Groß Wonsdorf Castle (Burg Groß Wohnsdorf) was a 13th-century Teutonic Order castle located in the settlement of the same name (now the village of Kurortnoye, Kaliningrad Oblast). It was dismantled and never restored after a fire in 1830.

After the conquest of Sambia (Samland) and the founding of Königsberg Castle in 1255, the area around the mouth of the Alle River into the Pregel was seized. Burkhard von Hornhausen, appointed Komtur of Königsberg in 1256, began advancing southward along the Alle. His guide was Tirsko, a Prussian who had converted to Christianity. Thanks to his good knowledge of the terrain, he unexpectedly led the Order’s detachment into the land of Unzatrapis. During a swift strike, the Teutonic knights captured several Prussian fortresses. In this same campaign, they approached the well-defended fortress of Kapostete, located on a high bank at a sharp bend of the river. After a short siege, it was stormed and burned. The new campaign of the Königsberg Komtur to the eastern border of Natangia aimed to capture the remaining Prussian fortresses, Gundov, Angetete, and Unzatrapis. These three fortresses surrendered to the Order without a fight. The Order’s task was now to defend the conquered lands from neighbors—the Nadrovians, Skalvians, and Lithuanians. To this end, castles were founded: Allenburg on the left bank of the Alle River, and Groß Wonsdorf on the right.

Groß Wonsdorf was built on the site of the Prussian fortress Kapostete (Kaposhtete). Its purpose was to serve as a bridgehead on the right bank and to guard the ford located there. The ramparts were reinforced and repaired, a moat was dug, and a wooden palisade with towers was constructed. Inside this earthen castle, wooden buildings were erected for the garrison and for economic needs. The castle was protected on the east by the river, and on the west by a stream, on which a dam and a mill were built. By raising the water level in the stream, they flooded the southern side of the ravine, which served as a moat.

It is known that in 1319, Groß Wonsdorf was besieged by Lithuanian troops under the command of the Grodno commandant. The attack was unexpected for the garrison, and soon the castle was taken. A year later, the castle was restored to its former state, but was again captured and burned by the Lithuanians in 1347, after which a decision was made to rebuild the fortifications in stone. In 1348, Groß Wonsdorf became the center of a Kammeramt subordinated to the Komtur of Insterburg. Construction of the stone castle began in 1356 and was completed around 1372. In 1391, Groß Wonsdorf was rebuilt again.

In 1450, the castle was visited by Ludwig von Erlichshausen, Grand Master of the Teutonic Order.

Soon after the end of the Thirteen Years’ War, in 1468, due to lack of funds, the Order transferred the castle to Hans von Weyr. In 1525, Duke Albrecht declared the secularization of the Teutonic Order and granted the castle as a fief to Edelmann Heyno von Döberitz. In 1552, the castle passed to Andreas von Flanss. In 1590, a major reconstruction was carried out.

From 1688 or 1702, the castle became part of the estate of the von Schrötter family. Friedrich Leopold von Schrötter, future minister of the Prussian provinces and member of the State Council, spent his childhood there. Immanuel Kant, a friend of the family, often visited the castle.

In 1790, a fire broke out in the castle. The restoration was undertaken by the talented architect Friedrich Gilly, son of the famous David Gilly. As a result of the restoration, the tower acquired a cornice, made as a wreath imitating ancient masters, and a curved roof. The tower retained this appearance until 1945. In 1830, a more serious fire occurred, after which the castle was not restored and was dismantled for building materials. Of all the buildings, only the gate tower, built in 1356, survived. It served as a residence during the youth of Baron Friedrich Leopold von Schrötter, the future state minister and Oberpräsident. The tower still had a well-functioning heating system consisting of an iron base stove and heat conduits. Often, young Friedrich, his father, and their close friend and famous guest Immanuel Kant would sit on the terrace in front of the tower. Over pipe and coffee, they held long philosophical conversations.

It is enough to quote excerpts from the book Immanuel Kant in Letters to a Friend, published in 1804. Jahmann wrote in the 13th letter: “I know of only one house, located several miles from Königsberg, which our world-wise sage often visited for several days and where he felt completely happy—in his own taste. This was the parental home of Minister and Chancellor von Schrötter in Wonsdorf. Kant never tired of praising the humanity that reigned in this friend’s house, and the heartfelt friendship with which this remarkable man always received him, and to whom he maintained great respect until old age. His friend and host never limited Kant in anything, giving him the opportunity to feel completely at home and enjoy the most pleasant rural rest.”

Enthusiasts—history lovers and/or admirers of Immanuel Kant—are trying to save the tower from complete destruction. In 2007, the tower was granted the status of a regional heritage monument. In 2009, an international youth camp was held on the castle grounds for landscaping, and an informational plaque was installed, which still hangs there today.

Sources:

https://kenigo.ru/galereya/zamok-gross-vonsdorf/

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Замок_Гросс_Вонсдорф

https://apb-to.jimdofree.com/тевтонский-орден/гросс-вонсдорф-gross-wonsdorf/