Ruins of the Teutonic Knights' Castle
Ruins of the Teutonic Knights' Castle
Ruins on the island are the most valuable monuments of architecture in Elk and are now owned by local entrepreneurs. In the years 1398-1406 Teutonic Knights built a small castle on the island of Lake Elk, it was connected to the mainland with drawbridges. It’s a historical place reminding about the fights between Polish army and Teutonic Knights. In 1410 Polish army under the command of Wladyslaw Jagiello attacked the headquarters of Teutonic Knights and destroyed the wooden structure, it was later rebuilt as a brick. In the following years, there has been a secularization of Prussia, and the castle became a residence of prince's official. In nineteenth century, castle was converted to be a prison up until 1970. There’s an interesting legend about a secret tunnel associated with the ruins. During the Tartars attack on the city, people run to hide in the castle. Tatars then burned it and destroyed the bridge spanning the river. People, however, during an attack hid in the tunnel and survived the attack. For years, Tatars were not able to figure out how they escaped with their lives.
Tourist attractions - Ełk county
