An
Ordensburg (plural in
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
:
Ordensburgen) was a fortress built by
crusadingThe Crusades were a series of religiously-sanctioned military campaigns waged by much of Latin Christian Europe, particularly the Franks of France and the Holy Roman Empire. The specific crusades to restore Christian control of the Holy Land were fought over a period of nearly 200 years, between...
GermanThe German people are an ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent, and speaking the German language as a mother tongue. Within Germany, Germans are defined by citizenship , distinguished from people of German ancestry...
military orderA military order is a Christian order of knighthood that is founded for crusading, i.e. propagating and/or defending the faith , either in the Holy Land or against Islam or pagans in Europe, but many became secularized later.-History:Catholic military orders appeared following the...
s during the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
. "Ordensburg" was also used during
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
to refer to training schools for
NaziNazism, known officially in German as National Socialism , is the totalitarian ideology and practices of the Nazi Party or National Socialist German Workers’ Party under Adolf Hitler, and the policies adopted by the dictatorial government of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945.Nazism is often considered...
leaders.
The Ordensburgen were originally constructed by the
Teutonic KnightsThe Order of the Teutonic Knights of St. Mary's Hospital in Jerusalem , or for short the Teutonic Order , is a German Roman Catholic religious order. It was formed to aid Catholics on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to establish hospitals to care for the sick and injured...
and the
Livonian Brothers of the SwordBishop Albert of Riga founded the military order of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in 1202; Pope Innocent III sanctioned the establishment in 1204. The membership of the order comprised German "warrior monks"...
(merged into the Teutonic Knights in 1237) to fortify territory in
PrussiaPrussia was a historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries this state had substantial influence on German and European history...
and
LivoniaLivonia was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
against the pagan aboriginals.
An
Ordensburg (plural in
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
:
Ordensburgen) was a fortress built by
crusadingThe Crusades were a series of religiously-sanctioned military campaigns waged by much of Latin Christian Europe, particularly the Franks of France and the Holy Roman Empire. The specific crusades to restore Christian control of the Holy Land were fought over a period of nearly 200 years, between...
GermanThe German people are an ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent, and speaking the German language as a mother tongue. Within Germany, Germans are defined by citizenship , distinguished from people of German ancestry...
military orderA military order is a Christian order of knighthood that is founded for crusading, i.e. propagating and/or defending the faith , either in the Holy Land or against Islam or pagans in Europe, but many became secularized later.-History:Catholic military orders appeared following the...
s during the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
. "Ordensburg" was also used during
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
to refer to training schools for
NaziNazism, known officially in German as National Socialism , is the totalitarian ideology and practices of the Nazi Party or National Socialist German Workers’ Party under Adolf Hitler, and the policies adopted by the dictatorial government of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945.Nazism is often considered...
leaders.
Medieval Ordensburgen
The Ordensburgen were originally constructed by the
Teutonic KnightsThe Order of the Teutonic Knights of St. Mary's Hospital in Jerusalem , or for short the Teutonic Order , is a German Roman Catholic religious order. It was formed to aid Catholics on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to establish hospitals to care for the sick and injured...
and the
Livonian Brothers of the SwordBishop Albert of Riga founded the military order of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in 1202; Pope Innocent III sanctioned the establishment in 1204. The membership of the order comprised German "warrior monks"...
(merged into the Teutonic Knights in 1237) to fortify territory in
PrussiaPrussia was a historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries this state had substantial influence on German and European history...
and
LivoniaLivonia was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
against the pagan aboriginals. Later, Ordensburgen were used to defend against
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and
LithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of...
.
Notable medieval Ordensburgen
- Allenstein
Olsztyn is a city in northeastern Poland, on the Łyna River.Historically the capital of the Warmia region, Olsztyn has been the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999...
(Olsztyn in Poland)
- Angerburg
Węgorzewo is a tourist town in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, not far from the border with Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast. It is the seat of Węgorzewo County. Lake Mamry is close to the town.- Etymology :...
(Węgorzewo in Poland)
- Arensburg
Kuressaare is a town and a municipality on Saaremaa island in Estonia. It is the capital of Saare County. The current population is about 15,300.The town is situated on the coast of Gulf of Riga and is served by Kuressaare Airport.-Etymology:...
