FCVR+82 Slavskoye, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia
Kreuzburg Castle (Kreuzburg or Creuzburg) was a Teutonic Order castle that existed from the 13th to the 17th centuries. It was located on a hill near the village of Slavskoye in the Bagrationovsky District of the Kaliningrad Region. For a short time, it served as the residence of the Komtur, which was later moved to Brandenburg.
The Order founded its castle on the site of a Prussian fortress of the Solid family, taken by Duke Otto of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1240. Located 30 km inland from Balga, Kreuzburg stood on the May River (Pasmar). The site was surrounded on three sides by streams, and the promontory extended into a deep ravine. Access to the castle was only possible from the south. On this side, two deep moats (20-25 meters) were dug and two high ramparts (up to 10 meters) were built, reinforced with a wooden palisade with gate towers. Behind them stood the outer bailey, separated from the castle by another line of fortifications. The castle was named Kreuzburg (Castle of the Cross) in honor of the Order’s castle lost during the expulsion of the Teutonic Order from Burzenland in 1225.
During the First Prussian Uprising, the castle was burned down by the Prussians in 1243. It was rebuilt in 1253. The castle site was leveled with a slope to prevent rainwater stagnation, and the courtyard was paved with fieldstones. Wooden blockhouses were built for the garrison. The castle now had two outer baileys: one to the south, separated from the castle by a moat, and the second to the east, beyond the ravine. A settlement soon appeared near the castle.
In 1260, Kreuzburg was besieged by the Natangians. The Prussians managed to capture the eastern outer bailey, but attempts to capitalize on this success failed, forcing them to proceed with a systematic siege. The besiegers blocked the castle with three fortified camps: the first on a hill where the churchyard later stood, the second on the site of the burned outer bailey, and the third on the southern side, where the future town pasture would be. They installed three stone throwers and bombarded the castle intensively. The Order’s garrison repelled all storming attempts, and the knights made several sorties. The siege dragged on but was so tight that supplying the castle and maintaining communication with Balga became impossible. In 1263, the besieged ran out of food, and famine began, worsened by the fact that local Christians had taken refuge in the castle alongside the garrison. They had to eat animal hides. Losing hope for relief, the defenders secretly left the castle at night, retreating through the ravine. Discovering in the morning that the fortress was abandoned, the Prussians organized a pursuit. The retreating garrison was caught and almost completely wiped out. Only two Order brothers survived, managing to break through to Balga.
The Order knight Rudevich was appointed responsible for the castle’s restoration (Pfleger), which began in 1274. In 1275, the castle was rebuilt in its former form. For a short time, Kreuzburg became the residence of the Komtur, which was moved to Brandenburg in 1277. After 1309, the castle was rebuilt from brick on a stone foundation. According to the terrain, the castle’s foundation had the shape of an irregular rhombus. The facade with the gates faced south. On the west side was a building consisting of three parts. The wall thickness near the foundation on this side reached 2 meters. Next was a semicircular tower. Then stretched a building that presumably had a covered gallery facing the courtyard. On the north side was a wing. On its outer side adjoined a large quadrangular tower, whose walls at the foundation were 2.5 meters thick. On the east side, the castle was closed by a 22-meter-long wing housing the kitchen. To the south, the wing adjoined the gate tower. The castle housed the chapel of Saint Leonard. The total length of the castle from south to north was about 75 meters, from west to east about 45 meters. The outer bailey south of the castle had a retaining wall made of boulders. The outer bailey itself was surrounded by a strong wall, with gates in the southern part. In the southeast corner, there was possibly a tower (a large number of boulders remain). It contained residential and utility buildings. A settlement — a “lischke” — again formed near the castle, which on January 21, 1315, received town rights from the Order marshal Heinrich von Plötzke. From 1325, the castle was the administrative center of the Kreuzburg Kameramt of the Brandenburg Komturship. In 1421, the Kameramt controlled a district with 700 hides of arable land. Taxes from mills and taverns amounted to 950 marks. The castle itself owned an Order estate of 10 hides, as well as the estate of Kusitten with 10 hides of land.
At the very beginning of the Thirteen Years’ War, the castle was captured by the forces of the Prussian Confederation, but by 1455 it returned to the Order’s hands. According to the Second Peace of Thorn in 1466, Kreuzburg remained with the Order. However, due to lack of funds, the Order was forced to pawn the town and castle for 2383 marks to the leaders of mercenary troops Anselm Tettau and Michael Greising. Bishop Johann of Riesenburg redeemed the pledge in 1497. After Johann’s death in 1505, Kreuzburg passed to his successor, Bishop Jobst von Donnebeck. In 1520, during the Polish-Teutonic War, the castle was stormed by the Poles. After secularization in 1525, Kreuzburg was repeatedly pawned. In 1565, Duke Albrecht gifted the town and castle to his favorite Paul Skalich, who called himself the “sovereign prince of Kreuzburg.” By this time, due to lack of proper maintenance, the castle had greatly deteriorated and was being dismantled for building materials. After Skalich, Kreuzburg was owned by Kaspar von Fazolt, Albrecht Truchses von Wetzhausen, and Melchior von Kreytzen. In 1585, the pledge was redeemed. Since then, the town and the castle ruins belonged to the state.
In the 17th century, the castle continued to be dismantled for building materials. Only part of the southern wall, remains of the western wall, and foundations survived. Based on these fragments, Lieutenant Giese drew a plan of the castle, which has not survived to the present day. In 1881, mill owner Reichermann organized excavations at the castle site, resulting in a castle plan and the discovery of several cellars. Two layers of cobblestone courtyard pavement were also found. In the 20th century, the castle hill and outer bailey were used as a recreational area: benches were placed above the cliff, offering a beautiful view of the river.
During World War II, fierce battles were fought in this area in 1945, and the town of Kreuzburg was heavily destroyed. After the war, the town was never rebuilt; a state farm was established on its territory, and the settlement was renamed Slavskoye. As of 2001, a fragment of the defensive wall surrounded by trees and bushes remained on the former castle grounds. Its dimensions are: 8 meters long, 1.5 meters wide, and up to 4 meters high. Foundations are visible around the perimeter. The castle hill has partially eroded, and its shape has significantly changed. A cemetery was established in the outer bailey area, and in the southeast corner, at the presumed tower site, a large number of fieldstones were found.
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