Waldau Castle in Nizovje

In Nizovye, a former castle belonging to the Order can still be found some distance from the main road from present-day Kaliningrad in the direction of Černiakhovsk. During the second Prussian rebellion the local nobility of Johannes Brulant and Conrad Diabellus, who served the Order, received these lands together with the Magdeburg Law in 1264. However, at the end of the 13th century these noble families died out, and the castle passed on to the Order. At the beginning of the 14th century, it was decided to establish the Königsberg commandery and fortify the castle.

During Lithuanian raids, the Waldau, as well as other castles like Schaaken, covered Konigsberg from the east. During the periodic campaigns against Lithuania in the 14th century the castle was used by the Grand Marshal of the Order and several times by the Grandmaster.

In 1525, the castle was acquired by Duke Albrecht of Brandenburg as a manor after the Reformation and became a folk farm. In 1550, the inner rooms were rebuilt for the duke’s second wife Anne-Marie. The castle passed from one family to another several times between the 16th and 19th centuries. The castle became the seat of the Agricultural Academy in 1858 and existed until 1870. After the academy had been moved to Königsberg, the building was used as a gymnasium until 1945. The former castle of the Order continued this tradition in the late 1940s with the establishment of the Central High School and a dormitory for students.

D. I. Veber

Photos

Waldau castle

Waldau castle

Tags: castles and fortresses, 16 century