Amidst picturesque lakes and forests, on the bend of three rivers, shines the Polish city of Olsztyn, whose medieval street network has survived to this day, with most of the houses having an ancient foundation. Some years before the foundation of the city in the 14th century, the construction of the mighty Olsztyn Castle began. A few years later, they started building its main shrine, the Olsztyn Cathedral, or St. Jacob’s Cathedral. Wars and outbreaks of plague destroyed the beautiful city on numerous occasions. However, neither of them managed to destroy the majestic landmarks of medieval architecture, which still adorn the developing city. And if the Olsztyn Castle has long lost its defensive value, St. Jacob’s Cathedral still holds religious services, as in the second half of the 14th century. Back then, the construction of the temple took more than half a century until the magnificent Gothic cathedral opened its doors. Later, the wooden part of the spire was replaced, and at the beginning of the 18th century, it acquired the side chapels thanks to the architect Piotr Olchowski of Reszel. Despite the Napoleonic Wars and fires that nearly destroyed the Olsztyn shrine, majestic St. Jacob’s Cathedral has preserved its walls for future generations, which, unfortunately, can’t be said about its interior. Only a few shrines have survived since that time: a triptych and a wall repository of holy gifts with a wrought-iron Gothic lattice, as well as Renaissance candlesticks. More items survived from the Baroque period: carved figurines of the Apostles St. Andrew and St. James, a huge crucifix, a font basin, and an icon of Our Lady of the Rosary. The temple’s main relic is the altar in the right nave, a real medieval artwork. Besides, here you can see ancient organs by the famous organ master Terletski from Konigsberg.