he first complex was erected here in the second half of the thirteenth century. It was surrounded by swamps, and it had a connection with the mainland on the eastern side. The area was then uninhabited, and the castle was to protect against retaliatory invasions of Poles and Lithuanians, but even before 1332 it was occupied by a prosecutor subordinate to the commander Dzierzgon and then Ostróda. In the third decade of the fourteenth century, a faster development of the settlement near the castle began, which was related to the intensification of the settlement action of the Order.
To defend the existing settlement and for administrative purposes, the construction of a new castle began. Until recently, the year 1380 was assumed as the date of commencement of construction, i.e. almost simultaneously
photo by ZeroJeden, IV 2009
with the location of the town. Recent research, however, has shown that the castle was built before 1380. The first mention of the castle in documents comes from 1359, these documents have also been found recently. Since the castle in 1359 already fulfilled its functions, it can be assumed that it was erected in the first half of the fourteenth century. In the newly built castle, the mayor had his seat.
The castle has a rectangular plan, a small courtyard is closed by four wings. In the eastern one there is an entrance gate. Two huge square towers located at the corners of the east wing flank access to the gate. The west wing opposite the gate was the main building of the castle. On the representative second floor there was a chapel, refectory and chancellery. The chapel has a stellar vault, in it and in the refectory traces of paintings from 1400 and 1430 have been preserved. On the third floor there were granaries. The southern and northern wings had two storeys, in the thickness of their walls there are shooting porches. The aforementioned towers have
Plan of the castle according to Conrad Steinbrecht, 'Die Ordensburgen der Hochmeisterzeit in Preussen...', Berlin 1920
five storeys and are 23 m high to the upper cornice.
In 1400, Lithuanian troops passed through Nidzica, ravaging the area. In 1410, the town was on the way of the march of the army of King Władysław Jagiełło and was taken over by them, the castle garrison did not put up strong resistance. Together with the town, the castle was in Polish hands until 1411. At the beginning of the Thirteen Years' War the castle was stormed by the townspeople of Nidzica. They quickly handed it over to the trade unionists' troops, which belonged to them throughout the war. After 1466, the town was within the borders of Teutonic Prussia, with the commandry. In the 16th century, it was transformed into the starosty of Ducal Prussia.
In 1517, access to the entrance to the inner courtyard was fortified with an outer bailey. It consists of two buildings, a low entrance gate and a round tower. From the north, the outer bailey is closed with a wall. In 1583, the architect Blasins Berwart had a connection with the castle. It was probably he who erected the second outer bailey.
During
photo by ZeroJeden, VI 2005
the Deluge, the castle fell into Swedish hands. In 1656, one of the Tatar troops supporting the Polish army tried to recapture the castle, but the more modern armed crew of the fortress with artillery and muskets forced the Tatars to abandon the assault.
After the peace with the Swedes, the castle destroyed by the fights was renovated. In 1784, a fire engulfed the sixteenth-century outer bailey, completely destroying it. The castle then no longer had a military significance, so it was not cared for as before. In 1812, Napoleon's French troops stationed there on their way to Moscow seriously devastated the building.
It was not until 1828-1830 that the castle was renovated again. This happened due to the idea of legal counsel Ferdinand Timothy Gregorovius to adapt it to the needs of the judiciary. After the renovation, in addition to the court, it also housed a prison.
At the end of World War II, the fire consumed some of the buildings, the damage was secured in 1952, and in the years 1959-1965 the building was perfectly renovated for cultural
photo by ZeroJeden, VI 2005
and tourist purposes, preserving all the relics of the old décor. It houses a community center, a café, a library, a hotel and a scout hostel.
Turn off 3D
e first complex was erected here in the second half of the thirteenth century. It was surrounded by swamps, and it had a connection with the mainland on the eastern side. The area was then uninhabited, and the castle was to protect against retaliatory invasions of Poles and Lithuanians, but even before 1332 it was occupied by a prosecutor subordinate to the commander Dzierzgon and then Ostróda. In the third decade of the fourteenth century, a faster development of the settlement near the castle began, which was related to the intensification of the settlement action of the Order.
