Tingplatz of East Prussia

As they said in Nordenburg (now Krylovo), according to the recollections of residents, it was built on a hillside, between a cemetery and a sports ground. The initiators of the construction were the "fathers of the city". At the same time as the Tingplatz, a monument to German soldiers who died in the First World War was erected. Construction began in 1937, the opening of the monument and the Tingplatz took place in August 1938. Initially, the territory of the complex was covered with pebbles, but then it was paved. The Tingplatz was a unique landmark of Nordenburg and a source of pride for the townspeople in front of the residents of nearby Gerdauen (now Zheleznodorozhny).

Nordenburg State Plan — Plan of Nordenburg. In the lower left corner between the city cemetery and the sports ground is the Tingplatz.

Nordenburg_Thingplatz — Entrance gate to the complex

Nordenburg Thingplatz Thingplatz of East Prussia Nordenburg Krylovo — Tingplatz

Nordenburg 27-6-1945 — Nordenburg. June 27, 1945.

The former Tingplatz is currently located in a restricted area north of the Russian-Polish border and cannot be seen without special permission. All that remains of the complex are forested ruins.

Thingplatz Nordenburg Krylowo Krylovo Nordenburg — Former entrance gate of the Nordenburg Tingplatz. Photo by N. Tronevsky.

Krylovo - Nordenburg Thingplatz — Krylovo. This is what the Tingplatz looks like now. Photo by N. Tronevsky.

Thingplatz Nordenburg Krylowo Krylovo Nordenburg Thingplatz — Krylovo. Tingplatz. Photo by N. Tronevsky.

Tilsit-Sovetsk can boast not only the easternmost tram in the Third Reich , and not only its famous cheese , but also the largest East Prussian Tingplatz. It was laid in Tilsit on June 10, 1934, at the height of the Nazi fashion for "populism", when significant funds were allocated to promote the unity of the German nation, which has its roots in time immemorial from the ancient Germans. The authors of the project were Berlin architects Franz Böhmer and Georg Petrich. Tingplatz is located in the western part of the city in Jakobsruhe Park, not far from the monument to Queen Louise. The grand opening of the arena took place on April 30, 1935. Tingplatz is well preserved. Now it is called the "Green Theater" and is used for various city events.

Plan Thingplatz Tilsit Sowetsk Tilsit tingplatz — Architectural plan of the Tilsit Tingplatz in the Jacobsruhe Park.

Entwurf Tilsit Thingplatz — Sketch of the Tingplatz

Spatenstich Thingplatz Tilsit 1934 — Advertising poster calling on city residents to attend a ceremonial event marking the start of construction of the Tingplatz. 1934.

Tilsit Soviet Thingplatz Bau 1934 — Tilsit. Jacobsruhe Park. Construction of the Tingplatz. 1934.

Tilsit Soviet Union Thingplatzeinweihung 1935 — Ceremonial opening of the Tingplatz in Tilsit. 1935.

Tilsit Sovietsk Thingplatzeinweihung 1935 Thingplatzes of East Prussia — Ceremonial opening of the Tingplatz in Tilsit. 1935.

Tilsit Soviet Thingplatzeinweihung - 1935 — Ceremonial opening of the Tingplatz in Tilsit. 1935.

Thing-Platz Tilsit Sowetsk — Tilsit. Tingplatz.

Tilsit Thingplatz Julius Simonsen — Tilsit. Tingplatz.

Tilsit Ostpreussen Thingplatz — Tilsit. Tingplatz.

Tilsit Thingplatz Sowetsk Sovetsk — Tilsit. Tingplatz.

Tilsit Park Jakobsruhe Thingplatz — Tingplatz scene.

Tilsit Soviet Zeltlager at Thingplatz 1935-1936 — Tent camp in Jakobsruhe Park. 1935-1936.

Soviet Tilsit Thingplatz 1935-1940 — Tilsit. Tingplatz. On the left side of the picture you can see the football goal of the Paul Hindenburg Stadium, built next to the Tingplatz. Late 1930s.

Tilsit Soviet Thingplatz Green Theatre 2015 — Green Theatre in Sovetsk. 2015.

Tilsit Thingplatz 2015 — Sovetsk. Green Theatre. 2015 year.

Thingplatz Tilsit Sovetsk 2015 — Sovetsk. Green Theatre. 2015 year.

The Tingplatz in Pravdinsk (formerly Friedland) is not mentioned in any source on the subject that I have access to. It may have been built by the residents themselves using voluntary donations in 1935-1936 (or 1937-1938). In any case, it can be seen (or rather, what is left of it) on a hillside in the southern part of Pravdinsk, 100 m southwest of the fork of Druzhbinskoye Highway and 28th Army Street. One can only guess what the Tingplatz in Friedland looked like before the war, since no informative photographs from that time have been found, and in those that exist, it is impossible to discern details.

Friedland Totalansicht Pravdinsk — Friedland. Until the early 1870s, the headquarters and stables of the Insterburg Lithuanian Uhlan Regiment were located on the site of the future Tingplatz.

Friedland air view 1941 — Friedland. A rather unusual case, when the Tingplatz is built practically in the middle of residential buildings. Aerial photography. June 1941.

Thingplatz view from left_ 2015 Thingplatz of East Prussia Pravdinsk — Pravdinsk. Tingplatz. March 2015.

Pravdinsk_center_view_2015 — Pravdinsk. Tingplatz. March 2015.

Pravdinsk_2015_1 — Pravdinsk. Tingplatz. March 2015.

In general, I would not be surprised if something similar has been preserved in some small towns in the Polish part of the former East Prussia.

In Insterburg (now Chernyakhovsk), according to the design of the already mentioned architects Böhmer and Petrich, it was also planned to build a tingplatz (it should be added that they also developed designs for tingplatz on Mount Annaberg in Silesia and in Halberstadt, which was never built).

The Tingplatz was to be located southwest of the Insterburg stadium, on the left bank of the Angerrap (now Angrappa) river. It is unclear why the project was never implemented.

Thingplatz Insterburg Thingplatz Insterburg — Project of the Tingplatz in Insterburg. May 1934.

insterburg-thingplatz-1934 — Fragment of the plan. It was probably intended that the ceremonial procession would enter the territory of the Thing from the stadium.

insterburg sports platform — Stadium in Insterburg. Postcard. In the foreground you can see an open summer theater, located northeast of the city stadium. This theater was built in the second half of the 1920s and is already shown on the city plan of 1930. Its dimensions are small, probably for this reason the construction of the tingplatz was conceived. Although this is only an assumption.

insterburg-stadtplan-1930 — Insterburg. Fragment of the city plan (1930). The numbers indicate: 1. the city stadium; 2. the summer theater; 3. the place where the Tingplatz was supposed to be built.

insterburg-lufbild — Insterburg. Bird's eye view of the stadium and summer theatre. 1930s (?).

insterburg-map — Chernyakhovsk. On the site where the Tingplatz might have been, there now stands a monument to fallen Soviet soldiers.

Sources:

www.reszel.pl

www.reszel.net

www.nordenburg-hp.de

www.bildarchiv-ostpreussen.de

kenig.org

Bildarchive