The castle in Człuchów

The castle in Człuchów in a teutonic castle, the second largest castle of the Teutonic Order behind the one in Malbork. This was the most difficult castle to conquer in the entire region of Pomorze.

Since the 12th century, Człuchów is part of the Szczytno castellany, in which since 1299 Mikołaj from Poniec was functioning as the castellan. After the annexation of Pomorze Gdańskie in 1308, the sons of castellan Mikołaj sold Człuchów to the Teutonic Order, which after 1340 built a castle here, in order to protect the trail leading from the German countries to Prussia. During the wars with the Teutonic Order, the Polish army unsuccessfully tried to conquer the castle in 1414 and 1433. The castle reamined in the hands of the Teutonic Knights until the 13-year war, when it was occupied by the royal army in 1454. That same year, the Teutonic Knights unsuccessfully tried to regain the castle, and tried again in 1455 and 1456, but the Polish army disproved the attacks. The next attack on the castle was organized in 1520 during the Prusia War, and in 1563, when the castle was attacked by the army of Dytrych Schoenberg, which was supporting the Teutonic Knights. From that moment on, the castle remained in the Polish hands all the way until the partitions of Poland.

After the first partition of Poland in 1772, the castle passed down by Kazimierz Soroka to the
government of Prussia. The acticity of which almost lead to the destruction of the castle. In the 1780s, the reflection of the water was reduced by 4 meters, by drying the moat system arround the castle.