Teutonic Knights' Castle in Torun Poland

The castle in Toruń is among the oldest  structures of that kind erected by the knights of the Teutonic Order on the right side of the Vistula river. Its construction began in mid 13th century.

 

The builders used the earthworks of the previously destroyed stronghold which resulted in the peculiar horseshoe shape of the new castle. The castle, initially made of wood, later of brick and stone, was gradually extended until mid-15th century. Together with the outer court which contained the utility buildings and workshops, it occupied an area between the Old Town and the New Town of Toruń.

 

Situated near the border between Poland and the territory of the Teutonic Order, the castle was of immense strategic importance and was therefore heavily fortified. Behind the high wall surrounding the main castle there was a multi-storey building containing a chapel, a refectory, and the knights' living quarters. The underground vaults of the castle were used as storage space for food supplies necessary in the case of a siege. In the middle of the inner court there was a tall a free-standing defense tower which was to serve as the last point of defense and an observation point from which smoke or fire signals could be produced to warn of imminent danger. Water was supplied by the castle well. In order to avoid contaminating the well, a special tower called Gdanisko was built outside the inner wall, which served both as a toilet and a point from which the castle gates could be defended.

 

 The Toruń castle has never been conquered by invaders. However, it was destroyed by its closest neighbors – the townsfolk of the Old Town of Toruń, who besieged the fortress at the beginning of February 1545. The attack gave a signal for a nationwide uprising led by the Prussian Confederation, an organization established by towns, gentry and knights to protect their rights against lawlessness and power abuse by the monastic state of the Teutonic Order. The citizens of Toruń managed to take the castle and immediately began its systematic and nearly complete demolition. The castle inner court was turned into a municipal rubbish tip which functioned for centuries. It was only in the 1960s that the ruins of the castle were finally unearthed.

[ http://www.torun.pl/en/turystyka/zabytki/zamki/teutonic-knights-castle]