(Kuressaare in Estonia)
- Balga
Balga was a medieval castle of the Teutonic Knights. Its ruins are located near the village of Vesyoloye in Bagrationovsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia; 30 km southwest of Kaliningrad....
(near Vesyoloye in Russia)
- Bauske
Bauska Castle is a complex consisting of the ruins of an earlier castle and a later palace on the outskirts of the Latvian city of Bauska.- History :...
(Bauska in Latvia)
- Bütow
Bytów is a town in the Middle Pomerania region of northern Poland in the Bytów Lakeland with 16,888 inhabitants . Previously in Słupsk Voivodeship , it is the capital of Bytów County in Pomeranian Voivodeship .-History:...
(Bytów in Poland)
- Fellin
Viljandi castle of Teutonic Order, construction of which started 1224 in place of a former hillfort, was one of the strongest castles in Livonia...
(Viljandi in Estonia)
- Georgenburg
Mayovka, prior to 1945 known by its German name Georgenberg is a settlement in Chernyakhovsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. Mayovka is located about ten kilometers northwest of Chernyakhovsk and has the best preserved medieval castle in the oblast.The town was founded around the...
(Mayovka in Russia)
- Hapsal
Haapsalu Castle is a castle with cathedral in Haapsalu, western Estonia. It was founded in the thirteenth century to be a center for Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek...
(Haapsalu in Estonia)
- Heilsberg
Lidzbark Warmiński is a town in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the capital of Lidzbark County.- History :The town was originally an Old Prussian settlement known as Lecbarg until being conquered in 1240 by the Teutonic Knights, who called it Heilsberg...
(Lidzbark Warmiński in Poland)
- Insterburg
Chernyakhovsk is a town in the centre of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, at the confluence of the rivers Instruch and Angrapa, forming the Pregolya...
(Chernyakhovsk in Russia)
- Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of eastern Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945. It was founded by the Teutonic Knights just south of the Sambian peninsula in the year 1255 AD during the Northern Crusades and named for King Ottokar II of Bohemia...
(Kaliningrad in Russia)
- Labiau
Polessk , prior to 1945 known by its German name Labiau is a town in and the administrative center of Polessky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia...
(Polessk in Russia) |
LemsalLimbaži is a town in the Vidzeme region of northern Latvia. Limbaži is located 90 km northeast of the capital Riga. The population is 8705 people. During the Middle Ages, as part of Livonia, Limbazi was a fortified town with stone walls, second in importance only to Riga.- Etymology :The name...
(Limbaži in Latvia)
Marienburg (Malbork in Poland, UNESCO world heritage site)
MarienwerderKwidzyn is a town in northern Poland on the Liwa River, with 40,008 inhabitants . It has been a part of the Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously in the Elbląg Voivodeship . It is the capital of Kwidzyn County.- History :The Teutonic Knights founded an Ordensburg castle in 1232...
(Kwidzyn in Poland)
MemelKlaipėda is a city in Lithuania situated at the mouth of the Curonian Lagoon where it flows into the Baltic Sea. As Lithuania's only seaport, it has ferry terminal connections to Sweden and Germany...
(Klaipėda in Lithuania)
MohrungenMorag may refer to:* Morag , a lake monster reported to inhabit Loch Morar in Scotland* Morąg, a city in Warmia-Masuria, Poland...
(Morąg in Poland)
NeidenburgNidzica is a town in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in Poland, between Olsztyn and Mława. It has a population of 14,798 . It is the capital of Nidzica County.-History:...
(Nidzica in Poland)
OrtelsburgSzczytno is a town in north-eastern Poland with 27,970 inhabitants . Previously part of the Olsztyn Voivodeship, Szczytno was assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in 1999. It is the seat of Szczytno County....
(Szczytno in Poland)
RagnitNeman is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located east of the town of Sovetsk, on the bank of the Neman River. Population: -History:Initially Raganite was a settlement of the Baltic tribe of Scalovians...
