Braniewo Castle, Gothic castle in Braniewo, Poland.
Braniewo Castle is a former bishop's castle of which only the three-storey brick gate tower survives, with a chapel of St. Andrew on its upper floor. The tower's lower section dates from the late 13th century; the chapel above has a star vault reconstructed in 1960. The tower now serves as a tourist information point with a viewing terrace.
Built at the end of the 13th century under Bishop Heinrich Fleming (1279–1300), the castle replaced an earlier wooden stronghold destroyed by the Prussians and is first documented in 1282. Enlarged around 1320–1330, it served as the main residence of the Warmian bishops until 1340, when the court moved to Orneta. In 1454 it was seized by the Prussian Confederation, and from 1461 it was back in episcopal hands. In 1807 it was partly destroyed during the Napoleonic Wars, and after 1811 it housed a teachers' seminary.
The gate tower's upper storey holds the Chapel of St. Andrew, likely founded by Bishop Eberhard of Nysa, with a star vault reconstructed in 1960 after the 1945 fire. A sandstone plaque in the north niche bears the coat of arms of Bishop Szymon Rudnicki (1604–1621) and the inscription SIMON RUDNICKI DGEPIS VARMIENSIS. Since 2020 the tower serves as a tourist information point with a viewing terrace.
Only the three-storey brick gate tower survives, at the south-eastern edge of the Old Town near St. Catherine's Basilica. After conservation work in 2019–2020 it reopened on 19 September 2020 as a tourist information point with a viewing terrace; paths, a small square and parking were laid out around it. The 55.3 m section of defensive wall on Kromera Street was also repaired.
The only surviving part is the three-storey brick gate tower; its lower section dates from the fourth quarter of the 13th century, and the chapel of St Andrew was added on the upper floor in 1320–1330, probably on the order of Bishop Eberhard of Nysa. A sandstone tablet in the north niche bears the coat of arms of Bishop Szymon Rudnicki (1604–1621). After conservation work in 2019–2020 the tower opened to visitors on 19 September 2020 as a tourist information point with a viewing terrace.
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