HISTORY

The bishop's castle in Parbuty was raised on a narrow isthmus between two lakes: Liwieniec Lake to the west and Młyńskie Lake to the east (the latter does not exist today). The lakes were connected by a canal called the Młynówka, which has survived until now. The hill chosen to build a castle had very good natural defensive characteristics, such as its steep slopes leaning towards Liwieniec Lake. All that needed to be done was to dig a deep moat east and south-east of the hill, where the terrain was naturally low, and that separated the castle hill from the town.
The construction of a brick castle as a residence of the Bishops of Pomesania started in 1276 and finished most probably around 1345. Two masonry masters, Rupertus and Johannes, known as the builders of the cathedral in Kwidzyn, joined in the works in Prabuty.
The castle was raised on a plan of a trapeze which opened to the east. The castle was composed of three wings: north, west (which formed the base of the trapeze) and south, whereas the eastern side of the compound (facing the town) consisted of a moat and a high fortified wall with towers in each corner. The corner between the north and west wings was most probably the base for an arcaded walk, raised on several pillars, which lead to a sanitary tower, known as 'dansker'. Apart from serving as a toilet, the dansker tower was also the point of ultimate defence.
There were two entrances to the castle: one from the east through a gate in the castle walls, another one from the south, either through the south wing or east of that wing, directly to the inner court of the castle.
During its stormy history, Prabuty Castle was often ravaged by wars and fires. In 1414 it was looted and partly burnt down by the troops of the Polish King Władysław Jagiełło during the so-called Hunger War. In 1422 history repeated itself as the royal troops conquered the town and the castle, looting and burning the catch. The castle flourished in the early 16th century, under the Bishop Hiob von Dobeneck. Under his auspices, the castle had a rich cultural and scientific life, and the sumptuously decorated castle halls were admired by many prominent guests, such as Jan Dantyszek (Johannes Dantiscus), Peter zu Dohna, Erasmus Stulor. When the Teutonic Order in Prussia was secularised, the castle became one of the many residences of the Duke of Prussia. Some time later, it was turned into a seat of the Duke's representative known as Hauptman. On many occasions the castle was chosen as a place for peace talks and negotiations during the wars with Sweden or for conventions of Prussian dukes and counts. This continued until 1688, when a farmer's helper set fire to the castle. The fire destroyed not only the castle but also a larger part of the town. The subsequent reconstruction of the castle compound comprised only the utility buildings, whereas the actual castle wings were either demolished or rebuilt as military barracks, hospital and warehouses. The ultimate end to the castle was brought by yet another fire, which broke out in October 1787. Afterwards only some of the army's buildings were reconstructed on the foundations of the south and partly north and west wings of the medieval castle.
The archaeological excavations conducted to the present day have unearthed such findings as parts of kitchen ware and stove tiles, with green glazing and deep relieves depicting plants, geometrical shapes and figures, and fragments of a horse harness.
The preservation and reconstruction works carried out on the castle hill today aim at protecting the uncovered walls from unfavourable weather conditions and at revealing the shapes of the building foundations up to the ground floor. It is necessary to begin works on renovating the outer sides of the fortified walls, both the outer and inner ring of the walls, as their present poor state of repair causes a threat of collapse. During the next few years it is hoped to uncover many more relics of the medieval castle, to preserve them and make them visible on the site, which means that they will become a permanent archaeological and architectural ruin, which will demonstrate the huge size and the floor plan of the former residence of the bishops of Pomesania.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS: ruins of the castle of the Bishops of Pomesania; the Gothic church, known as the cathedral (14th century); the Gothic Kwidzyn gatehouse (14th century);
Roland's fountain (early 20th century); brick waterworks of 1726-1730

EXHIBITIONS: Werner Żebrowski Exhibition Hall in Kwidzyn Gatehouse, open during the season from Tuesday to Saturday, 1.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m.; The Memorabilia Room in the Polish Church, open during the season from 11.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.

EVENTS (during the summer season) - May - Prabuty May Day, June - a painting and sculpture plein-air in Rodowo, September - Harvest Festival, canoeing trips on the Liwa River

CULTURE

The Civic Culture Centre, 22 Łąkowa Str. tel. 055 278 23 19

ACCOMODATION
Agritourism Guest Rooms - Feliks Anders, Rodowo Małe, tel. 055 278 19 40
Bed - and - breakfast, 24 Łąkowa Str. tel. 055 278 20 29
Agritourism Guest Rooms "Figlówka", Laskowice 56, tel./fax 055 278 38 76
Agritourism Guest Rooms - Danuta i Krzysztof Galińscy, Górowychy 12a, tel. 055 278 19 57, 0 667 234 992
Agritourism Guest Rooms - Roman Stoltmanna, Sypanica 33, tel. 0 602 22 95 42
Agritourism Guest Rooms - Jolanta Kotańska, Górowychy, tel.055 278 19 48
Agritourism Guest Rooms - Stanisław Andersa, Kuracyjna 4, tel. 055 278 21 76, 0 606 883 626
The "Liwa" Tourist Resort, Orkusz, tel. 055 278 22 63

RESTAURANTS

The "Malibu" Restaurant, 6 Malborska Str. tel. 055 278 22 08
The "Jarzębina" Restaurant, Daszyńskiego Str. tel. 0 661 854 104
The "Joker" Bar, 13 Grunwaldzka Str. tel. 055 278 33 24
The "Kwadrat" Café, 1b Daszyńskiego Str. tel. 055 278 20 26
The "U Chmielewskiego" Inn, Raniewo

The Town and Commune Office
2 Kwidzyńska Str., phone: 055 278 20 01,
www.prabuty.pl