Imperial Hunting Lodge Rominten

In 1936, the Imperial Hunting Lodge Rominten (Reichsjägerhof Rominten) was built in a pine forest on the high bank of the Rominte River, two kilometers north of the Imperial Hunting Lodge. The style and location of the building blended harmoniously with the surrounding forest landscape.

The hunting residence was built by order of the Prussian Minister and Imperial Forester of the Third Reich Hermann Goering. The chief gamekeeper of the Reich became a great admirer of the Romincka Forest, where he began hunting in 1933, but he failed to obtain the former hunting lodge of Kaiser Wilhelm II. The complex of the Kaiser's hunting lodge became state property and a tourist attraction.

Card Roman Inter Heide — Part of the Romincka Forest on a German map from the late 1930s. The Imperial Hunting Lodge is located in the center of the area, and the Imperial Hunting Lodge is to the northeast.

Reichsjagerhof Rominten Imperial Hunting Lodge Rominten — Plan of the Imperial Hunting Lodge Rominten complex. 1930s.

Reichsjagerhoff blick von Nord Imperial Hunting Lodge Rominten — Imperial Hunting Lodge Rominten. View from the north.

Imperial Hunting Lodge Rominten. View from the west.

The house built in the Romincka Forest was much smaller than another hunting lodge of Göring, or rather the entire complex "Carinhall" in Schorfheide, located in Brandenburg and named after Göring's first wife, the Swedish Baroness Karin von Kantzow, née Fock. The complex in the Romincka Forest was called "Emmyhall".

Carinhall Innenhof — Goering's hunting lodge "Karinhall". Inner courtyard.

Walter Frewert describes the Reichsjägerhof in his book Rominten: “The building was designed and built by Professor Friedrich Hetzelt*.

Plan of the Imperial Jagerhof Rominten — Hunting lodge plan

The blockhouse style was also chosen for this, but with a roof covered with reeds. Masurian signs of happiness were placed on its ridges, and powerful horns on the gables emphasized the hunting purpose of the building. The house had an inner courtyard and a hall in the old German style. The hunting courtyard in its simple and severe appearance undoubtedly fit into the excellent landscape. Everything artificial was rejected.

Reichsjagerhof Rominten im Bau 1936 — Construction of a hunting complex in the Romincka Forest. In the foreground is chief forester Ferdinand Wallmann. Spring 1936.

Rominte Jagershof Large hall with fireplace — Imperial Hunting Court Rominten. Great Hall with Fireplace.

Only local building materials were used: hewn boulders for the base, spruce logs for the walls, reeds for the roof, wrought iron for the door and window trim, and rough, colorful fabrics for the curtains. The doors were very skillfully decorated: they were painted in a modest color and then painted with hunting motifs, stylized images of animals and ornaments using the comb technique. The interior walls were paneled with wood processed in a modern way, which created a good impression. Thus, there was a room finished with sanded spruce in a natural color, another - with bog oak plywood, with elm and maple plywood. The supporting beams were partly fitted with hanging lamps… In the high-ceilinged room, used as a dining room and meeting place, hung the main trophies and several large paintings by the famous hunting artist Gerhard Löbenberg.”

Gerhard Loebenberg_Matador — The deer named "Matador". Painting by Gerhard Loebenberg.

Gerhard Loebenberg_Eggenhirsch — Painting by Gerhard Loebenberg of a deer named Eggen (top). Eggen's antlers (bottom).

Opposite the hunting lodge itself, on the banks of the Rominte, a small tea pavilion was built.

Goering Henderson Teahouse Rominten October 1937 — Hermann Goering and Nevill Henderson chat outside the tea pavilion. October 4, 1937.

The complex of buildings also included a forester's house. A large well lined with bricks was built in a ravine nearby. The entire territory of the complex was fenced, there was only one entrance gate with a guard post, and four anti-aircraft guns were installed along the perimeter.

Goering preserved the traditions established by the Kaiser: inviting distinguished guests, influential politicians and high-ranking officials of the Third Reich who loved hunting to hunt. For example, in 1935, Lake Marinovo/Northern was officially renamed Gömbös (Gömbös-see), in honor of the Prime Minister of Hungary Gyula Gömbös, who shot the capital deer. Goering's guests in Rominten also included the Polish ambassador J. Lipski, the British ambassador N. Henderson, Field Marshal G. Mannerheim, NSDAP comrades G. Himmler, E. Koch, I. von Ribbenthrohn, K. Dönitz. There is evidence of a meeting in 1940 in the hunting yard of Rominten between Goering and Lavrentiy Beria. Frequent guests of Goering were the best aces of the Luftwaffe - Mölders, Galland, Udet.

Going with Guests — Goering with guests near hunting trophies.

Goering Gombos — Hermann Goering and Gyula Gombös (second from left). 1940.

Goering also continued collecting antlers from the major deer he had hunted. Each deer with large, branched antlers had its own name and was fattened up in special reservations for a time. But, unlike the Kaiser, Goering no longer erected stones at the sites of major trophies .

Walter Frevert, Hermann Gцring, Ulrich Scherping — Walter Frevert (first from left), Hermann Goering and Ulrich Scherping (first from right).

