the building:
The Gothic castle of the Chapter of Warmia was built during the years 1348-1397 in the bend of the Łyna River, surrounded by the walls and moat for defence purposes. The compact structure erected on a rectangular plan initially consisted of a single wing and the yard surrounded by walls. The main building with the gallery facing the yard was built during the years 1346-1370 and extended to its present shape in 1397. The south-eastern wing with the cylindrical tower was built between 1370 and 1394. At the turn of the 14th and 15th c., the external system of walls and cylindrical towers was built. Over the centuries the castle was extended and remodelled on a number of occasions.
The castle fulfilled the role of the seat of Chapter of Warmia administrators appointed from its membership until 1772. Nicholas Copernicus was the most prominent administrator residing at the castle during the years 1516-1521. He used the castle to carry out his astronomical observations, above the portal he placed the astronomical table (on plaster, 140 x 705 cm) for studies on the equinox. Nowadays the castle is used as the museum of Warmia and Mazury.

the building:
The cathedral church of St. James the Elder is situated within the old quarter next to the city walls and in the past it could fulfil a defensive function. It was built in stages from 1380 until 1445 and finally completed in its present shape during the early 17th c. The building was erected on the rectangular plan of ceramic bricks, with nave and two aisles, hall type, without separate presbytery. Late Gothic vaulting is late 16th c. During the same time (1562-1596) the tower was added. Piotr Olszewski designed chapels flanking the tower in 1721. The interior décor is mainly new gothic. The older elements are: in the left aisle a late Gothic triptych from early 16th c., in the right aisle the painted triptych – “Crucifixion” of 1553 in new-gothic framing. The main altar and pulpits in new-gothic style. In the baptistery chapel a Baroque 18th c. painting of the Virgin of the Rosary surrounded by St, Catherine of Siena and St. Dominique. Initially the church was a parish church of St. James the Elder, patron of the town later raised to the distinction of a joint cathedral.

the building:
The Gothic town gate was erected at the turn of the 14th  and 15th c. Initially it was called the Upper Gate. Outside the gate there was a drawbridge over a deep moat that was finally filled at the beginning of the 20th c. It was of fragment of city fortifications consisting of the brick walls with 3 gates: the Upper Gate, the Lower Gate and the Mill Gate.
The Upper Gate (currently High Gate), was built on the main road to the north at the end of Górna Street. At the end of the 15th c. along the northern and eastern sides of the city, the second, external line of walls was erected. The moat strengthened by the wall of counter-slope completed the defences. Already during the first half of the 18th c. maintenance of the defence structures ceased. The moat nearby the High Gate was finally liquidated in 1841 and 1844. Already during the 18th c. people started making entrances through the walls in the vicinity of the Mill Gate. During the second decade of the 19th c. city walls nearby the church of St. James were pulled down. The Lower Gate was also dismantled quickly after the collapse of one of its towers in 1806. During the first half of the 19th c. more than three quarters of the city walls were pulled down.

the building:
The original Gothic City Hall of brick could have been built at the same time as the city defense walls during the second half of the 14th c. The oldest wing of the City Hall with the characteristic turret (of the 19th c.) was built around 1380. Following the fire, in 1623-1624 that wing was extended at both ends to its present shape and as a consequence the  Gothic core of the building was placed in the very centre of the building. This is proven by e.g. the outline of the gothic ogee arch window found in the front wall. In 1849 the fronts were given the classical décor. In 1859 the western wing was added. In 1916 the city authorities moved to the new city hall. During the years 1927-28 the northern wing was added. Currently the Old City Hall houses a public library (as of 1952). In 2003 the conservation works were finished, the oldest wing of the building was returned to its previous gothic exterior.