Balga Castle

The Prussian fortress of Honeda was the first under attack of the Teutonic Order. In 1239, after the siege, the Prussians surrendered the fortress and retreated. Later,  an attempt to return Honedu back was made, but this attempt failed. The fortress was rebuilt and strengthened, it was this fortress that became the stronghold of the conquests of the Order in Prussia. In 1242, Balga became the residence of the Order Convention, and in 1250, it became a commandery. In December 1254, King Ottokar II, who had arrived to assist the Order, used Balga as a base to capture Sambia. In 1290, when the restructuring of the castle in stone ended, Balga became one of the most powerful and impressive fortresses of the Order. In 1350, during the best days of the Order, the order castle of Balga acquired great importance, and its commanders occupied the highest order positions. Four commanderies of the castle were Grand Masters.

After the defeat of the Order in 1410 at the Battle of Grunwald, many of the castles of Prussia surrendered to the Polish king, but not Balga. During the Thirteen Years' War of the Order with the union of Prussian cities and Poland, which began in 1454, the Castle of Balga also stood firmly on the side of the Order. In 1525, during the secularization of the German Order and its transformation into a secular duchy, the castle was transferred to the Evangelical Bishop Georg von Polenz. Since 1560, the destruction of the castle, caused by careless exploitation and lack of funds for repairs, began. And since 1674 they began to systematically disassemble the building materials for the fortress Pillau. In 1836, the ruins were protected from further destruction. The roof and the windows of the tower was renewed. The administration of the Heiligenbeil District set a museum of local history in the tower.

During the Second World War, a large number of Wehrmacht refugees and soldiers with military equipment and ammunition concentrated on the territory of the castle. Balga was subjected to targeted fire, as a result of which it was severely damaged. Subsequently, on the territory of Balga, the search for the Amber Room was carried out. Of the castle structures, the ruins of the tower, the ruins of Forburg and the church were preserved.

At the moment, paths have been laid and information boards have been installed on the territory of the fortress. Conservation work is currently underway. Entrance is paid.