Kaiser and other memorial stones of the Romincka Forest

The hunting successes of Kaiser Wilhelm II and his guests were marked with stones. The memorial stones were mainly erected to commemorate the harvesting of a special trophy (a deer with large branched antlers) or the emperor's hunting anniversaries. A total of 15 such stones were erected in the Pushcha.

The very first stone was erected in honour of Wilhelm II's first hunt. The inscription on it reads: "Here His Majesty the Emperor and King Wilhelm II on 23 September 1890 killed the first deer in the Romincka Forest with twelve antlers."

All Kaiser stones are installed in places where trophies are directly obtained - these are remote areas of forest, hard-to-reach swamps and flood meadows, which are sometimes very problematic to even get to.

Kaiser Pasha 09/29/1910 — Emperor Wilhelm II poses next to his hunting trophy, a deer named "Pasha"

Below is a chronology of the installation of stones in the Pushcha in honor of the Kaiser's various hunting achievements and trophies.

23.09.1890

The Kaiser's first hunt in Romint and the first stag with 12 antlers

28.09.1896

In honor of the deer with 20 antlers

27.09.1898

Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, who visited and hunted in the forest in 1869-1884: "In memory of Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia. The Teerbude forestry was located here, where this nobleman stayed during his visit to the Romincka Forest from 1869 to 1884."

Friedrich Carl Stein Memorial Stones — Construction work to install a stone in honor of Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia

Memorial stones of the Romincka forest friedrich-carl stein — Memorial stone in honor of Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia

It was Friedrich Karl who inspired his royal relative to hunt and create a residence in these places.

There are also several memorial stones to foresters Ferdinand Wallmann, Josef Sternburg, Albert Hansen and others.

This is the stone marking the site of the death of forester Oswald Kahnert from the Jörkischken/Jarkenthal forestry district in the Rominten forestry district. On August 16, 1919, Oswald Kahnert decided to find out what suspicious shots he had heard on his property. The next day, he and his dog were found shot dead. His rifle was lying 50 metres from his body. The forester was hated by many – he had detained several poachers and handed them over to the police. It was discovered that he had been shot with three bullets from a Luger P-08 army pistol. Three days later, the brothers O. and A. V., suspected of the murder, were also detained and brought to the Goldap court along with the murder weapon. During a dance, they had bet their third brother 3,000 marks that they would kill the forester. The murderers were sentenced to life imprisonment, but in 1926 Otto W. escaped from prison and his subsequent fate is unknown.

Even the dog, the hunter's faithful companion and assistant, was honored with its own memorial stone. Thus, in the Polish part of the Forest there is a memorial stone with only the word "Dora" and the dates 1913-1926.

There is also an unusual memorial stone in Poland, installed at the bridge over the Red Struga River (Czerwona Struga), with the inscription “Zeidler Brücke” (Zeidler Bridge).

Ziedler Bruecke — Stone with the inscription "Zeidler Brücke". Polish part of the Romincka Forest, near the bridge over the Chervona Struga River.

Below is a summary table of the typology of all memorial stones in the Romincka Forest, indicating their location.

An interesting difference between these stones can be traced on the German 250-meter Messtischblatt maps. Thus, the Kaiser stones are marked on them as Denkst (Denkmal stein - memorial stone), and the forester's stones are marked as Denkm (Denkmal - monument).

Type	date	Description	Location	State
Dokayzerovsky, to the forester	1848 (?)	To the forester Voss "Voss 1848"	Russia, to the SE of the bridge over the Chernaya River	Costs
Dokayzerovsky	After 1884	To Prince Friedrich Karl " Letzter Hirsch Herbst 1884 "	Russia, to the southeast of the village of Dmitrievka	Inverted
Dokayzerovsky	After 1884	Prince Friedrich Karl , 1869-1884	Russia, Raduzhnoe village	It's standing, restored.
Kaiser's	23.09.1890	The Kaiser's First Hunt in the Forest	Russia, to the southeast of Lake Marinovo	Costs
Kaiser's	28.09.1986	Deer with 20 antlers	Russia	For KSP
Kaiser's	27.09.1898	44 shoots	Russia, between the villages Raduzhnoe and Lesistoe	Costs
Kaiser's	24.09.1900	24 shoots	Poland, apt. 76; Green Hat, north side of the road	It's standing, restored.
Kaiser's	25.09.1901	100th deer	Russia	For KSP
Kaiser's	30.09.1902	30th Anniversary , Morning Ambush	Russia, between the villages Raduzhnoe and Lesistoe	Overturned
Kaiser's	30.09.1902	30th Anniversary, Evening Sit-down	Russia, to the southeast of the village of Dmitrievka	Costs
Kaiser's	05.10.1903	20 shoots	Poland, near the monument to Raif, on the bank of a stream	It's standing, restored.
Kaiser's	01.10.1904	Bilateral; 28 branches and the foundation of the St. Hubert Foundation	Poland, the area of the stone "2000th deer"	Costs
Kaiser's	23.09.1908	20 shoots	Poland, NE of the bridge in Stanczyki, by the road	Costs
Kaiser's	07.10.1908	Four deer: 03.10.1903 14 shoots 03.10.1905 16 shoots 02.10.1907 16 shoots 07.10.1908 14 shoots	Russia, north of the Sosnovka-Raduzhnoe road	Costs
Kaiser's	30.09.1909	22 shoots	Russia, to the NE of Lake Marinovo	Costs
Kaiser's	29.09.1910	24 shoots, Pasha	Poland, Bochki Reserve	It's standing, restored.
Kaiser's	28.09.1912	2000th deer	Poland, 282 sq., on the south side of the road between 201 and 282 sq./202-283	Costs
Kaiser's	30.09.1912	40th Anniversary, 70,846th Deer, 18 Twigs	Russia, to the southeast of the village of Sosnovka, south of the former village of Yagdbude	Costs
Kaiserovsky, Other	04.10.1909	At Leonard's Bridge	Poland, on the border, on the river bank	Costs
Kaiser's	unknown	unknown	RF Szittkehmen, Jagen 29	Lost
Kaiser's	Presumably: 10/03/1909	Possibly: Deer with 16 branches, prototype of the monument in Rominten	RF Jörkischkcn, Jagen 35	Lost
Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Russia	Lost
Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Russia, to the right of the intersection of roads Vishtynets - p. Yablonovka - p. Uvarovo	Lost
To the forester	After 1867	Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Reiff, at the scene of his death	Russia, south of Lake Marinovo	It's standing, restored.
To the forester	After 1919	Oswald Kahnert	Poland, north Ostrówka, 160 sq. at the fork in the road	It's standing, restored.
Other	Unknown	Zeidler Bridge	Poland, at the bridge over the river Krasnaya Struga, 196 sq.	It's standing, restored.
Other	After 1926	To the forester's dog G. Kenneweg Dora "Dora, 1913-1926"	Poland, near the Bochki reserve	Costs
To the forester	After 1933	At the grave of forester Hegemeister Albert Hansen	Russia, to the left of the road p. Dmitrievka - p. Raduzhnoe	Costs
Other	After 1936	At the site of the death of pilot G.V. von Arnim	Russia	Costs
To the forester	After 1939	Paul Richard Barkhausen, grave marker	Russia, to the north-east from the village of Dmitrievka	It's standing, restored.
To the forester	After 1939	Paul Richard Barkhausen	Russia, Chernaya river area, near the bridge	Costs
To the forester	1996	Forstmeister Joseph Frhr. Speck v. Sternburg. 1862—1942	Poland, near the river Petrońżna	Costs
To the forester	1997	FCW Reiff. 1814-1867	Poland, Wild Kont Reserve	Costs
To the forester	Unknown	Oberforstmeister Ferdinand Wallmann. 1874-1953	Russia, to the southwest of the village of Lesistoe	Costs

Memorial stones of the Romincka forest Friedrich Karl stein — Imperial hunting lodge Rominten, St. Hubert's chapel and memorial stone to Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia