Brandenburg Castle

The fortress was founded in 1266 by the Margrave Otto III of Brandenburg during the third crusade to Prussia. After the suppression of the second Prussian uprising (1260-1272), construction of the castle in stone began. Throughout the history of the Teutonic Order, Brandenburg was considered one of the most important commandery's castles, and the commandery was the largest in Prussia. From 1322 a fragment of the Holy Cross, on which Christ was crucified, was kept in the castle. On May 23, 1520, the Polish troops laid siege to Brandenburg. After a two-day assault from land and from the bay on May 25, the small garrison of the castle was forced to surrender on honorable terms, but the castle itself was burned. After the war the castle was reconstructed.

After the secularization of the Order from 1525 to 1752 Brandenburg was the residence of the head of the territorial office. Since the 1750s, the castle gradually collapsed, and from 1776 they began to disassemble it into building materials. By the end of the 19th century, the royal demesne was located in the partially preserved forburg, which was leased to the Rozen family. In 1945, Brandenburg was in a zone of fierce fighting and was partially destroyed. In the early 1980s, part of the roof of a residential building became unusable, in the early 1990s, the building was abandoned and disassembled for building materials by the local population. The ruined walls of the dwelling, the walls of the former castle warehouse and fragments of the defensive wall from the side of the bay have been preserved. Today, Brandenburg Castle is the site for historic reenactments and festivals. There are guided tours in the territory of the castle.