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 The Trail of Polish Gothic Castles
Ryn - Kętrzyn - Ostróda - Malbork - Sztum - Kwidzyń - Brodnica
5 days, 4 nights
Day 1
- Morning - arrival to the Warsaw Airport, transfer to Ryn ,
- In meantime lunch
- About 4:00 p. m arrival to City and Castle RYN
At the end of the 14th century the Teutonic Knights built a castle in
Ryn which served as a base for their wars with Lithuanians. The castle
was a seat of the Teutonic Knights Commander till 1525. The first
Commander was the future Grand Master of the Order, Konrad Wallenrod
(the title character of the poetic novel by Adam Mickiewicz). Two
years after building the castle, another Grand Master of the Order,
Winrich von Kniprode, came toRyn in order to inspect and take over
the castle. He came back to Malbork by waterway and since 1378, Ryn
had a connection with the Baltic Sea. Since 21st of July 1723 Ryn
has been a certified town. The certificate was given to it by the
king of Prussia, Fryderyk Wilhelm I. In 1853 the castle was converted
into a prison. At present, in one of the wings there is the local
administration council office. The courtyard is a good place for events,
such as: family meetings at the castle, musical meetings or feasts
with knights' tournaments which take place almost every day. Other
monuments in the town are: a Dutch windmill, a mill and many tenements.
The area of Ryn is famous for its picturesque glacial landscape with
many forests and lakes. Ryńskie Lake is connected with the Great Mazurian
Lakes. Sailors will find numerous marinas, camping sites and holiday
camps here. Trails and bicycles routes lead to many interesting places
of the area, among others, to the Teutonic signalling mound near a
village called Orło. A wonderful location of the town between two
lakes: Ryńskie and Orłów in Kraina Wielkich Jezior Mazurskich (the
Land of Great Mazurian Lakes) and charming villages at the waterway
from Węgorzewo via Giżycko to Ruciane Nida give tourists a great choice
of recreational activities throughout the year. 
- Check in the "Żero" Hotel,
- In evening Welcome Knights Feast
Day 2
- 9:00 breakfast,
- 10:00 Transfer to Ketrzyn
- 11:00 visiting the castle
Kętrzyn is a 30-thousands town situated on the border between Warmia and Mazury, at an intersection of routes leading to Węgorzewo, Mrągowo, Bartoszyce and Giżycko. This convenient location gives Kętrzyn an opportunity to develop in the fields of tourism and trade. The town is attractive not only because of its location at the intersection of trails leading to Reszel, więta Lipka and to the Great Lakes. It is also known for many tourist sights (among others: a baroque basilica in więta Lipka and the remains of Wilczy Szaniec (Wolfschranz or Wolf's Lair)- Adolf Hitler's military headquarters in Gierłoż) and for a developing chain of hotels and numerous leisure facilities. Kętrzyn (called Rastenburg until 1946) was founded by the Teutonic Knights in place of a Prussian settlement, Rast which developed around a wooden watchtower. On 11 November, 1357 the Commander of Bałga, Johann Schindekopf, made the settlement a certified town. The castle of Kętrzyn was built in the second half of the 14th century in the south-east wing of the settlement. There were, among others, a chapel, a bakery, a kitchen, a mill, a malt-house, a brewery, a meat warehouse, a crops silo, a pantry, an armoury and a powder magazine. The most representative wing - the north wing belonged to the pfleger - a kind of a prosecutor, a clerk wielding on behalf of the Order.
- 13:00 Transfer to Lidzbark Warminski,
Lidzbark Warmiński is an 18-thousands town at present. It is situated on the
"Kopernikowski Route",
where the Symsarna flows into the Łyna. The town is 48 km from the
capital of the Province of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn and 30 km from
the state border in the north. Lidzbark Warmiński was the capital
of the historic land of Warmia for almost 400 years. Because of its
location, numerous monuments of high class and its outstanding inhabitants,
it is often called "the Pearl of Warmia". The most famous inhabitants
of the town were, among others, Nicolas Copernicus (he lived there
between 1503 and 1510) and Ignacy Krasicki (1767-1795), a writer,
an art lover, a participant of the, so called, Thursday Dinners at
the court of the last king of Poland, the creator of the castle gardens
and the orangery.
