The first records of the town come from the year 1198, although discoveries have been made here from the period of Roman influence. It received its city charter from Sambor II in 1260, only to fall under the rule of the Teutonic Knights for 150 years in 1308. It returned to Poland in 1466, survived a destructive fire in 1577 and fell into Prussian hands as a result of the first partition. After World War I, it became an important transshipment point for the resurrected Poland. During the inter-war period, it was also the home of the country’s first Maritime School. Today, visitors to Tczew can find here the Museum of the Vistula River, as well as a gothic parish church and a slightly younger post-Dominican church. The city is quite attractive with its 19th century structures, such as the Dutch windmill and its two bridges crossing the Vistula.