apartment of the commander and his deputy, bathhouse and other rooms necessary for the life of the convent. It is also known from inventories that at least some of the buildings had basements.
Until 1945, only one image of the Gdańsk castle survived to the painting 'The Ship of the Church' from the 15th century. Unfortunately, at the end of World War II, the painting was destroyed. The castle buildings were in the background, which did not allow for a thorough recognition of the plan of the building by researchers. On the other hand, a mosaic image of the Blessed Virgin Mary could be seen on the highest (church) tower.
Not much has survived from the castle buildings. One of the fragments is the Fisherman's Tower, which once existed at the junction of the castle and town fortifications, rebuilt after 1454 and renamed the Swan Tower. Apart from it, a fragment of the outer defensive wall and the south-western castle tower have been preserved. Of the non-preserved parts, an interesting fact is the huge tower, which, according to R. Massalski and J. Stankiewicz, was located in the Vistula current.
Being in the hands of the Teutonic Knights, the castle was a very important administrative and military point. The possibility of blocking navigation on
Aerial view from the south, photo by ZeroJeden, V 2013
the Motława River and reaching the port gave the Teutonic Knights great opportunities to exert pressure on the city and the region. When after the Battle of Grunwald Henry von Plauen (brother of the Grand Master) decided to attack the rebellious city, the inhabitants of Gdańsk decisively began to defend themselves. The castle gate was bricked up and the walls were reinforced. It seemed that war was inevitable, but in April 1411 a truce was signed. Two mayors of Gdańsk were invited to the castle for negotiations, accompanied by two councillors. The Teutonic Knights treacherously arrested and murdered them. The conflict escalated and lasted uninterruptedly until the Thirteen Years' War. After further preparations of the Gdańsk inhabitants for an armed clash, the Teutonic Knights were demanded to surrender the castle. Despite the good preparation of the castle for defense the house commander, exercising power in the absence of the commander Postor, decided to start negotiations and hand over the castle to the inhabitants of Gdańsk in several stages.
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e history of the Gdańsk castle begins after the arrival of the Teutonic Knights in Pomerania. Previously, there was a stronghold of the Pomeranian dukes here, which after the death of the last of them - Mestwin II - came into the possession of Przemysław II, and then Władysław I the Elbow-high. The Teutonic Knights took over the Gdańsk stronghold in 1308, but the castle was built only after the uncertain situation in Pomerania was clarified. After the war with Władysław I the Elbow-high and the conclusion of the treaty in Kalisz, the Teutonic Knights decided to build a brick monastery.
