Reszel Castle

History

The first Teutonic watchtower was built here in 1241. However, the construction of a stone castle began only over one hundred years later. The main reason was the continuous rebellion of the Prussian tribe Bart, who never reconciled with the conquest and regularly destroyed the monastic institution.

Construction of the castle

From 1243, Reszel formally belonged to the Warmian bishops, but the Teutonic Knights left it only in 1300. The construction of the castle lasted half a century.
It was started by Bishop Jan I of Meisnia in 1350, he continued (from 1355) Jan II Stryprock, and finished in 1401. Henry III Sorbs. Especially the latter, known for his love of glamor, gave construction a large momentum - it was then created, among others the southern wing with the bishop's residential apartments and cloisters. The stronghold was coupled with the fortifications of the city.

Expansion

Under the treaty of Toruń from 1466, Warmia was taken under the protection of the Polish king. Around 1505, on the initiative of Bishop Łukasz Watzenrode, the construction of new perimeter walls began. The fortifications were already adapted for the use of firearms. During this period, a frequent guest here was Nicolaus Copernicus, nephew of the bishop and his secretary and personal physician. Another major work was carried out under the rule of Cardinal Andrzej Batory in the years 1594-1597. The castle, which has already lost its military significance, has been transformed into a magnificent hunting lodge.

The character of the building

After the first partition of Poland (1772), the castle was taken over by the Prussian authorities and in 1780 a prison was placed there. Twice (1806 and 1807) Reszel suffered great fires. The first destroyed the entire wooden buildings of the city, the town hall and part of the castle, the second ravaged the castle to the end. The ruined building was handed over in 1822 to the Evangelical community. The renovation carried out at that time largely obliterated the medieval character of the building - including the cloistered cloisters were demolished and the southern wing was transformed into a church (hence its present, rather atypical, crowning).

A thorough renovation and guest rooms

In 1958, the castle was taken over by the Socio-Cultural Association "Pojezierze". A thorough renovation, carried out in the years 1976-1985, allowed the creation of a creative work and an art gallery in some of the rooms. Since 2001, after another renovation, a hotel with a restaurant and bar, an art gallery and a museum function successfully here.

For many years, the castle has been a place of international events - exhibitions, meetings, open air events, conferences, etc. The first animator of these activities was Bolesław Marschall, a valued sculptor and a longtime castle administrator.