Bytow Castle

Bytów Castle is one of the last castles built by the Teutonic Order and one of the first in Central Europe to be adapted for defence using firearms. It was built at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries as the seat of the Teutonic Order’s procurator; it later belonged to the Dukes of Pomerania, and today houses the West Kashubian Museum.

Teutonic construction

The Teutonic Order purchased the Bytów estate in 1329. At that time, Bytów lay on the western edge of the Order’s territory, on the border with Western Pomerania. Construction of the stone castle began on a hill in the south-eastern part of the town towards the end of the 14th century – initially, earthworks were carried out and materials were gathered, whilst the actual building work took place between 1398 and 1402. Around 1404, the renowned architect Mikołaj Fellenstein worked on the project, and the Grand Master Konrad von Jungingen visited the site on numerous occasions. The finishing works continued until around 1406.

The castle was home to between a few and a dozen or so monks, along with their squires and servants, whilst the full complement of staff numbered several dozen people.

Architecture

The castle was built of fieldstones and brick on a rectangular plan measuring approximately 52.5 × 72.5 metres. Round towers – the Mill Tower, the Rose Tower and the Field Tower – were erected at three corners, equipped with embrasures and, on their lower storeys, opening onto the courtyard, which allowed smoke to be vented after shots were fired. They are considered to be the first known towers in Central Europe adapted for firearms and the precursors of the bastion. In the fourth corner, the square Gunpowder Tower was built.

Adjacent to the north-west wing, a Monastic House (Main House) with a basement was erected, measuring 13 × 39 metres. The ground floor housed a bakery and a brewery; the first floor contained the most important rooms – the refectory, the chapel and the procurator’s chamber – whilst the upper floors were used for storage. A defensive gallery ran the length of the building. Adjacent to the south-west wing stood the kitchen, complete with a food store and a well. The entrance led through the gate tower from the north-east, and in front of it a drawbridge suspended on chains spanned the moat. The courtyard was divided into two parts by a transverse wall running parallel to the Monastic House.

Between Poland, the Order and Pomerania

In 1410, following the Battle of Grunwald, the castle was captured by the forces of Władysław Jagiełło, and the king handed it over to Bogusław VIII, Duke of Słupsk. Following the First Peace of Toruń in 1411, the stronghold returned to the Teutonic Knights. During the Thirteen Years’ War (1454–1466), the castle was recaptured by Polish forces, and in 1466, Kazimierz Jagiellończyk granted the Bytów region as a fief to Eric II, Duke of Pomerania.

After 1500, the castle was surrounded by earthworks featuring circular bastions designed to house artillery. The Gryfici family, who ruled Bytów, built the Renaissance Prince’s House next to the south-east wing between 1560 and 1570, and also rebuilt the outer gate with a Renaissance gable. In 1623, the Widows’ House was built alongside the north-eastern curtain wall. Following the death without issue of the last of the Gryfit family, Bogusław XIV, in 1637, the Bytów estate reverted to the Crown, and the castle became the seat of the starost.

The Deluge, Brandenburg and Prussia

During the Swedish Deluge, in 1656, the Swedes blew up the Gunpowder Tower, and the castle was burnt down. Under the Treaties of Weława and Bydgoszcz of 1657, the Bytów region passed as a Polish fief into the hands of Brandenburg, later the Kingdom of Prussia. The castle was partially rebuilt; in 1681, a building housing the tax office and court was added. In the 18th century, the ducal chancellery and the gate tower were demolished, the bridge over the moat was replaced by a causeway, and the ramparts were levelled. In the 19th century, the castle housed a Prussian court and a prison.

The reconstruction and the castle today

The first conservation works were carried out between 1930 and 1939 – during this period, the Gunpowder Tower was rebuilt from scratch, the vaults of the Monastic House were reconstructed, and the Princely House and the Widows’ House were renovated. In 1945, the Soviet NKVD set up a prison and a transit camp for local residents in the castle. The castle was rebuilt between 1957 and 1962 and between 1969 and 1990. In 1994, a fire broke out in the Gunpowder Tower.

Today, the Religious House and the towers house the West Kashubian Museum, featuring the permanent exhibitions „The Material Culture of the Kashubians of Bytów” and „The Work of Józef Chełmowski”, whilst the Prince’s House is home to a hotel and restaurant. The castle is one of the best-preserved historical monuments in Kashubia and a good starting point for exploring the region. The museum also has branches outside the castle – in the centre of Bytów, it presents the Gothic St Catherine’s Tower, a remnant of the town’s first church, with an exhibition on the former spirituality of the inhabitants of the Bytów region and an archaeological excavation site of the former parish church.