Travel Stories - Russia

"tsjernjachovsk"

introduction

We would leave at 10:00 am but we have a delay of almost 20 minutes when we take the big Ecolines bus from Vilnius again towards the Russian border of so called “little Prussia”. We arrive at the Russian-Lithuanian border near the village "Kybartai" around 13:15. The Russians have to go outside and stand in front of the bus while the non-Russians can stay in the bus. Our passport by a customs officer is collected and returned later. At the Russian border, which is 300 meters away, we have to get out and take all our stuff. Our passports are stamped here again and we get a new immigration card. Our bags go through a gate here, but we can continue. A black young dobermann searches the entire bus and then some bags (including ours). We can continue at half past three. The country in the former East Prussia is flat with lots of forest and here and there a small village. First we drive through the village "Nesterov" (formerly "Stalluponen) and then through" Gustev "(formerly" Gumbrinnen ") both known from infamous battles of WWI. We enter Tsjernjachovsk at half past five.

Battles around "Nesterov" and "Goesev" (WWI):

After the German Empire had declared war on the Russian Empire in 1914, the orders for the Germans in the former East Prussia were very simple. The massive attacks against France on the Western Front were more important, and that is why most of the German army was deployed there (in France). East Prussia had to be defended against a much larger Russian army that had the goal of conquering Koningsbergen. Withdrawal (the Germans) was permitted if necessary to the Vistula River. In mid-August 1914, the Russians began to carry out an invasion of the German province of East Prussia after the outbreak of hostilities. At the city of Stalluponen (now: Nesterov) it came to a first battle that would be called the first battle on the Eastern Front during WWI. On August 17, the German commander, despite opposing orders, counterattacked the entire front line. As the Russian army withdrew to the border, the German army retreated 24 km to the west to take a new position around "Gumbinnen". 5,000 victims and 3,000 prisoners of war were taken.

The German commander "Von Francois" convinced his commander "Prittwitz" to launch a new attack in particular because the troops were mostly from East Prussia. The Germans attacked the Russians despite their smaller numbers (150,000 against 200,000). This decision was against the orders of von Moltke (German General Field Marshal) who had ordered that there should be no counter-offensive until France was defeated in the West. On 20 August the chaotic German attack began, which would become the first major German offensive on the Eastern Front. The Germans soon had to stop their attack, due to bad exploration on the Russian side, an effective pursuit was omitted. Because the Germans thought they would get trapped, "Prisswitz" panicked and the entire army retreated to the Vistula River, leaving all East Prussia to the Russians. Von Prittwitz's panic was partially taken over by Moltke, who feared that Berlin was now in danger because of the advancing Russians. He responded with two countermeasures; he replaced Prittwitz and Von Waldensee by "von Hindenburg" and "Ludendorff" and transferred some troops from the western front. On the Prussian front, Hindenburg and Ludendorff, who were much more skilled than their predecessors, stopped the German retreat, and decided to take the initiative again. This would result in the Battle of Tannenberg (now: Poland) one of Germany's biggest victories in WW1.

traceless

We walk through the main street and arrive at the most expensive hotel in the city - Kochar. The girl speaks no English and with hands and feet (there is also someone who speaks German) we get three names from other hotels that are cheaper than this one (which we can’t afford). We thank the girl and walk back on the street to find the first one on the list called "Briz Balstsjiki". We get an antique map print with old German names which does not make it any easier. With a tiny piece of paper we walk through the city, sent several times the wong way and finally we arrive after a man takes us about a 100 metres with his car. When we arrive at the top of the hotel it appears that there is no water and we are being sent away to another hotel near a church. When we arrive at the church we are sent to another hostel - Medved a bit further.

The Prussian "Insterburg"

After breakfast in the room we pick up our stuff, leave our big bags at the hotel and ask how we can get to the ruins. When you arrive outside, you do not go to the right but to the left just before the railway tunnel. There we walk down the stairs into the park in a sort of valley. You can still see pieces of foundations of the old fort that was once proudly standing here - we walk further along a large lake (which looks like parts of the old canal). Elderly guys are fishing on the waterfront and look at us like we are the first tourist ever arrived in their town. We walk up an earthen wall for a moment to see another red stone ruin. Again a lake and then we see the actual castle fort "Insterburg" which is the original (Prussian) name of the city. This is partly a ruin and partly a derelict building with a gate. There is a kind of parking space and we walk under the gate to a sort of courtyard.

The German Order built in 1336 a castle called Insterburg, after the river Inster (now: Instroetsj). Around this castle a settlement arose, which received city rights on 10 October 1583. Insterburg became part of the duchy of Prussia and later of the province of East Prussia within the kingdom of Prussia. From 1871 Insterburg was part of the German Empire. During WW2 the city was mercilessly bombarded by the RAF on 27 July 1944 while it was captured by the Red Army on 21 and 22 January 1945. After the war, the area around Insterburg was annexed by the Soviet Union. The German population, in so far as not yet fled, was expelled and replaced by Soviet citizens. In 1946 Insterburg was given the name Chernachovsk, after the Soviet General (later Marshal) Ivan Chernachovsky. We keep looking and then walk back - we doubt whether we are going to the other ruin and because it is still so early we decide to do this.

Georgenburg

The other ruin "Georgenburg" described by travel guides is still another 2 km walk and we ask a woman on the street the route. She speaks English fluently and explains exactly how to walk from there. We walk out of the city, but on a footpath and now walk through the old Prussian landscape with much higher trees as first but also swampy next to the road. We walk slightly up and then we see the larger fortress "Georgenburg". We walk on and there again a gate; unfortunately it is closed. We walk to the war memorial and see from there the size of the fort with small, bright, brightly painted houses in front of it - behind it red brick buildings where we can not go. At the back we see the refurbished hotel where a Scot holds races. We decide to go back to the center – a marshrutka (number 5) stands ready to leave. We pay the 16R.

tips & advice (2016)

The train and bus station are located in the south of the city about 200 meters apart. The stations are located at the end of "Ul Lenina".

Chernachovsk - Kaliningrad: every half hour a bus leaves for the capital of the region. Costs are 150R including a large bag of luggage. The journey takes about 1.5 hours.

Near "Kochar" hotel on the "Ul Lenina" is a perfect small restaurant situated where they sell fine pizza (300R for a large one); there are small red plastic chairs outside on a cozy terrace.

Name: Hotel "Zum Baren" (Medwed)

Address: Tunnelstrasse 7

Price: 1700R VND (double)

Phone nr. : 007 40141 3 48 15

Website: www.umedveda.ru

Content:

This hotel is located in a quiet street within walking distance of the train and bus station and city center. The "Insterburg" ruiine is also very close. It is an old-fashioned “German” hotel with different types of rooms of which we had the cheapest. There is a restaurant downstairs. The owner is friendly but does not speak a word of English. The room is very spacious and has its own toilet and shower. There is unfortunately no water boiler present and also the WIFI does not work on the 3rd floor. It is nice and quiet.