Going from Malbork towards Toruń, you will find yourself in a land of Gothic architecture, old and modern-day knights and historical towns.

The main draw of the region for tourists is an array of Teutonic fortresses that once controlled the transport of grain down the Vistula and protected the order's capital. Besieged, captured and destroyed many times, they were as often rebuilt.

Malbork
A quiet town of Malbork lies on the Nogat River and is dominated by a Teutonic castle that was put on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1997 and attracts half a million tourists every year.

In the late 13th century, the Teutonic Knights started to build a castle and an adjacent town on a high riverbank. When, in 1309, the Grand Master transferred his headquarters from Venice to Malbork it became the capital of one of the most powerful states on the Baltic's southern coast. Soon the castle proved too small for its new functions. As a result of almost 40 years of extension work, the formidable High Castle was built, followed by the Middle and Low castles. After the dissolution of the order, the fortress changed hands a few times, served a variety of purposes, was sometimes left to decay, sometimes rebuilt and altered; once it was almost demolished. It regained its former splendor in the 19th century, when it was restored by Germans, and then again after World War II, when it was rebuilt by Polish specialists.

The castle is best visited with a guide, but it's not obligatory and many people choose to explore on their own. There are also a few permanent exhibitions, notably a fabulous collection of amber, crafts, pottery, Gothic sculpture and armor from various eras. From May to mid-September spectacular sound-and-light shows are held at night. One can also join a guided night walk with a meal and old music concert or a show of fighting knights. The summer season begins with the Malbork Days, an assortment of festivals and concerts supplemented with a fair and knight tournament.

Gniew
Commanding a high bank of the Vistula, the charming town of Gniew retains its medieval atmosphere, dominated by the tower of St. Nicholas' Church. Narrow streets converge on the market square lined with 18th-century row houses.
Gniew's major attraction is a model Teutonic stronghold, featuring a system of dungeons. Torture devices in the courtyard are enormously popular with tourists. Surrounded by powerful walls, the castle provides a perfect setting for jousting tournaments. Other tourist-oriented activities include medieval feasts that one can sit and dine for hours at wooden tables laden with every delicacy imaginable and watch knight duels, court scenes and traditional dances.

Pelpin
A small, town surrounded by fields, Pelpin is known for its Cisterian abbey, built by monks who arrived here in 1276 from Doberan in Mecklenburg. The 80 meter long Gothic cathedral, completed in the mid-15th century, is one of the largests in Poland.

The interior is simply overwhelming. Each of the lofty pillars supporting the high vault is surrounded by two or three altars, while the aisles, their walls partly covered by paintings, contain an assortment of stalls and tombstones.

The Rennaisance high altar, 25 meters high, is a fabulous piece decorated with statues, columns, ornaments and gilded details.

Another highlight is the Rococo organ which has an unusual sound.
To continue the tour of religious art go to the Diocesan Museum whose rich collection includes Gothic sculptures, splendid vestments, gold crucifixes studded with gems and monstrances.

Świecie
One of the oldest towns in Pomerania, Świecie protected the borders of the Duchy of Gdańsk and the state of the Teutonic Knights. The castle controlled the approaches both by land and from the nearby Vistula. What has survived of the once formidable rectangular construction, with squat oval towers in its four corners, is the north wing, fragments of two southern towers, large sections of the ramparts and the keep.
The new town was built in the 19th century on a steep escarpment along the River Wda, which explains the peculiar slope of the main square, surrounded by handsome neoclassical and Art Nouveau houses.

Toruń
Located on the Vistula, at the meeting point of the Chełmno Lake District and the Toruń Basin, Toruń is a city of 300 listed buildings, its evocative Old Town surrounded by green suburbs. A member of the Hanseatic League, it prospered on the grain trade and drew for centuries from both Polish and German cultures. Because of its historic value, in 1997 Toruń was put on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

The best place to start a walk around Toruń is the town hall tower, offering a great view over the Old Town.

The brick town hall was erected in the 14th century, but what you see today dates from 1737, when it was rebuilt following a fire. Today it is one of Poland's oldest museums, dedicated to medieval art, local craft and modern Polish painting.

Every tour of the city must include the Copernicus House, supposedly the birthplace of the great scholar and a first-class example of urban Gothic architecture. The museum inside attempts to recreate the atmosphere of the 15th-century.

Other sights
� The Teutonic Castle in Golub-Dobrzyń-renowned internationally for extremely popular knights' tournaments. Its most striking feature is a wide stairway through which knights once rode up to an undressing room.
� The Mennonite Cemetery in Stogi-one of the finest sites of its kind, dating back to the 17th century.
� Granaries in Grudziądz - a complex of 26 huge granaries from the 14th-16th centuries.