XIX. From the second half of the 13th century, the area occupied by residential buildings decreased. This was due to the fact that the population was moved from the outskirts to the newly emerging town on the other side of both rivers. Houses began to be built on the gord – first in the half-timbered and then half-timbered technique. The distinctive representative building had a chamber with a heating stove and a mosaic floor. At the end of the 13th century, wooden roads were replaced with paved roads. A gate, located in the north-western part of the settlement, led to the gord. It probably functioned until the end of the 14th century. Under this century, a residential tower was erected. There were a few half-timbered houses around. On the eastern side, some distance from the tower, there was a forge. In the 15th century, a drawbridge probably led to the gord from the west.
Joannites and Teutonic Knights in Santok
In the history of Santok, the first half of the 15th century abounded in a wealth of political events, the main characters of which were two orders of knights: the Knights of St. John and the Teutonic Knights. At the same time, Poles and Brandenburgers also claimed Santok.
In 1397, the Joannites bought a castle in the area of the former gord in Santok (called Stary Santok) and managed it until the 1570s – with a break from 1447 to 1457, when it was ruled by the Brandenburg margraves. The order is credited with building a residential tower. The Santok gord was a source of customs revenue for the Knights of St. John and was an important communication hub between New March (commandory in Chwarszczany) and the Torzym Land (commander in Lubawa in Łagów).
