Działdowo: Teutonic Order history, churches and cycling routes

In Działdowo, historical connections range from the Teutonic Order’s first defensive structure to churches and museum exhibitions. Four marked cycling routes add an option for outdoor activity to the cultural highlights. When planning your trip, you can choose different focuses: town history, architecture, cycling, or finding your way by rail and road.

Teutonic Order history and museum

In 1306, the Teutonic Order built the first defensive structure in the area of Działdowo. The Muzeum Pogranicza is located in the Gothic wing of the Teutonic Castle at 12 Zamkowa Street. The exhibition “Działdowo – miasto i ludzie dawnego pogranicza” was on display in the castle from September 2018. Check the museum’s current visitor information before your trip.

Churches and places of remembrance

St. Adalbert’s Church in Działdowo was built in 1862 in the Neo-Gothic style. The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is considered the oldest church in the town; its foundations date back to the Middle Ages. These sites highlight different periods: 19th-century Neo-Gothic church architecture and medieval foundations. The wider destination of Soldau is also home to the Shrine of the Blessed Martyrs of Działdowo, in the Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria. It commemorates Archbishop Antoni Julian Nowowiejski and Bishop Leon Wetmański, who were martyrs of the camp in Działdowo.

Cycling routes and town tour

Four signposted, color-coded cycling routes run around Działdowo. Information boards share local stories and provide route maps. Check local route conditions before setting out. The routes offer a different focus from the churches and museums: they combine getting around by bicycle with information about local history.

A guided town tour with a museum guide was relaunched in April 2026. Commentary from a narrator and a museum employee added information about important places and sights in the town to the walk. For the offering as described, only one of the 15 possible tours was available without a code. Before your trip, check the latest visitor information and access conditions, including those for app-based offerings.

Działdowo in the wider destination of Soldau

In the wider destination of Soldau, the square-shaped market square lies at the center of Działdowo’s Old Town. The Old Town preserves its original medieval street layout; the town hall in the center of the market square dates from 1796. The Interactive Museum of the Teutonic State opened there on August 13, 2013. Its exhibition spans two levels, with the first comprising five rooms arranged in chronological order. The Teutonic Castle in Działdowo is also part of the Szlak Zamków Gotyckich, or Route of Gothic Castles.

In the wider destination of Soldau, Działdowo’s Park Honorowych Dawców Krwi has walking paths, a climbing park, outdoor trampolines and a stage. The Działdowski Jarmark for antiques, handicrafts and healthy food is a recurring event featuring culture, crafts and local creativity. Check the specific event dates before your trip.

Getting there and finding your way

Działdowo railway station is on a busy main railway line, with regular trains between Warsaw and Gdańsk. In the wider destination of Soldau, Działdowo is also on the Warsaw–Gdańsk national railway trunk line, with connections to Olsztyn, and at the junction of provincial roads 544, 545 and 542. Road 544 runs between Mława and Lidzbark, road 545 leads to Nidzica, and road 542 to Ostróda. Check the current timetable and road connections for your specific journey.

Discover more destinations: Kopaniarze, Grądy, Murawki, Lidzbark, Nowa Wies, Uzdowo, Naguszewo, Rybno.

Back to the wider travel overview: Soldau.