Kaliningrad: Churches Preserved or Restored

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In the territory of East Prussia, stone churches first appeared in the second half of the 13th century, when the Teutonic Order founded the churches of Steindamm in 1256, Pörschken in 1261, Juditten in 1288, and some others. From the beginning of the 14th century, the widespread establishment of German towns and the construction of Catholic churches began in these lands, continuing until the defeat of the Teutonic Order in 1410. After that, the construction of churches slowed down, but from the mid-19th century it "revived" again and continued until the beginning of World War II. Many churches were seriously damaged during the First and Second World Wars. After the war, most churches were repurposed for economic needs, clubs, etc. Many were not used at all and gradually deteriorated due to natural forces and local residents dismantling the temples for building materials. Some churches were demolished to free up space for residential construction. In the 1980s–1990s, when attitudes toward the pre-war past of the region changed, conservation and restoration of some churches began (such as Arnau or Mühlhausen), with their transfer to the Russian Orthodox Church and Protestant communities. It is worth noting that often the conservation or restoration of churches was funded by former German residents of this region.

Jermaine