Castle in Nowe

he close vicinity of Prussia caused that in the place where Nowe is located today, a stronghold was built relatively early, whose task was to protect Slavic Pomerania from the attacks of warlike neighbors. According to legends, the stronghold was erected here by one of the Pomeranian dukes - Grzymisław, who himself resided in nearby Świecie.

The first historical mention of the castle, then still made of wood and earth, comes from 1255. It was certainly already quite extensive and significant at that time, as evidenced by the settlement near the hillfort. From the times of Prince Mściwoj II, the castle in Nowe was occupied by a castellan and an armed team. When the last of the line of Pomeranian dukes died, the castle and the settlement passed into the hands of Piotr Świeca. He was a dignitary who stood on the side of the Teutonic Knights during Władysław Łokietek's battles for Gdańsk Pomerania. The Teutonic Knights, however, quickly forgot about the favors of Piotr Świeca and in 1308 they occupied the new castle.

It was the Teutonic Knights who rebuilt the wooden and earth stronghold into a strong brick fortress in the years 1350-1405. It was the right decision for them, because being close to the border with Poland, it gave them support in plundering raids on Polish lands. An additional advantage was the very good location of the 

The castle in Nowe in a photograph from the interwar period

castle on a high promontory, from which it dominated the Vistula valley and the city, which was also surrounded by a wall with towers and four gates.

The castle had the form of a three-storey residential building. It housed rooms for the Teutonic knights, a refectory and guest chambers. On the highest, defensive floor, there were rooms for guards and shooting ranges.

During the march of Władysław Jagiełło after the victorious Battle of Grunwald, the castle was surrendered to the Polish army without a fight, but soon returned to the hands of the Teutonic Knights. In 1433, the Polish army passed through Nowe after the siege of Chojnice, and in 1457, during the Thirteen Years' War, Kazimierz Jagiellończyk stayed in the castle. Finally, the castle passed into Polish hands at the end of the war - in 1465, after which it became the seat of the starosta, who was Cavalry Captain Jan Jasieński. In 1466, he besieged and captured the castle in Osiek, forcing the Teutonic crew to flee. In 1527, the starosty was taken over by Jan Werden, the mayor of Gdańsk, who was granted nobility for his services to Polish. Over the next 120 years, successive starosts came from this family.

In the following centuries, the castle and the town slowly lost their military and economic importance, especially the Swedish wars. After the partitions of Polish, the Prussians destroyed a significant part of the medieval fortifications.

Only one castle wing and the remains of the defensive walls have survived to this day.