Elbląg Castle

South of the city of Elbing, near the mouth of the Kumiela River into the Elbląg River, the Teutonic Order castle was built, according to the chronicle of Nikolaus von Jeroschin in 1237. At that time, it was considered the most powerful and beautiful Order castle after Marienburg. Until Grand Master Siegfried von Feuchtwangen moved his seat to Marienburg in September 1309, Elbing Castle served as the administrative seat of the Teutonic Order State and was the meeting place of the Order Chapter. From 1309, the Elbing Commandery was the seat of the Order's supreme hospitaller. In 1454, the castle was conquered and largely destroyed by the Prussian Confederation during the Thirteen Years' War. A museum has been located in the surviving outbuildings of the castle complex since 1954.