Reszel

State of preservation:		The castle has preserved as the whole
Admission:		The entrance to the castle is paid. You can enter only to the bailey without bearing costs.
Parking:		By the castle there is a paid parking lot
Searching difficulty:		The building is seen from a distance so it is very easy to find
Access difficulty:		The access to the castle does not make any problem
Subjective rating:		Nice castle

Driving directions:

Reszel is situated 20 km south of Kętrzyn and 30 km north of Mrągowo. You can reach it down the four different roads. However, whichever road You choose, in the town you need to head for the center where the castle is visible from a distance.


Historical outline:

The former name: Rössel

Since 1254 Reszel was in the hands of the bishops of Warmia, and in 1337 received the civic rights. The local castle arose in the XIVth cent. at the place of the Prussian conquered by the Teutonic knights. It is assumed that the building of the brick castle was initiated by the bishop Jan I from Miśnia around 1350. After 1370 the construction of the town walls, which were connected with the castle, was also begun. The first rebuilding of the castle took place already at the beginning of the XVth cent., and the next one in the XVIth cent. At the end of the XVIIIth cent. the part of the castle was converted into the prison. In 1806 and 1807 the fires broke out in the castle, which almost entirely consumed the stronghold. The reconstruction from the years of 1822-1823 saved the building from sinking into oblivion, but ruined the spatial plan of the castle. It was adapted to a new function – a Lutheran community. In the interwar period the castle housed the regional museum, and at present the stronghold still serves a cultural purpose even though in the changed form.


Pictures:




Nearest castles:

Barciany

Kętrzyn