- 14:30 Accommodation in a hotel,
- 15:00 Lunch in the hotel restaurant,
- 16:30 visiting the castle,
- In evening Knights Feast
Day 3 
- 9:00 breakfast, delivery of lunchpackages
- 10:00 Transfer to Olsztyn
- 11:30 visiting the castle
Olsztyn was famous for the Castle of the Chapter of Warmia. The oldest
part of the castle was built in 1348. Later, one more storey was added
to the building and in the 15th and 16th centuries the south wing
and the upper part of the tower came into existence. Among many unique,
original exhibits which can be found in the castle, on the cloister
wall there is an astronomical table made by Nicolas Copernicus. The
museum offers visitors meetings called "Sunday in the Museum". During
such meetings, visitors can, for example, try on an armour or perform
in a concert. Other regular events taking place at the castle are
famous nationwide meetings called "Let's Sing Poetry" and monthly
concerts of a chamber ensemble "Pro Musica Antiqua" - a band under
the patronage of the Musuem of Warmia and Mazury. At the High Gate,
which is an entrance to the Old Town of Olsztyn, there is a starting
point of the Red Trail of Nicolas Copernicus. This trail goes through
Dobre Miasto, Lidzbark Warmiński, Pieniężno and Braniewo to Frombork.
- 13:00 short sightseeing of Old City,
- 13:00 Transfer to Nidzica
Nidzica, a historical town at the Nida, called the gate to Mazury. It is situated at an important tourist artery from Warsaw to Olsztyn, leading to the Great Mazurian Lakes. Nidzica was founded in the area of former Prussian tribes of the Sasins which were colonized by Polish settlers from the nearby Mazowsze and Kurpie in the 14th century. Nidzica became a certified town in 1381. The certificate was give to it by the Grand Master Winrych von Kniprode. The Gothic castle raised in those times remained and is a characteristic architectural element of the town. There are also remains of the city walls and a part of the turret in the east, a "small cloister", St Wojciech Church.
- 16:30 visiting the castle,
- 18:00 Accommodation in a hotel,
- 19.00 Dinner in the hotel restaurant,
Day 4
- 9:00 breakfast,
- 10:00 Transfer to Ostroda
- 11:30 visiting the castle
Ostróda is one of the oldest towns of Pojezierze Mazurskie. The most interesting
monument of the town is a Gothic castle built in 1393 by the Teutonic
Knights in place of a wooden 13th-century fortress. It was a seat
of the Commanders of the Order. The castle, destroyed during the war,
was rebuilt in 1977. Nowadays, many events take place in the courtyard
and in the castle rooms. Other buildings worth seeing are: a Neo-Gothic
church built in 1856 - 1875 with an early 20th century tower and a
Neo-Gothic lutheran church from 1907. 
- 13:00 Transfer to Malbork,
- 15:00 visiting the castle
Malbork was founded by the monks - knights, members of the Order of St Mary's
Hospital of the German House in Jerusalem (this is the full name of
the Teutonic Knights). In the 13th- 15th centuries at the right high
bend of the Nogat, they built a three-part fortress and a town. The
settlement was given the Chelmno town charter which quickened the
development of the town. In the 15th century, within the town there
were 174 houses, 85 of which were situated along the street market
which can still be seen on the plan of the Old Town. The castle was
placed on the UNESCO List of the World Culture Heritage in 1997, which
proves its high value. 
- 18:00 Accommodation in a hotel,
- 19.00 Knights Feast in the evening
Day 5
- 9:00 breakfast,
- 10:00 Transfer to Sztum (short visit to the castle),
The castle of Sztum, built in 1326-1331, served as a bridgehead protecting the fortress of Malbork from the south. The castle was also a residence of the Grand Master of the Order of the Teutonic Knights. It had belonged to the Order till 1466 when under the Toruń Peace Agreement it was annexed by the Kingdom of Poland and became a residence of Polish Starosta. Also, in Sztum, land judgements for the Malbork Province took place and since the 16th century, there had been meetings of noblemen, the so-called small seyms.
- 12.00 transfer to Kwidzyn (short visit to the castle),
The former Prussian possession was taken over by the Teutonic Knights in 1233 and in the same time it became a certified town. Between 1285 and 1587 the Marienwerder (St. Mary's Island) was a seat of the bishop. In 1440 the Prussian Union (for fighting the TeutonicKnights) was founded here.
- 14:00 transportation to Brodnica (short visit in the castle),
The castle of Brodnica was built by the Teutonic Knights in 1305-1339. It served
as a fortress protecting the strategic ford of the Drwęca leading
to Brodnica, a town which was called the key and the gateway to Prussia.
- 15:00 lunch
- 16:00 transfer to Warsaw
This program is only a suggestion and can be modified according to your requirements.
If you have any question or suggestion please do not hesitate to contact us
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