Ulrich Schulz_Matador Hirsch_September_1942 — Photographer Ulrich Schulz takes a picture of a deer named "Matador" killed by Goering. September 1942.

During World War II, the Luftwaffe headquarters were located on the southwestern edge of the Romincka Forest in 1941. It was located in the forest west of Lake Goldap near the village of Gross Kummetschen (Hermeshof).

Herman Goering_Hans Jeschonnek_Lightning Commando in Wald at Goldap_July 1941 — Hermann Goering and Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff Hans Jeschonnek on their way to Luftwaffe headquarters near Goldap. July 1941.

On August 1, 1944, an order was given to destroy Goering's hunting lodge if the Red Army approached the borders of East Prussia. Seven charges were planted in the house itself. Charges were also planted in the forester's house of the Imperial hunting lodge, as well as in the Imperial hunting lodge.

1 August 1944 — The order to destroy the complex and the diagram of the location of the charges.

On the night of October 19-20, 1944, three days before the Soviet advance, the Imperial Hunting Lodge Rominten was blown up on the signal "Johannisfeuer". But before that, the Soviet reconnaissance group "Maxim" had already visited the abandoned hunting lodge. And here is how it is described: "... Having avoided open battles and having broken away from their pursuers, the scouts came to the forest park where Goering's house stood. There was no sound or light around. The night was damp and dark. As soon as Sharapov and Koreshkov discovered the Reichsmarschall's house, it was placed under round-the-clock surveillance. From interrogation of the prisoner it was known that only a few servants remained in the house. Major Maximov sent reconnaissance ahead. Dergachev, Sharapov and Koreshkov disappeared silently into the night like shadows... The gates were locked from the inside. Sergeant Dergachev put his broad shoulders forward, and Pyotr Koreshkov, standing on them, climbed the wall. He listened, looked around - nothing suspicious... The scouts established that there were no soldiers in the house. They raised the manager from his bed and took all his keys. They reliably isolated him and all the servants in their little house and opened the gate. The scouts walked through the half-open massive cast-iron gates, crowned with sculptures, not without trepidation. Having posted sentries, they first checked and cleaned the weapons. Then they inspected the apartments of the escaped Reichsmarschall. There were no products in sight, but almost all the "junk" was in place. It was obvious from everything: the owner did not expect to return here...".

Currently, only the foundations remain of the buildings. For a long time, the territory of the complex was overgrown with bushes and trees, only in 2012 the territory was cleared, on the ground it became possible to see the preserved steps, chimneys from the fireplaces, the entrance to the basement and the terrace area. Even in the 1990s, a preserved fireplace, floor tiles and plinth cladding were visible on the ruins of the house. Now all this is lost. The territory of the complex is completely dug up in search of "valuables".

During a hunt on September 23, 1890, Kaiser Wilhelm II visited a hunting lodge with a tea house in the area of Teerbude on the banks of the Rominte (Red) River. Impressed by the beautiful views of the forest thicket and the picturesque river, shocked by the successful hunt, the Kaiser decided to build a hunting lodge in this area. Norwegian architects Holm Munthe and Ole Svere were invited to design and build it.

The house was made in Norway from northern wood species, dismantled, delivered by sea to Königsberg, from there by rail to Trakehner (now Yasnaya Polyana), and from there by carts to the construction site. In Pushcha, a foundation with a high base was built from hewn wild stone, on which the house was assembled. By 1893, the construction of the house was completed. Initially, it was a two-wing, two-story house, to which later (in 1904) a house for the empress was added using a covered overground passage. The house was H-shaped, with two two-story wings on the sides and a one-story one in the middle. The house was decorated with many carved wooden elements: carved balconies, cornices, ridges in the form of dragon heads. The roof was covered with slate split into slabs.

Imperial hunting castle Rominten Schloss Rominten — Imperial Hunting Lodge Rominten

Imperial hunting lodge Rominten Jagdhaus — The hunting lodge was decorated with carved balconies, cornices, ridges and railings.

For a long time, the house was not supplied with electric lighting, and the rooms were lit with oil lamps and candles, which gave the interiors an unforgettable color, complementing the impressions after the hunt. The interior decoration was very simple, the furniture was made to order by the best craftsmen. For the Kaiser and family members there were special chairs covered in leather, of which the largest and most massive chair with a high back and armrests served only the Kaiser. The rooms were heated by Dutch stoves.

Jagdhaus Rominten Kaiser's Workplace — The study of Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Next to the house in 1893, a chapel of St. Hubert, the patron saint of hunting and foresters, was built from local wood. The prototype of the chapel was the stave church on the shores of the Norwegian lake Vang. The chapel was designed for 120 seats and was not only the Kaiser's family church: the Lutheran community of the village of Rominten held services in it. Due to the fact that the temple was completely wooden, the acoustics in it were distinguished by an amazing softness, which delighted all the guests. Next to the chapel, a wooden bell tower was installed for a single bell.

Rominten — Chapel of Saint Hubert. On the left is a sculpture of a deer with 16 branches.

Hubertus Chapelle Inner — The interior decoration of the chapel

wang wang karpacz — Wooden church Wang. In 1841 it was purchased by the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm IV in Norway and transported in disassembled form first to Stettin, then to Berlin, and in 1842 to Silesia. In 1844 it officially became the church of the evangelical community of the village of Bruckenberg (Brückenberg), now part of the Polish city of Karpacz. It served as a prototype for the Chapel of St. Hubert. January 2017

The ensemble of the Kaiser's hunting lodge was completed by the Deer Bridge (Hirschbrücke), which connected the two steep banks of the Rominta River. The bridge was built by the German construction company Windschild & Langelott, which had a representative office in Königsberg. The same company also built the sculptures of lying red deer, which greeted the Kaiser's distinguished guests with their inherent dignity. Also, a bronze sculpture of a deer with 16 antlers, commissioned by the Kaiser, was installed near the Hubert Chapel in 1911. A small copy of this sculpture was also located in the Kaiser's study.

All the sculptures were made by Gumbinnen native, professor of painting at the University of Königsberg Richard Friese in collaboration with the sculptor Josef Pallenberg, and cast in Berlin by the firm "Gladenbeck und Sohn". As an animal artist, Friese had long enjoyed the favor of the Kaiser. His paintings on hunting themes served as a wonderful addition to the interior decoration of the chambers of the hunting lodge. In addition to the paintings, the house was decorated with hunting trophies: antlers of deer and roe deer, heads of killed animals. The best taxidermists were involved in their design in order to preserve and immortalize the trophies of the Kaiser and his guests.

Rominten Castle 1891-1913 — The castle's hunting hall

After World War II, the deer sculptures disappeared. Only later was a sculpture of a deer with 16 antlers discovered in Smolensk. And it ended up there like this: in 1945, a shipment arrived in Smolensk by rail with the inscription "A gift from East Prussia to the children of Smolensk from the guards of the N-th corps." This shipment was the deer sculpture that still adorns the city square.

And two of the four deer from the Oleniy Bridge now decorate the entrance to the administrative building of the Sosny sanatorium near Moscow.

The architectural ensemble of the hunting lodge was constantly supplemented with new buildings: a forestry house, service personnel houses, a forestry building, a post office and a kindergarten, and later the hotel "At the Deer" (Zum Hirschen). The Norwegian style of the buildings was preserved, and local spruce was used as a building material. For greater preservation, all buildings were treated with a special antiseptic, painting the buildings a warm red-brown color, pleasantly harmonizing with the surrounding forest. A pumping station was built on the river bank, using electric pumps to supply water to the complex.

Roaming the Kaiser's Castle — House of Empress Augusta Victoria

Rominten Hotel zum Hirschen — Hotel "At the Deer"

Rominten Post Office — Rominten village post office

The official name of the Kaiser's hunting lodge was "Imperial Hunting Lodge Rominten". The surrounding village, originally called Teerbude, was renamed Kaiserliche Rominten on September 13, 1897.

Emperor in Rominten 1896 — Emperor Wilhelm II near the trophy. 1896.

Among the guests of the hunting lodge in Rominten at one time was the Minister of Finance of Russia S. Yu. Witte (in 1905). Witte left a description of his stay in Rominten: "... Rominten is a hunting lodge. It is a simple two-story country house, opposite which there is another house, also two-story, of even simpler construction. The second floors of both houses are connected by a covered gallery. The large house and part of the second floor of the smaller house are occupied by Their Majesties, and the rest of the premises are occupied by the retinue and visitors.

The castle is on a large hill. Around it are several small houses for service. Then nearby is a village, around a forest, where the Emperor hunts daily during his stay in Rominten. He and his entire retinue, like the guests, wear hunting suits. The Emperor is a special hunter of forms. The whole life is very simple; the rooms are also very simple, but as always with the Germans, everything is kept in great order and cleanliness."

Rominten_Total view — Bird's eye view of the Imperial Hunting Lodge Rominten

Rominten Plan — Plan of the ensemble of the Imperial hunting lodge Rominten. 1941.

Rominten Hirschen Brueck — View of the Deer Bridge

The walls of Wilhelm II's office were decorated with various sayings:

"We must be firm in meekness"

"Don't wish for what you can't achieve"

“We must find good in everything, happiness in nature and in people.”

"An hour of joy is enough to forget a thousand hours of sorrow."

"A distrustful person causes harm to his neighbor and to himself"

"The world is so big and man is so small that it is impossible for man to be the center of the universe."

Romintener Heide — Rominten Hunting Lodge

Jagdschloss plan — The first floor plan of the castle

Hubertus Kapelle Color — Chapel of St. Hubert

Rominten Castle 1896 — Romincka Forest and Hunting Lodge. 1896.

Gruss from Rominten with Hirsch — Gruss aus Rominten. Sculpture of a deer with 16 antlers by Richard Friese.

Roman Heide Castle and Chapel_1906 — Hunting lodge and chapel of St. Hubert. 1906 (postmark).

* Friedrich Hetzelt (1903-1986) - German architect, designed and built Hermann Goering's hunting lodge "Karinhall".