Castles
Georgenburg Castle |
The laws of the Teutonic Order, as a knight-monastic state, assumed the transfer of one-third of the conquered lands to the church authorities or local bishop. When the Prussian territories were conquered in 1352, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Winrich von Kniprode, and the Bishop of Zamland, Jakob, separated the Prussian land of Nadrovia. The bishop ordered to build a castle in his part of the land in the confluence of the Angerapp and the Inster rivers (now the Angrapa and the Instruch) and dedicated the chapel to the holy martyr George, which gave the name to the settlement of Georgenburg. In the 14-15th centuries, Georgenburg was repeatedly destroyed as a result of the Lithuanian attacks. In 1525, the castle passed fr om the bishopric to the possession of the Prussian Duke, Albrecht Hohenzollern. In the 17th century, the castle was again plundered and partially destroyed. In the 18th century, on the territory of the castle people began to actively engage in the breeding of horses, and during the Seven Years' War, soldiers of the Russian Field Marshal Apraksin settled in the castle. In 1814, Georgenburg Castle passed into private ownership, becoming the property of the English Simpsons' family until the end of the 19th century. At this time the flowering of the breeding of horses in a noticeably rebuilt fortress occurred; as a result of crossing the owners of the stud farm, the elite Trakehner horse breed was bred. In the 20th century, the castle became state property, but horse-breeding activity continued. After the war, in 1947, Georgenburg was renamed in the village of Mayevka, and people settled in the rebuilt fortification (forburg). However, the castle still has the effect of an unassailable fortress. Arriving here, visitors can take a trip to the preserved medieval citadel, wh ere behind the three-meter walls you can warm up by the old fireplace, through a stained-glass window to look at the surroundings of the castle and from the bird's-eye view to see the city of Chernyakhovsk. In 2010, restoration work began in Georgenburg, and the first festival of historical reconstruction was held in the castle in July of the same year. Now a part of the premises is repaired in the castle, a museum of living history has appeared. The club of historical reconstruction operates on its base. However, the main Mayevka's attraction for many people is 100 meters from the castle. This is a revived stud farm with the historical name "Georgenburg". The newest history of the stud farm began in 2002, when the farm was given its famous name, which won world fame. In just a few years, all the buildings in the farm that were destroyed by a fire in 1997 were restored. The buildings were restored in accordance with their historical appearance, however, the “filling” corresponds to modern standards adopted in stud farms. The farm has a complex of buildings with 310 places, two arenas, two parade grounds, as well as a hotel complex, a restaurant and a summer cafe. It hosts international show jumping competitions, including high-class CSI4*. Sport horse-breeding has become a priority in the activities of the Georgenburg stud farm: raising and training of high-quality sport horses of Hanoverian, Holstein and Trakehner breeds. Pedigreed horses from Georgenburg can be found today not only in Russia, but also in Austria, Germany, Poland and the Baltic countries. Also, a horse-riding class for teaching everyone the art of riding was formed on the basis of the Georgenburg stud farm. |
Address
Chernyakhovsk
Chernyakhovsky rn, pos. Mayevka, st. Central, 4
Contacts
georgenburg@yandex.ru
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