The Castle of Insterburg is located in Kaliningradregion. The city of Chernyakhov, in addition to the castle, will offer the curious tourist two old churches, an old water tower and the opportunity to imbue with well-preserved German architecture.
Castle Insterburg (Kaliningrad) - one of the mostancient structures located on the territory of the region. The building dates from the 14th century, a wooden fortress was 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 structure.
The Castle of Insterburg refers to the protectivestructures, around it, for a better defensive ability, a ditch filled with water was dug. The constant flow of water was provided by fortifications, where the resources of two small streams were directed. The construction was conducted by the forces of Prussian captives under the leadership of the Order.
In which year the wooden structure was replacedon the stone, history is silent, it is for certain known that the castle was twice ruined. The first time it happened in 1376, when the walls of the castle fell under the pressure of the army of the Lithuanian prince Sverdeyk. The second time the fortress was destroyed and burned in a hundred years, in 1457, during the military operations between the cities of Prussia. The walls fell and erected again, and the foundation, composed of wild large stone, remained unscathed, it is still preserved in almost original form.
What is the Castle of Insterburg in its originalappointment? First of all, this is a defensive structure built to protect the conquered territories from the raids of Lithuanians. In addition to military purposes, it served as a place for joint living of the soldiers of the Teutonic Order, called to the service to protect the borders and conduct military operations to seize new territories.
Castle Insterburg is a complex of buildings,It consists of two main parts: the citadel and the Vorburgh. The citadel was inhabited by members of the Order. The structure has the form of a closed square with a height of two floors. Traditionally, the walls are thick, without any ornaments 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 rough stone of rough processing, the walls were repeatedly erected from unfired bricks. At the level of the basement of the citadel, narrow loopholes were provided for retaining defense. To conduct surveillance of the terrain and to resist the enemy could be climbed on the wall, where a circular motion (vergang) was laid. The fighting supervisory circle was covered with a steep gable roof. The only door to the citadel was located in the west wing.
Extruded forburg space was protectedthick walls, repeating the topography of the top of the hill. In this part of the castle complex there was a collection of troops. It was possible to get into the premises of the forburg from the first floor, the entrances were on the side of the citadel. Above the first floor were the cells of the brothers, connected by an internal passage. The meeting rooms and the chapel were located in two northern buildings and were two-story buildings.
To strengthen the defense, forburgh was equipped with towers,who performed sentinel and combat functions. In addition, they were equipped with prison cells, and in the basement of one of them were dungeons. In a critical situation, the soldiers could get out through the underground passage. He led from the northern tower, ran under the fortress moat and led the fugitives to the river.
The total strength of the garrison was abouttwo hundred people. The north-eastern forburg tower had octagonal outlines, now only the foundation remains of it. The northwestern tower is called Painturm, it was round, it suffered considerable destruction during the Second World War, and in the 70s was dismantled, like almost the entire Castle of Insterburg. History claims that this tower had a clock with a fight and a large bell. Another - the southeast - the tower was the largest, its architecture included a lifting bridge and the main gate that led into the complex.
The castle was destroyed gradually: in 1684 the inhabitants saw it in all its splendor, and already in the 19th century the whole remained only one tower, the walls were destroyed.
In its history, Insterburg (castle) becameshelter for persons of royal blood and European nobility. So, in 1704, the great Pole Czartoryski and his family were hiding in his walls. In the 17th century, members of the royal dynasty often visited it, for a long time the Queen of Sweden Maria Eleonora lived in the castle, which served as a rapid growth of urban infrastructure and economy.
In the following years, the royal fleur has disappeared fromcorridors, and the Castle of Insterburg became a place for more mundane use. For two centuries (18 and 19) on the territory of the complex were located military warehouses, court and land courts, during the war with Napoleon - the infirmary and barracks. With each new appointment of the complex, the Castle Insterburg was rebuilt, overgrown with economic buildings. In the middle of the 19th century, from the former greatness, the walls, the foundation and the tower of Painturm remained intact for a whole hour. By the end of the century, as the researchers admit, the defensive walls were dismantled as unnecessary.
Insterburg (castle) after the First World War wasrun by two institutions. In the citadel the museum of local lore was opened, forburgh occupied the land court. During the fighting, in 1945, the complex was damaged by fire and assault. In the postwar period, a military garrison was stationed in the surviving buildings, and in 1949 a fire broke out in the citadel. As a result, external walls survived, interior rooms, roof and floors completely burned out. This was the beginning of the analysis of forburg, the bricks were exported to restore infrastructure to Lithuania. In the 1950s, the remaining structures and territory were transferred to the DCS No. 1 balance. The next transfer of the castle complex took place in 2010, the Insterburg castle is now under the jurisdiction of the ROC.
In 1997, a group of enthusiasts came to the castleInsterburg. The history of the castle received a continuation and hope for a revival. Since 1999, the organization has acquired the status of a non-profit society "House-Castle". A lot of work was done, so, in 2003, the NGO received the official opportunity to be the only user of the historical monument.
In 2006, thanks to the efforts of the organization's participantsThe castle complex was included in the federal program for the protection of the historical heritage "Culture of Russia". The funds allocated within the framework of the program made it possible to carry out conservation work, make a number of scientific studies, draw up project and estimate documentation for the restoration of the monument.
Participation in the federal program ended inconnection with the transfer of the castle to the new owner. During the activity of the organization "House-Castle" for the preservation and popularization of the history of Castle Insterburg, the following is done and continues to function:
Community "House-Castle" is conducting a seriesinternational projects aimed at the solution of educational and cultural problems. But first of all members of the community are striving for the preservation and restoration of the Teutonic castle, collecting information about the order and material evidence of his stay in the castle. In the footsteps of their research, scientific and practical conferences and seminars are organized, which attract young people to the Castle of Insterburg.
To date, the complex of the Castle Insterburgis in a canned condition. Restorative work is not carried out, but what remains is not destroyed. Visitors can estimate the size of buildings on the surviving walls of the citadel, some reach their original height.
In satisfactory condition arepreserved farm buildings in the southern part of the complex. Wander through the halls of the medieval castle will not succeed, they simply do not remain. But here you can see the paved roads, mentally build the towers on the ground of the surviving basement, hear many stories about the Teutonic Order, get acquainted with the work of the "House-Castle" community.
