the First Partition of Poland in 1772, and administered in the Province of East Prussia the following year. It became part of the German Empire in 1871 during the Prussian-led unification of Germany. During the 19th and 20th centuries the castle lost some of its Gothic and Baroque features, and in 1870 its eastern and southern wings were demolished after extensive deterioration. The remainder of the castle was used as administrative offices for Prussian officials. From 1920-31 the western wing was renovated so the castle could be used as a school and museum. In 1945, near the end of World War II, Mehlsack, including its castle, was ninety per cent destroyed by fighting and was conquered by the Soviet Red Army. The town was placed under Polish administration under border changes demanded by the Soviet Union at the postwar Potsdam Conference. Most of the remaining German-speaking residents were expelled and replaced with Poles, many of whom had themselves been expelled from Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union. The town was renamed from Mehlsack to Pieniężno after Seweryn Pieniężny (1890-1940), an editor for the Polish-language newspaper Gazeta Olsztyńska in Olsztyn, imprisoned and murdered by the Germans during World War II. References External links Municipal website Cities and towns in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship Braniewo County Castles of the Teutonic Knights