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Home Map of District Mohrungen

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Contents
Part1 Part2 Part3 Part4
Part5 Part6 Part7 Part8
Part9
Part10

This webpage contains the Home Map of District Mohrungen.

The Home Map of District Mohrungen is divided in 10 graphics. The first 8 graphics contain the 8 parts of the map itself. The 9th graphic shows the cover of the Home Map of District Mohrungen, Part9, and the 10th the inside of the cover with handwritten entries, Part10. The map was bought along from East Prussia and all handwritten entries come from members of the family.

The first 8 graphics are the 4 upper sections of the map and the 4 lower ones, in the following arrangement:
Part1 Part2 Part3 Part4
Part5 Part6 Part7 Part8

Descriptions of details follow the graphics. The descriptions often refer to the webpage Escape diary . The family relationships, at least those of my ancestors, can be followed on the Genealogical table.

At the end there is then information about the map itself:
Part9 Part10

The original size of the map one can get on the screen by adjusting the browser size wise so that the 5 centimetre, which are shown on top of Part1, are also 5 centimetre on the screen. And that one can again check by measuring the width of the graphic, it should then be about 21 cm, the width of an A4 sheet.

Since the scale of the map is 1:100 000, one can then, when the 5 centimetre, which are shown on top of Part1, are also 5 centimetres on the screen, measure distances. One centimetre is then 1 kilometre in nature.

A good way to read this webpage is to open it two times, in two different windows, and have the text on one side and the map sections on the other.

Now follows the first graphic, it is Part1; it is the left upper eighth of the map.

^    Part1

On this first part of the map Mohrungen, Part1, the eighth in the left upper corner, the following details are seen:

The village Kolteney in the district Mohrungen; there lived Ernst Preuß, 26.12.1900-28.03.1990, the brother of my father Walter Preuß, with his family. The wife of Uncle Ernst was Liesbeth Preuß, née Riemer, 16.06.1908-21.12.1990. I can remember the house there. The children there were my age and from an inner door opening a swing was hanging down. That fascinated me.

Kolteney lies at the border of the district Mohrungen, south of the border, west of Miswalde and north of Liebwalde. The word Kolteney is not very well recognizable on the map, but one can adjust the browser by pressing Ctrl+ or Strg and + and this also helps with other small information given, as for example with distances or as with "Geneigte Ebene" – on Part2, the next map section, more towards the middle, at the transition from green to brown.

I can well remember meetings with my Uncle Ernst Preuß, in Kranthau and also in Bad Salzdetfurth. I cannot remember meetings with my Aunt Liesbeth, but to correspond with her was a good spiritual experience. I now bring an extract from a letter of hers dated 18.12.89: "Your little book (How to Measure Your Beliefs) is wonderful; I and also Uncle Ernst often read in it when the time allows it; in the evening reading is on anyway. Thousands of thanks."

The place Löpen in the district Mohrungen; there lived Richard Gehrmann, 19.05.1889-31.12.1971, with his family. His wife was Grete, née Mattern, 03.01.1899-23.09.1947, the sister of my mother Lina Preuß, née Mattern. Aunt Grete was the second of the six sisters.

In Löpen was the second overnight stay of the trek Preuß/Weiß, on the 22./23.01.1945

I can remember that Uncle Richard had a mobile self-driving band-saw in Bad Salzdetfurth, and he came driving along with it and cut wood for people. Cutting wood and chopping wood were then essential activities.

Reichenbach, in the district Preußisch Holland. The trek Preuß/Weiß/Gehrmann made a change of direction there, on the 23.01.1945.

The trek came from Löpen, from the east, reached then Reichenbach at midday, and proceeded then in direction west, direction Markushof. The Russian advance came probably from Miswalde, from the south, reached then also about midday Reichenbach, and proceeded then further in direction north, to Hirschfeld.

The Soviet tank front had reached Miswalde on 22.01.1945 at around 23 o'clock.

The place Reichenbach was therefore probably that place, which was the intersection of the two routes, and was consequently that place, which was decisive for our escape.

And we were in Reichenbach about 11 o'clock in the morning, about 2 hours after our departure from Löpen at 9 o'clock, and the Soviet troops were there probably only few hours later.

Christburg, district Stuhm. From Reichenbach the trek did not drive as planned to Christburg, but to Markushof.

Kreis Marienburg. In the district Marienburg, in the town Marienburg, lived Bruno Neumann with his wife Ida, née Mattern, and with their son Georg. Aunt Ida was the first of the six daughters of my grandmother. The town of Marienburg is not on the map Mohrungen.

I have quite a number of memories of Marienburg, since I have visited it several times.

Markushof, district Marienburg. The trek Preuß/Weiß/Gehrmann made a fodder break there on the 23.01.1945. In the escape diary Markushof is mentioned next after Löpen and after Reichenbach, still before Brodsende, which lies south east of Markushof.

Brodsende, district Stuhm. Trek Preuß/Weiß/Gehrmann, 23.01.1945

Miswalde, district Mohrungen. Wilhelmine Lemke, grandmother of Walter Preuß, died there on the 06.05.1914.

Taabern, south east of Miswalde; there is this entry in the escape diary; Friday, 2.03.1945 "Met family Kurkowski from Taabern near Miswalde on the way, who are also quartered here in the village, think that sister-in-law Liesbeth Preuß from Kolteney with her three children also left. "

Now follows the second graphic; it is Part2; it is the second eighth of the map, on the top.

Descriptions of details follow again after that.

^    Part2

On this second part of the map Mohrungen, Part2, the second eighth, on the top, the following details can be seen:

Neuendorf, district Preußisch Holland. My father, Walter Preuß, was born there on the 28.03.1898. His uncle Gustav Preuss, 3.9.1860-25.8.1940, was master smith and run the postal agency in Neuendorf.

Rogenen, district Preußisch Holland. Rogenen is the place where Grenzhöfen is next to it.

Grenzhöfen, district Preußisch Holland. The father of Walter Preuß, Gottfried Preuß, my grandfather, owed Grenzhöfen. My father grew up there.

Hagenau, district Mohrungen. There was the first overnight stay of the trek Preuß/Weiß on the 21./22.01.1945.

Maldeuten, district Morungen. Maldeuten was a railway change station, which was mentioned again and again. The trek Preuß/Weiß wanted to go from Mohrungen to Maldeuten; but since the road to Maldeuten was blocked, we drove via Hagenau. I believe that I can remember the railway station in Maldeuten. When we came there from a visit with Neumanns in Marienburg and sat in the train waiting to carry on to Horn, I noticed an advertising placard there at the railway building, which advertised wool, and was, according to such things today, very small. Advertising placards were then, particularly in rural areas, something unusual.

Alt-Krönau near Grünhagen, district Preußisch Holland. Wilhelmine Lemke, grandmother of Walter Preuß, was born there on the 15.05.1831.

Grünhagen, district Preußisch Holland. Gottfried Rueck and Christine Krause, great grandparents of Walter Preuß got married there on the 13.11.1810.

Now follows the third graphic; it is Part3; it is the third eighth, on the top.

After that again descriptions of details follow.

^    Part3

On this third part of the map Mohrungen, Part3, the third eighth, on the top, the following details can be seen:

Königsdorf, district Mohrungen, east of Hagenau, south of Kahlau. Christoph Weiss, grandfather of Lina Preuß, was born there on the 10.10.1842.

Reichertswalde, district Mohrungen, quite in the north of the district. Here another trek, very big trek, starts, which is mentioned on this website. It starts on the 22. January 1945, one day after the start of our trek – with corresponding results.

Schmauch, district Preußisch Holland, at the very top of the map. This is the first overnight stay, 22./23. January 1945, of the trek from Reichertswalde.

And now follows the fourth graphic; it is Part4; it is the upper right of the map.

The description of the details follows afterwards.

