Castle in Ryn

n the hill between Lake Ryńskie and Ołów, in 1377 the castle was built by the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Winrich von Kniprode. In the place where he erected the building, there was previously a wooden stronghold. The castle belonged to the commandery of Balgia. At the end of the fourteenth century, the commander in the castle was Konrad Wallenrod, known from the poem of Adam Mickiewicz. It was he who created here in 1394 an ephemeral commandery especially for his brother Frederick. The castle, built primarily to strengthen the borders of the Teutonic state against retaliatory invasions of Lithuanians, lost its importance after the peace with Lithuania in 1398. In the years 1420-1468, only lower officials - prosecutors - were in the castle. In 1525 it was in Polish hands, until 1752 it was the seat of starosts princes.

The castle was Gothic, on a quadrilateral plan with a courtyard inside. Nineteenth-century inventories show that it was a four-wing complex intended for Teutonic knights, and the outer bailey consisted of three wings on the eastern side of the main body of the 

photo by ZeroJeden, IV 2007

castle. The whole was surrounded by moats irrigated by the waters of Lake Ołów.

In the west wing of the main complex, a passage hall with a portal has survived to this day, and at the southern wing from the side of the courtyard there is a round multi-storey tower. Inventories from the beginning of the fifteenth century mention cellars, a brewery, a bakery, a kitchen, mills and a livestock farm in the castle. At the beginning of the next century, the inventories included: an armory, a powder magazine, a pantry, a chapel, an attic and a farm in front of the castle.

In the second half of the eighteenth century, the castle was abandoned and put up for auction. From 1794 to the mid-nineteenth century, it changed owners, remaining in private hands. In 1853, the castle was rebuilt by the Prussian authorities into a prison. After the fire in 1881, the reconstruction lasted for thirty years.

In the current complex of buildings, the original walls, the tower with the staircase, and the original vaults in the basement have been partially preserved. It houses the seat of the 

Aerial photo, photo by ZeroJeden, IX 2021

municipal authorities, the Cultural Centre, the library, the PTTK hostel and the museum.

Show on map