Castle in Kowalewo Pomorskie

he first watchtower was erected by the Teutonic Knights on the site of the hillfort at the end of the first half of the thirteenth century. It was probably a wooden-earth complex without brick elements. Between 1272 and 1275, a new commandry was created with its seat in Kowalewo and soon afterwards the construction of a brick castle began. In 1288, Arnold Kropf was appointed commander, and around 1290 the construction was probably completed.

The main part of the complex was a four-wing castle founded on a plan similar to a square. It had a small courtyard with cloisters, and the entrance led from the south-west. The actual castle was surrounded by an additional ring of walls, which created a large zwinger area, especially from the west. The castle complex also consisted of two outer baileys surrounded by separate perimeters of the walls, both were located south-west of the main castle. All three parts were separated from each other by moats, and they were separated from the town by an additional wall and an irrigated 

The castle in Kowalewo Pomorskie in the photo from 1918

moat.

During the wars of Władysław I the Elbow-high with the Teutonic Knights, the castle in Kowalewo was besieged and damaged by the royal army in 1330, but due to the lack of strong siege equipment, it was not conquered. Before 1410, the commander of Kowalewski was von Viltz, who died in the Battle of Grunwald. The armament of the stronghold at that time was quite strong, but the crew remained in the castle small, after the defeat of the Teutonic Knights, two Polish knights, Mikołaj Pilewski and Jan of Pułkowo, were enough to take control of the castle. The castle fell into Polish hands, and the king gave it along with the nearby lands to the Chancellor of the Crown, Bishop Mikołaj Trąba.

However, at the end of 1410, the Teutonic Knights regained Kowalewo by bringing Livonian reinforcements. The First Peace of Toruń kept Kowalewo within the borders of the Teutonic state. During the next war with the Teutonic Knights in 1422, Władysław Jagiełło laid siege to the castle, which lasted eight days, but the 

Aerial photo, photo by ZeroJeden, VII 2020

fortress defended under the command of the commander of Toruń, Martin von Kemnete, was not captured.

During the Thirty Years' War, the troops of the Prussian Union easily captured the castle in 1454. Kazimierz Jagiellończyk ordered the castle in Kowalewo, like many others, to be demolished, but this did not happen. In 1457, the starosty was established in Kowalewo, and the first starosta was Oldrzych Czerwonka for his war merits.

In 1618, the castle was neglected, so the town court was to be moved to Radzyń Chełmiński. During the wars with the Swedes, the castle suffered significantly, but only minor renovation works were carried out. It was not until 1685 that it was decided to rebuild, but it was not completed. Until 1772 it was used by starosts, but at that time it was so damaged that it was abandoned. In 1820, the entire complex, although ruined, still existed, which was included in the inventory of T.J. Giese. A few years later, gradual demolition began, using the material to build the road. In the mid-nineteenth century, new buildings 

Location plan of the castle in Kowalewo Pomorskie, 'Die Bau- und Kunstdenkmäler des Kreises Thorn', 1889

were erected in the outer bailey, and by the end of the nineteenth century, the rest of the castle buildings were demolished, leaving the perimeter walls of the outer bailey and one pillar of dansker. Over the years, however, the walls of the outer bailey ceased to exist.

Currently, the area of the outer bailey is completely built-up, and in the place of the castle proper, probably where the castle tower stood before, a water tower was erected.

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