The best road cycling routes around Nidzica

When looking at the castle from the outside, it is worth looking up. On the walls, you can still clearly see the characteristic oriels protruding from the facade. They served a very prosaic function – they were the castle's medieval latrines (toilets), from which waste fell directly down onto the castle slope.

The structure was built at the end of the 14th century and was originally... a powerful south-eastern defensive tower, integrated into the city walls! So where does the name come from? The term "old monastery" (alten Clösterlein) first appeared in records from 1561. It was proposed at that time to convert the former tower into a school. The name stuck to the building for centuries, even though no religious order was ever stationed there.

Klasztorek – is one of the oldest buildings in the city. It is a 14th-century southeastern defensive tower. Consisting of two rectangular, adjacent parts of the structure. A three-story tower to the east and a two-story section to the west. The tower is covered with a hipped roof and the western part with a three-sided roof. The entire lower part is made of stone walls, as a relic of the city's defensive walls. The upper part is built of Gothic, red brick. Julian Gregorovius states that in the accounts of an official from 1561, it was called the "old monastery" and was proposed as a school location "because it was suitable for it". For a long time, it was known by the name of the monastery school – Klosterschule, for church personnel. In the 18th century, it was barracks. From 1746 to 1780, it housed a garrison of Prussian dragoons from the 10th Regiment, whose commander from 1754-1785 was Major General – i.e. brigadier general, who was promoted to the military rank of Lieutenant General – Friedrich Ludwig Graf Finck v. Finckenstein. After them, it served as a granary until 1914. Russian artillery fire on 22.08.1914 burned down the monastery. Rebuilt as part of "Osthilfe" in the 1930s. In 1942, a library and a cinema were established there, among other things. Burned down again in January 1945 after Neidenburg was occupied by the Red Army. Rebuilt in the years 1967-1988. https://nidzica.info/klasztorek

Klasztorek is a Gothic defensive building, located in the southeastern corner of the city and belonging to the city fortifications. Originally, its eastern part served as a corner tower. In later centuries, Klasztorek was used as a school for lower church staff, barracks, a city library, a cinema, and even a granary. This monument, destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt in 1967-1988. Currently, it is in the resources of the Nidzica Commune. Klasztorek, located in the city center, has been empty since 2018 and no activity is carried out in it, causing it to slowly decay. https://mostthemost.pl/nasz-zabytek-warminsko-mazurskie-2022/nidzica-klasztorek/

After reconstruction, the building was adapted as a branch of the State Archive. The Archive stopped using the building in 2017.

Fresh asphalt and that's all about it

The construction of the castle began around 1398, the main western wing was completed in 1405, and the remaining works were completed in the spring of 1409[1]. The Teutonic procurator resided there. On July 12, 1410, on his way with his army into the depths of the Teutonic state, the undefended castle was occupied by Polish troops. During the Hunger War in 1414, the castle was besieged by Polish knights and captured on July 6 after an eight-day siege. In 1454, the castle was occupied by the pro-Polish Prussian Confederation and in February 1455, it was handed over to Czech mercenaries led by Jan Kolda of Žampach, who repelled the invasion of the Teutonic troops on April 28[2]. In 1517, the outer bailey was expanded and fortified. In 1784, the outer bailey burned down. In 1812, the castle was devastated by French troops. In the years 1828-1830 the castle was rebuilt into a court and prison. In the winter of 1945, Soviet troops bombarded the castle, which remained a ruin until its reconstruction in 1961-1965.

Wikno Olsztynecka Position. A unique facility, designed for 2 positions for heavy machine guns (built according to the standard Regelbau B1-6 plan), and an added casemate for a 3.7 cm AAA anti-tank field gun.