Ratshof and the Pregel River from the south. View of the Pregel from the west. Ratshof is in the lower left, Contienen in the lower right, and the 1920s-era docks are the upper right Ratshof or Rathshof was a suburban quarter of western

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Its territory is now part of the Tsentralny District of

Kaliningrad Kaliningrad,. known as Königsberg; ; . until 1946, is the largest city and administrative centre of Kaliningrad Oblast, an Enclave and exclave, exclave of Russia between Lithuania and Poland ( west of the bulk of Russia), located on the Prego ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

History

Public baths along the pond Hammerteich. The estate Propsthof, in the broad

Hufen Hufen was a broad region along northwestern Königsberg, Germany, which developed into the quarters of Ratshof, Amalienau, Mittelhufen, and Vorderhufen. The territory is now part of the Tsentralny District, Kaliningrad, Tsentralny District of Kalin ...

region between

Altstadt ''Altstadt'' () is the German language word for "old town", and generally refers to the historical town or city centre within the old town or city wall, in contrast to younger suburbs outside. '' Neustadt'' (new town), the logical opposite of ...

and Lawsken, was established by the

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

. In 1533 Altstadt Church sold Propsthof to the Altstadt councilor Bernhard Betner. The estate was subsequently known as Ratshubenhof and then Ratshof; it is unknown if it was renamed in honor of Betner himself or the Altstadt town council (''Rat'').Gause I, p. 232 It was also known as ''Altstädtischer Ratshof'' to differentiate it from ''Kneiphöfischer Ratshof'' near

Rosenau Rosenau may refer to various places in Europe: *in Austria: **Rosenau am Hengstpaß, Upper Austria **a hamlet near Seewalchen am Attersee, Upper Austria **the boroughs ''Rosenau Markt'' and ''Rosenau Schloss'' in Zwettl, Lower Austria **Schloss Ros ...

in southern Königsberg. In 1586 Ratshof was owned by Urban Rodemann. Over centuries Ratshof functioned as an iron forge, a farming estate, an upper class establishment, and a children's nursing facility.Albinus, p. 253 Also in the vicinity were the Hammerteich pond and the beloved Hammerkrug inn. In 1806 the estate was acquired by the bailiff Wendland of Kaporn, who expanded it with land from the nearby Wilky forest and converted Ratshof into a large estate in 1817. From 1843 to 1883 it was owned by the Batocki family.Gause II, p. 404 In 1849 the Hammerkrug inn was purchased by councilor Tortilowicz von Batocki-Friebe. At the end of the 19th century, Allgemeine-Wohnungs-Bauverein, a private development company, developed Ratshof into a ''Gartenstadt'' according to the

garden city movement The garden city movement was a 20th century urban planning movement promoting satellite communities surrounding the central city and separated with Green belt, greenbelts. These Garden Cities would contain proportionate areas of residences, i ...

. By 1905 the growing suburb was incorporated into the city of Königsberg (Stadtkreis Königsberg i. Pr.). In 1916 the Kunstakademie Königsberg moved from Neue Sorge to Ratshof. The quarter's stadium, Sportplatz Hammerteich, hosted the football club SpVgg ASCO Königsberg.

Ratshof Church Ratshof Church, c. 1940 Ratshof Church () or Christuskirche (Christ Church) was a Protestant church in western Königsberg, Germany. It was the final church constructed in the city before it became Russian Kaliningrad. The church in Ratshof was ...

was constructed in 1937. In southern Ratshof on the northern shore of the Pregel River were the Waggonfabrik factory of L. Steinfurt, warehouses, a pulp mill, and a chemical factory.

Notes

References

* * * * {{coord, 54, 43, 11, N, 20, 27, 14, E, region:RU-KGD_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Former subdivisions of Königsberg