Kwidzyn Castle

Gdańsk & Pomerania


Kwidzyn's 14th-century castle has experienced numerous ups and downs, suffering the most grievous loss in 1798 when the Prussians pulled down two sides (eastern and southern) and the main tower. Unlike many of its red-brick peers, it survived WWII unscathed. Most of the building now houses the Kwidzyn Museum, which has several sections, including displays on medieval sacred art, regional folk crafts and plenty of farming implements, as well as a display in the cellar detailing German-funded archaeological excavations.

The most curious feature of the castle is the two unusual towers standing some distance away from the western and southern sides, linked to the main building by arcaded bridges. One (the smaller tower) held a well, while the other served as the gdaniska (knights’ toilet), a long drop if ever there was one (many of the Teutonic Knights' castles had them – the origin of the name is unknown). They once stood above the river, which later changed course leaving the knights high and dry. You can visit both towers while wandering the interior, but it’s also worth seeing them from the outside.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Gdańsk & Pomerania attractions

1. Cathedral of St John

0.03 MILES

The cathedral attached to the castle is the familiar Gothic brick blockbuster, which has a suitably defensive appearance thanks to its 19th-century tower…

2. Gniew Archaeological Museum

7.82 MILES

The small town of Gniew has one big attraction – a red-brick castle housing the local Archaeological Museum. The exhibition is in two rooms, but you will…

3. Castle Hill

18.07 MILES

Grudziądz once had a 13th-century castle that stood sentinel high above the Vistula. The remains of this, essentially the 30m Klimek Tower and the results…

4. Church of St Francis Xavier

18.22 MILES

A few buildings in the centre retain their historical significance, the most impressive of which is this early-18th-century church. Most of the narrow…

5. Granaries

18.29 MILES

The extraordinary row of crumbling granaries was built along the length of the town’s waterfront to provide storage and protect the town from invaders…

6. Regional Museum

18.37 MILES

Based in a former Benedictine convent and several granaries at the southern end of the old quarter, the Regional Museum is worth an hour or two's perusal…

7. Skwer Esperanto

21.02 MILES

With time to kill, walk south along the line of the river, past remnants of the old city walls, to this scrappy park behind Hotel Stary Malbork. It isn’t…

8. Malbork Castle

21.47 MILES

Malbork’s blockbuster attraction is its show-stoppingly massive castle sitting on the banks of the sluggish Nogat River, an eastern arm of the Vistula…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "poland/pomerania/kwidzyn/attractions/kwidzyn-castle/a/poi-sig/1422307/360318",
      "destination": "Gdańsk-&-Pomerania",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Poland",
      "region": "Gdańsk-&-Pomerania",
      "position": "superzone"
    }