Schirwindt
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Kutuzovo (russian: Куту́зово; german: Schirwindt, pl, Szyrwinta, lt, Širvinta) is an abandoned rural locality (a settlement) in Krasnoznamensky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located at the eastern extreme of the oblast. It is notable for being the easternmost settlement of the old German Reich, before the region was transferred to the Soviet Union after World War II.


History

The original name of the settlement is of
Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages * Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...
origin. In 1454, the region was incorporated by King Casimir IV Jagiellon to the Kingdom of Poland upon the request of the anti-Teutonic Prussian Confederation. After the subsequent Thirteen Years' War, since 1466, it formed part of the Kingdom of Poland as a fief held by the Teutonic Order, and after 1525 held by secular Ducal Prussia. From the 18th century the settlement was part of the Kingdom of Prussia, and was granted town rights in 1725. Since 1773, it was administratively located in the Pillkallen administrative district (''Landkreis Pillkallen'') within the Gumbinnen government district ('' Regierungsbezirk Gumbinnen'') within the newly formed Province of East Prussia. Being the easternmost settlement of Prussia, it was the country's first town to see sunrise, a fact that was incorporated into its former coat of arms, which featured a Prussian eagle atop a rising sun. The coat of arms was granted by King Frederick William IV on 3 August 1846. From 1871 it was also part of Germany, also being its easternmost settlement. In the late 19th century, the town had a population of 1,376. Four annual
fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...
s and a weekly market were held in the town in the late 19th century. It remained a small border town with a toll booth and checkpoint operated on the border with Russia (namely the Russian Partition of Poland-Lithuania) and then interwar
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
, followed briefly by the Soviet Union. The Lithuanian town of Kudirkos Naumiestis (German: ''Neustadt Schirwindt'', lit. "Schirwindt New Town"; ''Naumiestis'' also means "new town" in
Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...
) lay just across the frontier. Unfortunately, being a border town, Schirwindt also stood directly in the line of fire between the German and Russian armies in both World Wars. It suffered extensive damage during the ultimately unsuccessful
Russian invasion of East Prussia The Russian invasion of East Prussia occurred during World War I, lasting from August to September 1914. As well as being the natural course for the Russian Empire to take upon the declaration of war on the German Empire, it was also an atte ...
in World War I — as did its cross-border sister city Kudirkos Naumiestis — but was quickly rebuilt under the supervision of the Königsberg architect Kurt Frick. Nevertheless, due to its remoteness, the settlement only grew slowly during the interwar years. During World War II, the Germans operated the prisoner-of-war camp for
Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
military officers and a subcamp of the Stalag I-D POW camp in the town. The town was almost completely destroyed by Red Army artillery during the East Prussian Offensive in World War II; it was the first town of pre-war Germany that was reached by Soviet infantry. In contrast to Pillkallen (
Dobrovolsk Dobrovolsk (russian: Добровольск, lit. "Voluntary Town"; german: Pillkallen (1510-1938) or ' (1938-1947); lt, Pilkalnis; pl, Pilkały) is a village in Krasnoznamensky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. It has a population of 1,6 ...
) and Goldap ( Gołdap), Schirwindt was never recaptured by the Wehrmacht. After the war, the northern part of the formed province of East Prussia was transferred to the Soviet Union. The few German inhabitants still remaining in the shelled-out town were expelled in accordance to the
Potsdam Agreement The Potsdam Agreement (german: Potsdamer Abkommen) was the agreement between three of the Allies of World War II: the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union on 1 August 1945. A product of the Potsdam Conference, it concerned th ...
, and Schirwindt was renamed Kutuzovo in honour of the Napoleonic-era Russian general Mikhail Kutuzov. The town has not been rebuilt since, and the area looks approximately the same as it did immediately after the war. The settlement was deprived of town rights. It was almost completely uninhabited, and was eventually abandoned in the 2000s. Only part of the former school has been preserved, and now functions as a barracks for border patrol guards. The foundations of the old village church (''Immanuelkirche''), designed by Friedrich August Stüler, can still be seen in the town centre.


Notable people

*
Arthur Milchhöfer Arthur Alexander Johann Milchhöfer (21 March 1852 – 7 December 1903) was a German archaeologist born in Schirwindt, East Prussia, a village in the easternmost corner of the German Reich. He specialized in studies of Greek Antiquity, and is r ...
, German archaeologist


See also

* Nemirseta, formerly ''Nimmersatt'', the northernmost settlement of the old German Reich


References

{{Authority control Defunct towns in Russia Former populated places in Kaliningrad Oblast Rural localities in Kaliningrad Oblast