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Insights into the history
Gniew Castle was founded in the 2nd half of the 13th century and served as the seat of the Teutonic Knights. In the 15th century castle took possession of the royal family. Later, however, the fortress fell to Prussians, who established the military barracks and armory at the Gniew castle. In the first half of the 20th century the building was damaged by a large fire. About 50 years later, began an extensive reconstruction, and the whole place got back to its original form.

Attractions
Today the castle houses an archaeological museum, where you can see many exhibitions of medieval excavations and archaeological findings. The castle also hosts festivals of various historic characters and many exhibitions. In the vicinity of Gniew Castle you can find another great castle, Malbork Castle, which is the largest Gothic building in the world and the largest brick building in the world.

Practical information
You can visit Gniew Castle almost every day (except of Mondays) from 9:00 to 17:00. Admission is 8 PLN. The museum is open from 15 April to 31 October. You can even accommodate right in the castle complex or try some of the great polish traditional meals in the castle’s restaurant. Very impressive is night walking around the castle.

For further details visit official website of Gniew Castle.

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Inside you will find around 700,000 items on display, which relate to the history of music both in the Czech Republic, with items belonging to the world famous Czech composers Dvořak and Smetana, and around the world, such as an original score by Mozart. There is a programme of temporary exhibitions passing through the museum throughout the year, so even returning visitors can find something new to see.

A lot of the collection is old manuscripts and recordings, as well as instruments, and there is plenty for the music lover to browse through while also enjoying the beauty of the grand assembly hall.

If you would rather listen to music than learn about it, there is a programme of concerts each year in the assembly hall which take full advantage of the hall’s ambience and fantastic acoustics. These concerts are usually live classical music and opera, and if you are planning to visit Prague it is certainly worth seeing if there are any concerts you could attend during your stay.

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Albrechtsburg castle was built in the 15th century and it was the first castle in the history of German engineering. The builder was Arnold von Westfalen. Albrechtsburg Castle is a silent witness to history of famous for so-called “white gold” because it is also a place of the first porcelain manufactory in Europe, established in 1710.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Miala

Albrechtsburg castle hosts numerous interesting exhibitions, including the permanent exhibition about the castle and local porcelain, which takes you back to the times of the invention of the European porcelain. With multimedia production you can also look at the laboratory of Johann Friedrich Böttger, the discoverer of porcelain production.

In the castle complex there is a beautiful Gothic cathedral – Meissen Cathedral, that was built in 1260 – 1410.

Janos Korom Dr.

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In the town of Bardejov there are lots of historical monuments.

Major attractions include the Gothic parish church of St. Egidius from the 14th century. In the middle of the square there is the former Town Hall built in Gothic Renaissance style in 1511. Today it is a museum. In 1903 Saris Museum was founded there, where you can see numerous historical, natural and ethnographic exhibitions, and even the museum of icons.

We recommended to visit also a local spa together with the open-air Museum of Slovak village. Bardejov Town is on UNESCO World Heritage List since 2005. Today Bardejov has around 33000 inhabitants.

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