Gniew Castle

Mewe was founded in 1276 by the Teutonic Order. In 1283, construction began on this square brick building with an inner courtyard and a side length of around 47 meters in the mouth loop of the Ferse, which shields the city from the Vistula. The cube is flanked by three slender towers – instead of such a north tower, a keep with a diameter of 12.5 meters was built. In 1466, the castle came under Polish rule. After the First Partition of Poland in 1772, belonging to Prussia, the castle was used as a barracks. In 1803, it served as a magazine, with the arched windows being bricked up and most of the Gothic vaults being demolished as part of the conversion measures. The structural condition of the castle deteriorated visibly.

In the middle of the 19th century, after being used as a prison, the castle was restored in the spirit of Romanticism, removing previous alterations. At that time, the keep was also demolished to half its height and supplemented with an attachment resembling the other three towers. In addition to the fire of 1921, the Second World War also brought destruction, after which the building was provisionally secured. In 1967, the local company Zakłady Mechanizmów Okrętowych FAMA began reconstruction, which was completed with a second reconstruction phase supported by the municipality after 1992. Since then, the castle has been a venue for historical festivals, spectacles and knight tournaments and a popular tourist destination.