It was built by Wladyslaw Jagiello in 1424-1428. In time, a settlement competing with the Teutonic Knights of Torun was established near the castle and named Nieszawa. In 1431, the army of Torunia and the Teutonic Knights captured the castle and burned Nieszawa, however, the Teutonic Knights soon restored the castle and settled their crew there. After four years following the peace of Brest-Kujawski, the castle, along with the left bank of the Vistula River, returned to Poland. In 1454, King Casimir Jagiellon issued the Nieszawa Statutes here. From 1456 the Dybowo castle was the seat of the royal starosts. A customs chamber was also located there, which resulted in the partial transformation of the castle's foundation for economic purposes. Nieszawa, located next to the castle, was an inconvenient competitor in trade for Toruń, so as a result of the demands of Toruń burghers, in 1460 the inhabitants of Nieszawa were moved 30 km up the Vistula River, where the town of Nieszawa, then called Nowa Nieszawa, was established. Dybowska Castle hosted Polish kings visiting Torun and Royal Prussia. During the Swedish-Polish wars, the castle was burned by the Swedes in 1656. In 1703, during the siege of Toruń by the Swedes, the city was fired upon from the castle, so the Polish troops stationed in the city fired on the castle, which resulted in the destruction of the residential part of the castle on the river side. In the 18th century the castle was owned by the Debski family, while after the partitions a distillery was opened there. In 1813, forty Frenchmen under the command of Lieutenant Savary withstood a three-month siege by the Russians in the castle, capitulating only with Torun. In 1848, new gun emplacements, still visible today, were pierced into the walls. The castle survives today as a ruin, with impressive perimeter walls, a 2-story gate tower and ramparts preserved. Excavations at the castle were conducted in 1998-2000.
Michal - 11.08.2008
