NGO Аgency for support of cultural initiatives "Tranzit", Tranzit Kaliningrad region, culture Kaliningrad region, Culture
Foundation “House-Castle”
Non-governmental non-profit organization
238150, Russia, Kaliningrad region, Chernyakhovsk, Zamkovaya st., 1, the Insterburg Castle
Tel./fax: +7 (40141) 32424
Chairman of the Board – Tatiana Ivanova +7 9062193157
Since 1997 the Foundation “House-Castle” has gathered enthusiasts, who clear the premises and the extant spaces of the Insterburg Castle, create museum expositions, organize and hold festivals, art exhibitions, performances, etc.
The Insterburg Castle was founded in 1336 by order of Dietrich von Altenburg, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order. It served as an outpost against Lithuanians. The Castle was often visited by noble guests (just to mention count Derby – the future English King Henry IV (1390), the Swedish Queen Maria-Eleonora – Princess of Brandenburg, King Gustav Adolf ’s widow (1643)). Till the end of the World War II the citadel of the castle housed a local history museum that was run by the Insterburg Society of Antiquities.
Due to the efforts of the Foundation, Chernyakhovsk became an increasingly popular tourist route for many Kaliningrad travel agencies.
The Insterburg Castle is the only place in the Kaliningrad region where during the whole tourist season (May through October) one can see battles of medieval knights, watch performances given by the theatre of shadows, visit the dungeons, the art gallery and craftsmen’s workshops. In addition to this, the Castle annually holds the Festival of Style, Youth Tourist Raid, the Chernyakhovsk Summer Humanitarian School - Studia humanitatis Insterburgensis (every year in mid-July), the Insterburg School of Philosophy and the international research conference and workshops on the issues of preserving and handling the historical and cultural heritage of the region. Since 2002 the Castle has been home for the Festival of Medieval Culture (an open interregional tournament) gathering clubs of historical reconstruction from Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Saratov, Cherepovets, Minsk, Kaliningrad, Baltyisk, Sovetsk and Chernyakhovsk.
Since 2006 the Insterburg Castle – a historical monument of federal importance – has been included into the federal target program “The Culture of Russia”, which facilitated the foundation’s activities aimed at preserving, running and reconstructing the Castle.
The geographical position of the Kaliningrad region preconditions the international character of many of the Foundation’s projects. It stands to mention exclusively a special project “Meeting Pavilion”, which is being implemented jointly by the Foundation “House-Castle” and the International Union (Germany, Dresden). The first stage of the project was completed during 2006-2009.
The Foundation “House-Castle” is interested to develop cooperation within practically the whole scope of educational, cultural and research projects, new forms of activities in the fields of youth policy, tourism and active leisure.
