A touch of antiquity is one of the types of tourism that is popular all over the world. Travelers are ready to fly half the world to see the ancient castles of France, England, Scotland and Germany. Many of these structures are over 800 years old, and some are still inhabited by the descendants of great knights.
Waldau Castle, built once by two Prussian princes who received land as a gift from the Teutonic Order, still impresses with its age and size.
Castles of the Teutonic Order
The Teutonic Order originates in Palestine during the next crusade in 1198, when two orders were organized - the Swordbearers and the Knights of the Black Cross of the Virgin Mary. Their unity took place in 1237. Its representatives had to depend on the mercy of the owners of the land. For example, they were expelled from Hungary in 1225, and already through the city of wanderings they received an invitation from the Polish prince Konrad, who entrusted them with part of his lands for 20 years in order to bring pagan Prussia to Christianity at that time.
Thus began the conquest of the Prussian and B altic peoples. The power of the order grew, as did the number of lands conquered by it. Toto gain a foothold in new territories, the Teutons began to build castles at a distance of 20 km from each other. Just such a forced march could be made by foot soldiers in full ammunition in 1 day.
Such defensive fortresses were built almost throughout the entire Prussian land, one of the last was the Waldau Castle, built near the border with Lithuania. It happened in 1264.
History of the castle
It so happened that the construction of a new fortress was entrusted to two Prussian nobles who betrayed their people and paganism. They converted to Christianity and joined the order. For the fact that they remained faithful to him during the years of trials, the Grand Master gave them the land, together with the serfs who lived on it, for perpetual use for the construction of the castle. Brulant and Diabel, as the Prussian princes were called, initially laid down an intermediate fortress near the inn, gradually strengthening its walls and erecting towers.
The structure served as a haven for travelers, merchants, knights and brothers of the order. On occasion, the inhabitants of nearby villages could hide in the fortress. Waldau Castle lost its strategic importance by 1457, when the Lithuanian border moved away, and it was rebuilt for the first time.
After the alteration of the inner chambers and premises, the building became the residence of the Grand Master, in which he lived in the summer. After the reforms carried out in 1525, the administration of the Valdovskaya volost took over the castle.
Castle after 1500
The original appearance of the fortress differs significantly from what the traveler can seetoday. You can judge this by visiting the Waldau Castle Museum (Kaliningrad), where a model of the ancient citadel is exhibited.
Previously there was a large square courtyard surrounded by thick thick walls with towers protruding from them. The buildings included in the complex were divided into rooms that housed household services and living rooms for noble persons.
Along the south wall were the stables, stores of weapons and supplies, quarters for servants and a kitchen. Later, a brewery and a bakery were organized there. The northern part of the castle served as its only entrance. Since it was built on an island in the middle of an artificial lake, it was possible to enter it only by a drawbridge through a powerful gate. The northern building housed a guardhouse and a prison.
After restructuring in 1525, the old walls of the fortress and towers began to be dismantled one after another, and the main building was gradually turned into a castle, which became the summer residence of the order, and after its dissolution passed into the possession of the ducal domain.
In 1697, Peter the Great visited Waldau Castle as part of the Russian embassy, as evidenced by the chronicles of that time and a memorial cross. In the 18th century, the former fortress was rented out by the Prussian government, and an agricultural academy was located there, which, in turn, was reorganized into a seminary in 1870, where teachers for public schools were trained.
Waldau after World War II
Today Waldau Castle (Kaliningrad), a photo of which can be found in all travel brochurescity, looks the same as in the time of Peter 1. Due to the fact that various educational institutions have been located in it for the last 150 years, it has been well preserved, which cannot be said about other fortresses of the Teutonic Order.
He endured well both the First and Second World Wars, and from 1945 until 2007, an agricultural school was located here, the left wing of which was given over to a hostel.
Castle today
In 2014, the 750th anniversary of the building was solemnly celebrated, thanks to which the Waldau Castle was transformed anew. Its territory was cleared, the park was put in order, and two three-story outbuildings found new owners. One houses the Russian Patriarchal Church, and the other houses the Waldau Castle Museum, which has the most enthusiastic reviews.
Today the castle has been awarded the title of a monument of cultural heritage of the regional level. It was included in the tour programs in Kaliningrad and the region.
Castle Museum
Waldau Castle offers its guests expositions located in four rooms on the last floor of the ancient building. The first contains exhibits lovingly crafted from wood by the director of the museum and his students - these are figurines representing peasants and soldiers of that era.
The second room exhibits household items and decorations of the Prussian people from the time of paganism to the conquest by the Templars.
Third room is history, military armor and weapons of the Knights Templar since the construction of the fortress.
Most of the exposition is archaeological finds carried out on the territory of the castle. On the walls are portraits of several generations of the owners of the fortress, starting with its founders. Here you can also see 2 layouts of the fortress - its original appearance and the view after conversion into a castle.
The fourth room is dedicated to the visit of the castle by Peter the Great, the period of the Napoleonic, First and Second World Wars. The museum is especially proud of items that belonged to the German poet Maximilian von Schenkendorf, who lived here in 1805.
On the territory of the Kaliningrad region there are 2 dozen Teutonic fortresses, however, most of them are picturesque ruins. To a certain extent, this is an occasion to visit the preserved Waldau castle. How to get there? It's very simple - just take a fixed-route taxi No. 110 Kaliningrad - Ushakovo, which runs every hour from 6 am to 9 pm. Stop in the village of Nizovye, from where it is easy to walk to the object we are considering.
