Pieniezno Castle Ruins, Pieniężno, Poland

During the Middle Ages, an Old Prussian fort called Malcekuke was located near the current site of Pieniężno. The Teutonic Knights built an Ordensburg castle near Malcekuke in 1302. Both the castle and the town which developed nearby were destroyed during the war between the Teutonic Order and the Kingdom of Poland in 1414. During the Thirteen Years' War, Mehlsack surrendered to the Order, and the castle burned down during Poland's recapture of the town. From 1589-1599, Prince Andrew Cardinal Báthory of Transylvania, cousin of Sigismund Báthory, was the administrator for the castle. In 1550, the Prussian army laid siege to the city and partially burned it down.

The town was captured by Swedish troops in 1626 during the Polish-Swedish War of 1625-29, recovered by Hetman Stanisław Rewera Potocki, and then had its castle partially destroyed by Swedish troops in 1627. The castle was restored in 1640 with Baroque gables, and its function changed from being a fortress to being a château.

During the 19th and 20th centuries the castle lost some of its Gothic and Baroque features, and in 1870 its eastern and southern wings were demolished after extensive deterioration. The remainder of the castle was used as administrative offices for Prussianofficials. From 1920-31 the western wing was renovated so the castle could be used as a school and museum. In 1945, Mehlsack, including its castle, was 90% destroyed by fighting during World War II and was conquered by the Soviet Red Army from Nazi Germany.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Marta Sz. (11 months ago)
It's a pity that such a place is ruining in the center of Pieniężno. There is potential, but the facility requires thorough construction works.

Kacper Z (11 months ago)
The castle is currently in poor condition and you cannot enter it for security reasons. Let's hope that soon the state or a private investor will be interested in it and renovate it, because it has great tourist potential.

K J (15 months ago)
Explore for a few minutes. Only from the outside. Large free parking lot a few dozen meters from the castle.

Mark Gyk (15 months ago)
Unfortunately, the life of the 14th century castle of the Warmian Chapter is slowly coming to an end, although the building was recovered from a private person, no renovation works are progressing here, which is a pity because it could be a real tourist attraction in Pieniężno. The northern wing has already collapsed, how long will the western wing stand?

voytek kaskin (2 years ago)
Ruins.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Infomastern

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral

Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

Pieniezno Castle Ruins

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral