Historical hotels in Romincka Forest

In the Romincka Forest, although it was a reserve for imperial and later imperial hunting, there were several hotels and guest houses, tourist centers and holiday homes.

Initially, the hunting lodges, around which the settlements of Jagdbude and Teerbude (Rominten) later formed, were positioned as places where officials and their guests could stay overnight. Also, in the picturesque places of Rominta, gazebos for rest were installed.
We have already cited the Standard gas station next to the hotel, allowing motorists not to be afraid of stalling in the wilds of the Pushcha. 1930s.

 

The hotel's advertisement could be found in various guidebooks and tourist brochures.

The last manager of this hotel for a long time was Frau Grete Schebsdat. After the war the building was destroyed, the only reminder of it are fragments of dishes with the image of a hunting lodge.

 

 

Holiday home "Marinovo"

At the end of the 19th century, a small pavilion was built on the western shore of Lake Marinowosee. This place was later called "Princess Louise's Tea House", most likely in honor of Kaiser Wilhelm II's daughter Louise Victoria. It was one of the Kaiser's favorite places to relax.

 

 

In the early 1920s, a holiday home was opened at the north-eastern end of the lake, named after the lake "Kurhaus Marinowo".

 

 

The peculiarity of this holiday home was the building of the cafe, standing on piles right on the shore of the lake. Also on the hill was a large round building of the dance hall, the supports of which are still visible in the area.

 

 

The swimming area equipped with walkways and piers, promenades and attractions from the Kaiser's time have made this place popular among German tourists.

 

 

"Kurhaus Marinowo" was a favourite holiday destination for the Gumbinnen rich and famous, and later also for Luftwaffe officers, whose headquarters were located near Goldap.

After the war, the buildings of the holiday home were destroyed, the building on stilts burned down, but in the 1980s, a tourist center was built on this picturesque place, which still exists today.

 

 

Opposite the Kurhaus Marinowo holiday home, across the road, there was a typical rural guest house, the Romintsky Prival (Rominter Rast), similar to which were found in most of the villages of the Pushcha – Gross Rominten, Schwentischken, Schuiken, Jagdbude and others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nowadays, such guest houses in rural areas are classified as agrotourism. Designed for a small number of residents, with a kitchen specializing in local dishes, such guest houses existed in most villages not only in East Prussia, but throughout Germany, and differed little from each other.

 

Holiday home "Hoch Rominten"

On the outskirts of the village of Makunischken (now Tokarevka), at the very border of the Romintskaya Pushcha, there was a holiday home called “Hoch Rominten” (Kurhaus Нoch Rominten).

Situated on an open hill surrounded by forest, the guest house had an interesting attraction - an observation tower more than 10 m high, from which a picturesque view of the Pushcha opened up, as well as the surrounding area, for example, the famous railway bridge over the Krasnaya River.

 

 

 

Another famous holiday home was located on the shore of Lake Goldap, in the town of Schillinnen (now Poland), opposite the forestry of the same name.

 

 

The few photographs give an idea of ​​the general appearance of this holiday home. However, no information about its owners or the date of its foundation could be found.

The small boarding house "Sonnenhof" (Sunny Yard) existed on the outskirts of the village of Nassaven, near the lake of the same name. The owner of the boarding house was Mrs. Walter.

 

 

Youth hostels and tourist centers (Jugendherberge) deserve special mention. A whole network of them appeared in Germany starting from the end of the 19th century under the auspices of the German Youth Movement (Jugendbewegung) with the aim of developing youth patriotic tourism. Quite a few of these tourist centers were opened. Two youth tourist centers also existed in the Forest. One of them, Jugendherberge mit Russenbrucke, was located on the outskirts of Goldap, the second, Jugendherberge im Trakehner Hof, was in Rominten.

 

 

 

In general, it is clear that since the end of the 19th century, Rominta was quite a popular holiday destination among the residents of East Prussia and its guests. An interesting situation was with Lake Vishtite (Vishtynets): a popular holiday destination in our time, with a large number of tourist centers, the area around Vishtite was not so popular with the Germans. In the villages that existed near the lake, in all likelihood, there were guest houses, but there were no hotels or holiday homes on its shores. And the lake itself was used mostly as an object for fishing.

 

 

 

What do we have at the moment?

The situation has hardly changed, and nowadays Romintskaya Pushcha is a popular and favorite vacation spot for residents of the Kaliningrad region.
Tourist centers on the lakes Vishtynets and Marinovo, guest houses in the villages of Krasnolesye, Tokarevka, Dmitrievka and others, tourist hiking and cycling routes, kayaking - all this annually attracts thousands of tourists and vacationers to Romintskaya Pushcha.