In 1329 on a high hill over the valley of the Guber river the Teutonic Order built timber-and-earth fortifications.
The stronghold was situated on the site of Rast, a Prussian settlement, which had been conquered in the 13th cent.
A small settlement which was founded nearby was
granted a location charter in 1357. The construction of
the castle started in the mid-14th century. A three-wing structure was closed from the west by a curtain wall with
a gate. The north wing with decorative gables contained most important chambers: chapel, refectory and dormitory. The peculiar feature was that the structure had neither
a tower nor an outer castle. In the 19th century a great deal of medieval buildings were pulled down: St Catherine’s church, town gates
and arcaded houses in the town square. Most extensive damage was caused by operations of World War II, as
the town was a resource base for Hitler’s headquarters in nearby Gierłoż. In 1942 the Russian aerial bombardment heavily devastated the town and in January 1945 when general Shafronov’s squads seized Kętrzyn the Old Town
and the castle were destroyed by fire. | 
St George’s fortified church (14-15th cent.),