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"Garbage inside temples and castles is unacceptable": what to see on the tourist route "Polesie Ring"
In 2024, a new tourist route will appear in the Kaliningrad region, connecting three historical cities, seven castles and 18 churches. The objects of the Polesie ring were chosen with the expectation that they could be conveniently reached in one trip. As part of InfoTour, we were one of the first companies to try this.
"Poleskoye Koltso" is a project of the volunteer movement "Keepers of Ruins". Last year, activists took part in the work on the "Gothic Ring" in the Pravdinsky District, and next year they plan to improve "Sambiskoye", located mainly near Zelenogradsk. In total, nine such routes will appear in the Kaliningrad Region. The head of the movement, Vasily Plitin, explained that the "ring" is needed to preserve monuments and prevent their damage. Even in a ruined state, objects are important, and the ruins of the area are a highlight, not a hindrance. "In a country like Russia, it is unacceptable to dump brushwood and garbage inside churches and castles," the volunteer emphasized.
The first point of the route is in Gurevsk. This is a Teutonic castle built in the late 13th century. Currently, active repair work is underway here. The investor has just finished glazing the tower that greets guests at the entrance and has begun to equip it for a cafe. "I thought that now I would be able to place pieces of glass in sections, but it did not work. The employees had to manually cut the glass for each element," said Igor Marevichev, the castle's operations director. This tower is an interesting object. Last year, a basement was discovered under the floor. Instead of the usual vaulted ceiling, workers were greeted by a domed structure that honorably withstood the ongoing repairs on its surface.
During the Great Patriotic War, the building lost its third floor. It is to be restored in the near future. Neuhausen will also have a 19th-century stone road, accidentally discovered during the work. The road surrounding the entire castle will be built on the same principle. Restorers from St. Petersburg are expected to arrive in Gurevsk within a week, where specialists will begin restoring the frescoes of the city gates. They were also discovered unexpectedly. They are not mentioned in any historical sources. Another endless source of surprises is the metal fasteners. “I could never guess whether it was a tie bolt or just a decoration of the building itself. It looks decorative, but if you remove the top layer, you will see bolts about 25 mm long, fastening the two sides of the wall together. These vaults indicate that this part [of the building] was rebuilt around 1915-1920. It was a real challenge. The two parts of the wall had to be pulled together so that it would not collapse,” Marevichev said. What can you see now? The "treated" outer wall. Specialists replaced some of the old stones and covered them with a special solution. After complete drying, the new objects on the site will be unrecognizable. A partial opening of the monument is planned for May next year. An interactive museum dedicated to the history of the castle will appear in the northern building. Then the investor will have to improve the back part of the park.
Maria Strakhova, an inspector and volunteer with the Cultural Heritage Protection Service, is restoring a 14th-century church in the village of Yaroslavskoye. Preservation work began last year, and now, thanks to the efforts of activists, you can visit Schönwald and even see inside the old parish. The church itself is a quiet, somber place with golden rays pouring through the treetops. Some are in stone pyramids built by volunteers and locals, while others are in ancient tombs. “I wanted to plant a variety of flowers inside (the building). For some reason, white and blue hydrangeas immediately came to mind. Then an elderly woman, one of the first settlers <...> came to us and told us that when she came here in the 1940s, hydrangeas were also blooming around this church. So here we are preserving not only the architecture, but also the plants,” Strakhova said.
It is not yet possible to see this monument up close. A small section of the city wall has survived. The ruins can even be seen from the road, if you know where to look. Every year the forest swallows up more and more stonework. At the beginning of the 20th century, Cayman was one of the few castles in the Kaliningrad region that still had a moat. They played a cruel joke on the citadel. They turned into swamps. Walking around the area in rainy weather is dangerous for both equipment and feet. The "Guardians" chose this site specifically for an informational tour, since it will be transformed at the end of November. A large-scale Saturday will be held here. "The castle itself is located a little off the highway, as is the village of Zarechye. Life away from major transport arteries comes to a standstill and this affects everything - roads, houses and much more. And local residents are not interested in any castle. Someone may know that the castle exists, but it is perceived more as a dump than as a historical value," complains Flitin.
