The German Teutonic Knights built numerous castles in Norther Poland in the 13th and 14th centuries. Here are two others in addition to Malbork worth visiting. (For a map of sites we visited in Poland, click here).

Kwidzyn Castle

Kwidzyn Castle doesn’t receive near the number of visitors that Malbork Castle does, and yet it’s one of the more interesting castles I’ve visited from an architectural standpoint. It has two towers extending from the main structure by long arcaded bridges, one of which is a latrine tower and the other is over a well.

If you like medieval churches too, Kwidzyn is a great stop because it has a cathedral and castle connected right together!

The castle and the adjoining cathedral were built in the early 14^th century and somehow they survived World War II without a scratch; however the castle did suffer under the Prussians in the 18^th century, who pulled down a couple of sections. But thankfully most of it remains intact. The main castle is a museum, containing a variety of natural history displays, medieval art and farming implements in the hallways and towers and some torture devices in the dungeon.

Gniew Castle

We also made a quick stop at one other castle near Kwidzyn that is now a business convention center. Gniew Castle was started in the late 13^th century.

It was a famous location, known for hosting lavish banquets and many guests. In the early 1600’s Gniew Castle was the site of a year-long siege by the Swedish who carried off many of the castle’s treasures.