Easy hikes and walks around gmina Działdowo

Bismarck Towers (German: Bismarckturm) – simple tower- or column-shaped structures built in the years 1869–1934 (the first tower was built in Lower Silesia, near the village of Ober-Johnsdorf, today Janówek), glorifying Otto von Bismarck and expressing German national pride. The first structures of this type were built during Bismarck's lifetime, and the last tower was put into service in 1926 in Polanów. There are 17 of the probable 40 Bismarck towers in the territory of present-day Poland (sometimes it is impossible to find documents confirming that a given tower was originally a "Bismarck tower"). https://odtur.pl/atrakcje/dzialdowo-wieza-bismarcka-w-dzialdowie-49857.html

The tower in Malinowo, commonly called the "Bismarck Tower", is located in the forest near Malinowo in the Lidzbark Forest District. It was built in 1915 according to the design of Philipp Kähm on the site of a grave of German soldiers and was to be transformed into an obelisk in tribute to soldiers who died during World War I. It is built on a square plan 10-12 m high with internal, wooden stairs, currently destroyed. In the interwar period, the Polish authorities changed its name to the Freedom Tower. It is currently in very poor technical condition. Without appropriate protection, it may be completely and irreversibly destroyed. The development of technical documentation for its renovation is the first element of work related to securing and protecting it from further devastation and destruction. https://powiatdzialdowski.pl/ratujemy-kolejny-zabytek-przed-calkowitym-szkodeniem/

The old bridges along the former railway line to Gilgenburg (now Dąbrówno) are relics from a time when the East Prussia region was still part of the German Empire. The railway line that once ran here was built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to better connect the agricultural villages and towns. It served both freight and passenger transport and connected the surrounding communities with larger commercial centers. After the Second World War, the borders changed and East Prussia was divided. The southern part, where Gilgenburg is located, fell to Poland. Many railway lines that once ran through this region were closed or neglected. The bridges are now silent witnesses to these upheavals and represent the changes that the area has experienced over the decades. While the railway line has long since fallen into disuse, the old bridges have been preserved and tell of the former importance of these transport routes. Today, a dirt road runs under the bridges and nature has reclaimed its place. The remains of the railway line offer hikers not only an idyllic landscape, but also the opportunity to step back into the history of the region and explore the traces of times gone by.

Castle 🏰 Teutonic courtyard still needs some work

Exhibition inside made in a surprisingly interesting and modern style. Free entry, as of September 2022. See www.muzeum.dzialdowo.pl.

Teutonic castle. According to the rule of the order, a knight on horseback should move from castle to castle during the day, so as to spend the night within safe walls. There is a museum in the castle area. Part of the castle has been rebuilt in recent years.