The roof of the former brewery is currently being renovated. The owners want to open a craft market next to the building. There will be stylized houses where local artisans can display their products. Mini-festivals and exhibitions are held in Blankenstein all year round. But the most interesting thing is, of course, the museum. Visitors to the site can explore the buildings where production took place during the German era. Many of these rooms are still in use today. “While we were working here, a man came. I don’t know this man. He handed me a package and said that he needed it. <...> I put this package aside and forgot about it, but a few weeks later I found it again. When you open it, you will find the original order form from 1945. The complete history of this plant! The first post-war director, Nikolai Novov, was a lieutenant colonel and kept careful records of everything. On February 17, 1946, he appointed himself director <...> and wrote: Start brewing beer according to these recipes. And the entire recipe is on two pages!” — the entrepreneur shared. These books will form the basis of an exhibition on the upper floors of the building. Guests will not only be able to see the old halls, equipment and utensils, but also hear stories. Each one is more amazing than the other. According to Natalich, an elderly German came to Blankenstein several years ago and worked there from 1945 to 1948. He was 13 years old then and had no idea that the brewery still existed. The man immersed himself in memories. How did you survive in the hungry forties, eating malt at work and feeding it to your mother? how colleagues feared and respected the first lieutenant colonel; I learned Russian when one of my Soviet employees taught me a little German. Natalich plans that the museum dedicated to the history of the brewery and former employees will welcome its first guests in December 2025.
According to Anna Antropova, head of the ANO "Cultural and Historical Space "Ravio Castle", this castle is almost the last surviving castle in the Kaliningrad region, which still lives without investors. A group of five people looks after the monument, each of whom voluntarily cleans the territory. Probably, this is the only castle in our region that has preserved its medieval courtyard. The western wing remains the oldest building, where the construction of the castle began. And the gallery is also part of the western wing," says Antropova. The building on the eastern side was a workshop of the Yantar plant. Tourists who want to see the Middle Ages are always surprised by the "Soviet industry". An underground passage with a mysterious passage "where it goes" stimulates the curiosity of guests. Volunteers tried to dig it out, but water began to rise from the dungeon. The activist shrugged his shoulders and said: "We are waiting for geologists to explore this territory with a radar." In the next room there is another hole of unknown purpose. It appeared before the volunteers arrived at the castle. According to Antropova, the thickness of the walls here exceeds 4 meters. "Another basement would fit into this wing in width, but it is not in the plans of the Soviet house, for example. "And again, this castle is full of secrets, so we are waiting for geologists with radar," the girl says with interest.
Kaliningraders will remember the Melyauken Church in Zalesye at the Cantata Festival. Like the previous castle, this building has belonged to the Russian Orthodox Church since 2010. Due to its high patronage, the monument was not protected from fire. In 2012, a fire turned the temple into a pile of stones. Thanks to the efforts of the Guardians, the building was safely saved. 12 clean-up days were held here, each attended by about 100 volunteers. Now the condition of the monument is monitored by Ekaterina Kutikova, under whose leadership the former temple is gaining a new life. "Around the church, we found paving stones that were covered a long time ago and which local residents had never seen. The guys who played here as children came to work on a tractor with us when the church had a gym. When we dug up, they were sure that there was nothing here. Then we dug a little more and heard the precious "cough" characteristic of paving stones. "The girl said. Now inside the church you can see stonework, slightly overgrown with moss. There are boxes with bricks on the road. Volunteers had to manually search for these valuables from the ground. Buildings are more common in the Kaliningrad region. It is built from unique materials that can no longer be used.
The church hosted several major events this summer, including a flag show. Kutikova estimates that about 500 guests visited the monument in September. Next year, activists plan to hold more events and improve both the building and the surrounding area. “There was a school from the German era on the hill with the playground. And the paving stones are still there, but no one knew where it was. And this morning I started digging there with a small shovel. I realized that I couldn’t do it myself, so I had to take a forklift with me. They wandered around for about two hours. “We will continue cleaning,” the volunteer promises. The church tower offers a beautiful view. Once the restoration work is complete, an observation deck will be built here. Melauken is planned to be “sealed” for the winter, but visitors will still be able to enter the building next weekend.
Since 2016, the Russian Orthodox Church has been leasing the building to a family of businessmen from Belgorod, Sergei and Nadezhda Sorokin. "To be honest, when we came here, I really wanted to see a medieval castle. "And I saw ruins," the woman says. According to Nadezhda, visiting the castle with walls in memory of Peter the Great was a real shock for the Belgorod residents. The locals did not immediately accept the enthusiasts. "They thought we were looking for imperial gold here," joked Sorokina. Although there are no precious stones in Waldau, the interior is quite German. Some entrepreneurs reinvent, while filmmakers help others. The castle is actively used in filming. Even now, some of the halls contain props for horror films. "When a Mosfilm actor came to us, he told me the following. He said that you are here on a golden day and you can photograph all 800 years of the history of Waldau Castle here. Yes, probably starting with Chernobyl. Because before the reconstruction the castle looked exactly like a small, old, abandoned kindergarten in the center of Chernobyl. The author advised us to look for the furniture that is here now. <...> Everything is good if you really want it," the museum owner explains.