Insterburg Castle: description, history, interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

Insterburg Castle is located in the Kaliningrad region. The city of Chernyakhiv, in addition to the castle, will offer the curious tourist two old churches, an old water tower and the opportunity to feel the well-preserved German architecture.

Description

Insterburg Castle (Kaliningrad) is one of the most ancient structures located in the region. The construction dates back to the 14th century, the wooden fortress began to be built in 1336 for the needs of the Teutonic Order, the master of which at that time was Dietrich von Altenburg. The wooden castle was eventually replaced by a stone building.

Insterburg Castle belongs to defensive structures, a moat filled with water was dug around it for better defensive ability. A constant flow of water was provided by fortifications, where the resources of two small streams were directed. The construction was carried out by the forces of the captured Prussians under the leadership of the Order.

In what year the wooden building was replaced by a stone one, history is silent, it is known for certain that the castle was ruined twice. The first time this happened in 1376, when the walls of the castle fell under the pressure of the army of the Lithuanian princeSverdeyka. The second time the fortress was destroyed and burned almost a hundred years later, in 1457, during the period of hostilities between the cities of Prussia. The walls fell and were built again, but the foundation, built of wild large stone, remained intact, and today it has been preserved in almost its original form.

Purpose

What is Insterburg Castle in its original purpose? First of all, this is a defensive structure built to protect the conquered territories from Lithuanian raids. In addition to military purposes, it served as a place of joint residence for the soldiers of the Teutonic Order, called to serve to protect the borders and conduct military operations to capture new territories.

Architecture

Insterburg Castle is a complex of structures consisting of two main parts: the citadel and the forburg. Members of the order lived in the citadel. The building has the shape of a closed square with a height of two floors. Traditionally, the walls are thick, without any decorations and window openings. The inner part of the citadel is a courtyard with a well. The foundation and the basement of the bastion are made of wild stone of rough processing, the walls were repeatedly erected from unbaked bricks. At the level of the basement of the citadel, narrow loopholes were provided to hold the defense. It was possible to supervise the area and resist the enemy by climbing the wall, where a circular passage (vergang) was laid. The combat supervisory circle was covered with a steep gable roof. A single door led to the citadel, located in the westernwing.

The elongated space of the forburg was protected by thick walls, repeating the topography of the hilltop. In this part of the castle complex there was a gathering of troops. It was possible to get into the premises of the forburg from the first floor, the entrances were from the side of the citadel. Above the first floor were the cells of the brothers, connected by an internal passage. The meeting rooms and chapel were located in the two northern buildings and were two stories high.

Castle towers

To strengthen the defense, the forburg was equipped with towers that performed sentinel and combat functions. In addition, they were equipped with prison cells, and in the basement of one of them there were dungeons. In a critical situation, the soldiers could get out through the underground passage. It led from the north tower, ran under the moat and led the fugitives to the river.

The total number of the garrison was about two hundred people. The northeastern tower of the forburg had an octagonal shape, now only the foundation remains of it. The northwestern tower is called Pineturm, it was round, suffered significant damage during the Second World War, and was dismantled in the 70s, like almost the entire Insterburg castle. History claims that this tower had a striking clock and a large bell. Another - southeast - tower was the largest, its architecture included a drawbridge and the main gate leading into the complex.

The castle was gradually destroyed: in 1684, the inhabitants saw it in all its splendor, and already in the 19th century only one tower remained intact, the walls weredestroyed.

Kings and riggers

During its history, Insterburg (castle) became a haven for roy alty and European nobility. So, in 1704, the noble Pole Czartoryski and his family were hiding within its walls. In the 17th century, it was often visited by members of the current royal dynasty, Queen of Sweden Maria Eleonora lived in the castle for a long time, which served as a rapid growth of urban infrastructure and economy.

In the following years, the royal veil faded from the corridors, and Insterburg Castle became a place for more mundane uses. For two centuries (18th and 19th), military warehouses, court and land courts were located on the territory of the complex, during the war with Napoleon - an infirmary and barracks. With each new appointment of the complex, the Insterburg castle was rebuilt, overgrown with outbuildings. In the middle of the 19th century, the walls, the foundation and the Pineturm tower with a whole clock remained intact from their former grandeur. By the end of the century, as researchers admit, the defensive walls were dismantled as unnecessary.

Insterburg (castle) after World War I was run by two institutions. The local history museum was opened in the citadel, the forburg was occupied by the land court. During the fighting, in 1945, the complex was damaged by fire and storm. In the post-war period, a military garrison was placed in the surviving premises, and in 1949 a fire broke out in the citadel. As a result, the outer walls survived, the interior, the roof and ceilings burned out completely. This was the beginning of the analysisforburg, bricks were exported to Lithuania to restore infrastructure. In the 50s, the remaining buildings and territory were transferred to the balance of RSU No. 1. The next transfer of the castle complex took place in 2010, Insterburg Castle is now under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Community "Castle House"

In 1997, a group of enthusiasts came to Insterburg Castle. The history of the castle was continued and hoped for a revival. Since 1999, the organization has acquired the status of a non-profit society "Dom-Castle". A lot of work was carried out, so, in 2003, the NGO received the official opportunity to be the sole user of the historical monument.

In 2006, thanks to the efforts of the organization's members, the castle complex was included in the federal program for the protection of historical heritage "Culture of Russia". The funds allocated under the program made it possible to carry out conservation work, carry out a number of scientific studies, draw up design and estimate documentation for the restoration of the monument.

Activities

Participation in the federal program was terminated due to the transfer of the castle to a new owner. During the activity of the “Castle House” organization, the following has been done and continues to function to preserve and popularize the history of Insterburg Castle:

• Visitor center with information services.
• Educational playground for kids.
• Applied craft workshops and cultural studies center.
• Museum local history exposition. Materials on the development of the city were presented, a diorama of the Gross-Jägersdorf battle was built.
• Historical laboratory is constantly operating.
• Art gallery and meeting pavilion.

Community "Dom-Castle" conducts a series of international projects aimed at solving educational and cultural problems. But above all, community members strive to preserve and restore the Teutonic castle, bit by bit collect information about the order and material evidence of its stay in the castle. In the wake of their research, they organize scientific and practical conferences, seminars that attract young people to the Insterburg castle.

Modernity

Today, the Insterburg castle complex is in a mothballed state. Restoration work is not carried out, but what has been preserved is not destroyed. Visitors can appreciate the size of the buildings from the preserved walls of the citadel, some reaching their original height.

The surviving outbuildings in the southern part of the complex are in satisfactory condition. You won’t be able to wander through the halls of a medieval castle, they simply don’t exist. But here you can see paved roads, mentally build towers on the sites of the surviving foundation, hear many stories about the Teutonic Order, get acquainted with the work of the Castle House community.