Gniew

Gniew stands on the left bank of the Vistula beneath a formidable brick castle. The Teutonic Order acquired the district in the thirteenth century and built its first stronghold on this side of the river here. The town later passed to Poland and became the seat of a royal starosta and a centre of the wine trade, its position giving it a role in river trade and warfare.

In 1626 Polish–Lithuanian and Swedish armies fought near Gniew during Gustavus Adolphus's campaign in Prussia. Later in the century John Sobieski, before becoming king, served as starosta and built a palace for his wife Marie Casimire. The castle and the town below it recall both the Order's frontier and the later royal administration of Pomerania.