The Olsztyn Castle, officially the Castle of Warmian Cathedral Chapter in Olsztyn ( pl, Zamek Kapituły Warmińskiej w Olsztynie), is a Brick Gothic castle located in the heart of

Olsztyn Olsztyn ( , ; german: Allenstein ; Old Prussian: ''Alnāsteini'' * Latin: ''Allenstenium'', ''Holstin'') is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. ...

(Allenstein), in northern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. Built in the 14th century, it served as the seat for administrators of property of the Warmian Cathedral Chapter. The most well-known administrator caretaker was

Nicolaus Copernicus Nicolaus Copernicus (; pl, Mikołaj Kopernik; gml, Niklas Koppernigk, german: Nikolaus Kopernikus; 19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formulated ...

, a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

of Warmian Cathedral Chapter in Frauenburg (Frombork), who resided here between 1516 and 1521. The largest expository room is the

refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries. The name derives from the Lat ...

with a diamond vault built around 1520. Currently, the castle houses the Museum of the

Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship or Warmia-Masuria Province or Warmia-Mazury Province (in pl, Województwo warmińsko-mazurskie, is a voivodeship (province) in northeastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Olsztyn. The voivodeship has an ar ...

History

The castle was erected by the

Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...

as a stronghold against the Baltic Prussians between 1346 and 1353. It is made up of one wing to the north-east of the

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

and was initially surrounded by a line of fortifications and a

ditch A ditch is a small to moderate divot created to channel water. A ditch can be used for drainage, to drain water from low-lying areas, alongside roadways or fields, or to channel water from a more distant source for plant irrigation. Ditches ar ...

which lead to the

Łyna River Łyna may refer to: * Łyna River (Russian: Лава ''Lava'', German: ''Alle''), a river in Poland and Russia * Łyna, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (German: ''Lahne''), a village in Poland near the source of the river {{geodis ...

with a

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...

. The south-east wing of the castle was built in the 15th century. The 40-meter tower dating back to the 14th century was placed in the eastern corner of the

and reconstructed in the early 16th century, giving the castle a circular look in a square formation. During the reconstruction of the tower, the castle's fortifications were raised to 12 meters in height. This made the castle a major bastion located on the borders of Allenstein, securing its entrance. The castle belonged to the chapter of Diocese of Warmia, which until 1454 was protected by the Teutonic Order. This made the building and Allenstein a strategic place during the Polish-Teutonic Wars. In 1410, during the

Battle of Grunwald The Battle of Grunwald, Battle of Žalgiris or First Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respec ...

, the castle had surrendered itself to the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stre ...

without a battle, however, in 1414 the castle was seized after a

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characteriz ...

lasting a few days. During the

Thirteen Years' War (1454–66) Thirteen Years' War may refer to: *the Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466) between the Prussian Confederation and Poland versus the Teutonic Order state *the Long Turkish War (1593–1606) between the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire *the Ru ...

, the castle was being captured multiple times by both powers, and afterwards became part of the autonomous province of

Royal Prussia Royal Prussia ( pl, Prusy Królewskie; german: Königlich-Preußen or , csb, Królewsczé Prësë) or Polish PrussiaAnton Friedrich Büsching, Patrick Murdoch. ''A New System of Geography'', London 1762p. 588/ref> (Polish: ; German: ) was a ...

within the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. The Teutonic Order had endangered the town of Allenstein once more, and for the last time in

1521 1521 ( MDXXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 1521st year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 521st year of the 2nd millennium, the 21st year ...

. In the years of 1516 to 1521, the administrator of the castle was

, who organized and led the Polish defense of the castle during the

Siege of Allenstein :''You may also be looking for the 1807 Battle of Allenstein.'' The Siege of Allenstein or the Siege of Olsztyn took place from January 1521 to February 1521, during the Polish–Teutonic War (1519–1521). The town of Allenstein (''Olsztyn'' ...

. During his stay at the castle Copernicus made an inventory of the entire castle archive, wrote an economic treatise, and conducted astronomical observations and mathematical calculations, which became the basis for his heliocentric model of the universe. In the castle there is a preserved astronomical table, made in 1517 by Copernicus. It is the world's only preserved astronomical instrument made and used by Nicolaus Copernicus. In the 16th century, the castle was also used as the seat for two Warmian Bishops, which at the same time were two writers:

Johannes Dantiscus Johannes Dantiscus, (german: Johann(es) von Höfen-Flachsbinder; pl, Jan Dantyszek; 1 November 1485 – 27 October 1548) was prince-bishop of Warmia and Bishop of Chełmno (Culm). In recognition of his diplomatic services for Polish kings, th ...

(''Father of Polish Diplomacy''); and

Marcin Kromer Marcin Kromer (Latin: ''Martinus Cromerus''; 11 November 1512 – 23 March 1589) was Prince-Bishop of Warmia (Ermland), a Polish cartographer, diplomat and historian in the Kingdom of Poland and later in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. H ...

who wrote numerous

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hy ...

s in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, as well as scientific documents and literature in Polish. In 1580, Bishop Marcin Kromer consecrated the Chapel of Saint Anne at the castle. Castle in Olsztyn (WM) (2)

Over time, the castle's militaristic importance diminished and its role for the housing of the

Bishops of Warmia This is a list of Bishops and Prince-Bishops of the Diocese of Warmia ( pl, link=no, Diecezja warmińska, la, link=no, Dioecesis Varmiensis, german: link=no, Bistum Ermland), which was elevated to the Archdiocese of Warmia in 1992. The Bisho ...

became less favourable. In 1758, a direct entrance from Allenstein was built, and a palace wing was built; the expansion meant that many of the fortifications were deconstructed. In 1779, Prince-Bishop and leading 18th-century Polish poet

Ignacy Krasicki Ignacy Błażej Franciszek Krasicki (3 February 173514 March 1801), from 1766 Prince-Bishop of Warmia (in German, ''Ermland'') and from 1795 Archbishop of Gniezno (thus, Primate of Poland), was Poland's leading Enlightenment poet"Ignacy Krasic ...

stayed at the castle. After the First Partition of Poland in 1772, the castle was controlled by the Prussian state. Olsztyn new tramways (23)

In 1807, the castle was the headquarters of the French command during the Eylau campaign.

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

visited the Castle on February 3, 1807, before the battle of Allenstein. In 1845, the bridge connecting the castle to the town was replaced with a levee, the

was removed. Between 1901 and 1911, the castle underwent various renovations; this included the change in floor levels, and arched windows in the

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

. The castle became the Museum of the

in 1946; apart from various exhibitions the museum also hosts the Olsztyn Artistic Summer (''Olsztyńskie Lato Artystyczne''). The Olsztyn Castle was depicted on a

postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the f ...

issued by the

Poczta Polska Poczta Polska ( lit. ''Polish Post'') is the state postal administration of Poland, initially founded in 1558. It is the largest mail-handling company in the country, which additionally provides courier, banking, insurance and logistics serv ...

in 1971 as part of a series of stamps featuring places associated with Nicolaus Copernicus.

History

See also