(Neman in Russia)
RastenburgKętrzyn , is a town in northeastern Poland with 28,351 inhabitants . Situated in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship , Kętrzyn was previously in Olsztyn Voivodeship . It is the capital of Kętrzyn County...
(Kętrzyn in Poland)
ThornToruń is a city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River, with population over 207,190 as of 2006, making it the second-largest city of Kujawy-Pomerania Province, after Bydgoszcz. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus...
(Toruń in Poland, castle destroyed, but old town became UNESCO world heritage site)
TreydenTuraida Castle is a recently reconstructed medieval castle in Turaida, in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, on the opposite bank of the Gauja River from Sigulda....
(near Sigulda in Latvia)
Wenden (Cēsis in Latvia)
WesenbergRakvere is a town in northern Estonia and the county seat of Lääne-Viru County, 20 km south of the Gulf of Finland.- History :...
(Rakvere in Estonia) |
NS-Ordensburgen (National Socialist Germany)
The term Ordensburg was later applied to four schools developed for elite Nazi military ranks. There were strict requirements for admission to the school.
JunkerA Junker was a member of the landed nobility of Prussia and eastern Germany. These families were mostly part of the German Uradel and carried on the colonization and Christianization of the northeastern European territories during the medieval Ostsiedlung. Today "Junker" is often used as an...
candidates had to be aged between 25 and 30 years old, belong to either the Nazi Party, the
Hitler YouthThe Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung .-Origins:The first NSDAP-related organization of German youth was the Jugendbund...
, the
SturmabteilungThe , abbreviated SA , functioned as a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party...
, or the
SchutzstaffelThe , abbreviated SS- or - was a major Nazi organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. The SS grew from a small paramilitary unit to a powerful force that served as the Führer's "Praetorian Guard," the Nazi Party's "Shield Squadron" and a force that, fielding almost a million men ,...
, be physically completely healthy, and be pure-blooded with no hereditary defects.
The schools themselves were typically stark, modern structures with extensive facilities. Vogelsang, for instance, reportedly contained the world's largest gymnasium at the time. Each student attended all four institutions in sequence, for specialty training, finishing in Marienburg for training that included live-fire military exercises.
The three institutions for education of political leaders were:
- Ordensburg Vogelsang
Ordensburg Vogelsang is a former national socialist estate placed at the former military training area in the national park Eifel in North Rhine-Westphalia. The landmarked and completely preserved estate was used by the National Socialists between 1936 and 1939 as an educational centre for future...
in North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia is the westernmost and—in terms of population and economic output—the largest Federal State of Germany. North Rhine-Westphalia has over 18 million inhabitants, contributes about 22% of Germany's gross domestic product and comprises a land area of 34,083 km²...
- Ordensburg Sonthofen
The Generaloberst-Beck-Kaserne are barracks of the armed forces of Germany, the Bundeswehr, in Sonthofen in Oberallgäu.- History :The estate was built in 1934 as NS-Ordensburg Sonthofen by the German Labour Front for the NSDAP.Three NS-Ordensburgen existed:*Ordensburg Krössinsee, in...
in BavariaBavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest state of Germany by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, AllgäuAllgäu is a German region in the southwest of Bavaria also extending some kilometres into southeastern Baden-Württemberg. The region stretches from the prealpine lands up to the Alps...
, built 1934 and was used by Germany's BundeswehrThe Bundeswehr comprises the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
until end of 2007.
- Ordensburg Krössinsee
Ordensburg Krössinsee was placed near the city of Falkenburg in Pomerania, today Złocieniec Poland. It was the first of three NS-Ordensburgen, the educational centers for or cadres of the NSDAP.- History :...
in PomeraniaPomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East. It is inhabited...
A fourth one was planned at (the historic) Ordensburg Marienburg, in
West PrussiaWest Prussia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773–1824 and 1878–1919/20 which was created out of the earlier Polish province of Royal Prussia...
, which was to be established at the medieval
Malbork CastleThe Castle in Malbork was built in Prussia by the Teutonic Order as an Ordensburg. The Order named it Marienburg, literally "Mary's Castle". The town which grew around it was also named Marienburg, but since 1945 it is again, after 173 years, part of Poland and known as Malbork.The castle is a...