Giżycko Castle

Giżycko Castle is a stone fortress situated between Lake Kisajno and Lake Niegocin, featuring Renaissance gables and a three-story residential building constructed with brick walls in Flemish bond pattern. The walls enclose a courtyard where the main house occupies an uncommon position within the complex, and the basement contains barrel-vaulted chambers.

The Teutonic Knights founded the castle before 1340 as a wooden structure, but it was destroyed in 1365 and rebuilt with brick by 1399. This reconstruction transformed it from a temporary wooden fortification into a permanent stone fortress for the region.

The castle evolved from a military outpost into a hunting lodge for elected princes, showing how life and power in medieval Poland changed over time. Today you can see this transformation reflected in how the rooms are arranged and decorated.

The castle operates as a hotel today, allowing visitors to explore its rooms and stay overnight within its walls. The two barrel-vaulted chambers in the basement are accessible through separate entrances and provide insight into the medieval construction methods used.

The main house is positioned unusually within the courtyard complex, differing from typical Teutonic castle layouts and making it a distinctive example of medieval military architecture. This unconventional arrangement sets it apart from other fortifications of the same period in the region.