Castles of the Teutonic Knights in Russia

Abstract

The author carries out cultural and historical analysis of the diversity of architectural forms in the cultural heritage of the mediaeval districts of Kaliningrad region, Russia, in the context of the activity and history of the Teutonic Order. Feudal castles played a special role in European society, which makes them an interesting source for research. The architectural and historical typology of castle forms which appeared in the region of Europe in question was based both on common features characteristic of the Western European chivalric tradition and particular features, i. e. local cultural and construction traditions. The latter manifested themselves in the establishment of historical centres of settlements, which were later transformed during the construction activity of the knights of the Teutonic Order. The author aims to synthesise data on the historical diversity of the architectural and artistic forms of Kaliningrad region castles as part of the cultural heritage of the Teutonic Order. It is established that a castle of the Order was a sociocultural space based on the natural environment, social structure, and mental values of the knights of the Teutonic Order. Such mediaeval works of European culture were reflected in the castles of the Order in the 13th–15th centuries, combining common European and local historical and architectural peculiarities: the fortification features and regional cultural differences were preconditioned