What happened
Ryn Castle was built by the Teutonic Knights in the late 14th century on a hill between Lake Ryńskie and Lake Ołów. Legend links it to Anna, wife of the Lithuanian grand duke Vytautas. During the wars with the Order Vytautas changed sides several times, and in one version of the story – shortly before the Battle of Grunwald – he let the Knights down. In revenge, the Knights supposedly walled up the duchess and her children alive in the castle cellars. Ever since, a White Lady has roamed the corridors, and her weeping is heard at night. In one version she appears only to men who get lost in the castle's maze of corridors. Since 2006 the castle has housed a hotel that makes good use of the legend – meeting the duchess's ghost is said to bring guests good luck.
Witnesses
Hotel guests and residents of Ryn; the legend is described by “National Geographic” and the daily “Super Express”, among others.
Explanations and hypotheses
The legend contradicts history: Duchess Anna survived the Battle of Grunwald and died in 1418, after which her husband married her niece. In the 1980s archaeologists found three walled-up niches in the walls, but they were empty. The building's grim atmosphere does have real sources: from 1853 the Prussian authorities used the castle as a prison, and in 1881 it burned down. Since its conversion in 2001–2006 it has operated as a hotel and conference centre.
Legend A story handed down through generations – it can be neither confirmed nor disproved.
Sources
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