Rößel Castle (Polish Zamek w Reszlu) is a former Teutonic Order castle in Warmia in the town of Reszel, which was called Rößel until 1945.
In 1241, the order built a wood and earth castle about four kilometers north of the Prussian settlement of Resel. As a watchtower, it secured the trade route from the Vistula Lagoon through the wilderness to Poland. Destroyed and rebuilt by Pruzzo, the order handed over the wooden and earthwork to the Prince-Bishopric of Warmia in 1254, and it was now on the north-eastern corner.
When the area was considered pacified around 1300, the town of Rössel arose with its settlement next to the castle. Under Bishop Heinrich von Meißen (1350-1355), the expansion of Heilsberg Castle in Rößel began at the same time as the stone castle, which Johann II Stryprock continued and Heinrich III. Sorbom completed in 1401. The castle became the seat of an episcopal burgrave.
In the middle of the monumental west front, the four-winged castle received a projecting tower with a square floor plan. The round tower in the north-west corner with a square substructure and sunken conical roof was one of the largest of the time of the order. The usual outer bailey was missing. Lucas Watzenrode had strong external fortifications built from 1505, including a low battery tower with a large diameter in front of the north-west tower and several half-towers on the north side.
During the First Partition of Poland, Warmia became part of the Prussian province of East Prussia. The castle was converted into a prison in 1780 after centuries of slow decay. Damaged in the great city fire in May 1806, the system was transferred to King Friedrich Wilhelm III. 1822 of the evangelical regional church. This converted the south wing of the castle into a church room with a small bell tower and set up a rectory and a cantor's apartment in the other wings. Several fortification towers, remains of the outer fortifications, the massive corridor to the Danzker, which no longer exists, fortified storeys and inside vaults and partition walls were removed. The church room, which was used until 1945, was inaugurated on October 18, 1823. The facility, which was secured in 1956, was extensively renovated between 1976 and 1985.[1]
The castle is used as a museum (Gallery "Zamek", branch of the Museum of Warmia and Mazury) and partly as a hotel (Wikipedia).
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