^    Part4

On this fourth part of the map Mohrungen, Part4, the eighth in the right upper corner, the following details can be seen, all of them in this district Mohrungen:

"x Hof Preuß" at the left, lower end of the Narien Lake, on a peninsular. The owners of this farm were Walter Preuß and Lina Preuß, née Mattern, my parents. I spent there the first six years of my life. I sometimes says that it were 500 years, the whole second half of the Thousand-year Empire. The borders of the farm are a handwritten entry, made by someone of our family. The buildings of the farmstead are also indicated. The red cross is in connection with the red cross at the lower edge of the map, Part8. There it says "x Hof Preuß". Above the word "Kranthau" is another handwritten entry, with pencil and shaded. It is a wood area belonging to my parents. Directly below the word "Kranthau" is another small area marked; it is land that also belongs to the farm Preuß.

On Sunday, the 21. January 1945, at 10 o’clock in the morning, the trek begins there. The route is directly to the south. My mother writes: "Over our and neighbour Steckel’s field to the main road." Steckel‘s field was normally not used by us as drive through area, since it was private property. We normally drove a detour. First in direction north; then towards the west into the village Kranthau and then towards the south to the main road. This detour was avoided on the 21th of January 1945 due to the hurry, but probably also to not drive through the village and draw the attention there. The order to escape only came the next day, and without the order to escape the fleeing was punished with death. The trek from Reichertswalde only started after the order to escape was issued, and there the way towards the west was already cut off. We did not keep to this and therefore had no losses.

This attitude of resistance of our family against the world and against the prince of this world determines the whole motivation drawing up this website, because it, this website, is a testimony of that God can do every thing, for example protect us. Job 42:2 says: "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted." To become aware of this, that God can do every thing, and to then live one’s life accordingly, is that what brings one the adoption of God. This verse 42:2 in the book Job of the Bible is that verse, of which one must know that it is the key verse in Job. Without this knowledge this book of the Bible is hardly understood. Only after Job and his friends understood this and lived accordingly, they became free of suffering. We should therefore recognize every occasion, also the most dramatic one, as God-given, and for that reason use it to advance the maturity of our soul.

I can remember the day we left our farm. We all sat on top of the wagon and wanted to set off, there my mother said, she wants to go once again into the house to fetch something and got off and went into the house. And I was sitting on the waggon and thought: "Let us get out of here."

But my mother always remained master of the situation and has probably taken along the right things. For example the driving licence of my father she took along and since he later had a transport business, this was helpful.

Also today I have this habit – let us get out of here – when the situation and the people go in the direction, which is away from God.

I can remember many events and things there on the farm.

We then reached the main road just east of the point where the main road crosses the railway line and there also probably joined the trek Weiß from Reichau. A more exact description of this situation can be found on the webpage Kranthau The map Kranthau also has handwritten entries.

14 Kilomtre east of our farm there is a place where four districts come together: Mohrungen, Heilsberg, Allenstein and Osterode. For about 1 kilometre the two districts Mohrungen and Allenstein have a common border.

Kranthau. The farmstead Preuß belonged to the village Kranthau and was also there before 1904, before the fire. There my grandfather, Leopold Mattern, was born on the 13.04.1862, and also his daughter, my mother, Lina Mattern, on the 21.04.1900. The place of death of Leopold Mattern is also given as Kranthau. He died on the 17.07.1926. It was a dramatic event for the big family, with ten children, and led to the situation that my mother took over the farm. But such situations are only then dramatic when one does not reckon with one's death every day, or with that of someone else. Both my grandfathers died before I was born.

Horn. Horn was the place where there were things like post office, railway station, and school for the people in Kranthau.

Eckersdorf was the place of the church of this parish. The pastor there, Johannes Kalff, and his wife Luise Kalff, were friends of my parents. Luise Kalff was a sister of the husband of Edith, the youngest of the six sisters. The husband of Edith was Karl Wasgindt; they lived in Preußisch Eylau and had a farm there. Preußisch Eylau was a district, which also like Mohrungen belongs to the government district Königsberg and which was north east of the district Mohrungen and did not border with the district Mohrungen. It lay between the district Mohrungen and the city Königsberg. Today the border between Poland and Russia goes straight through this district.

All six sisters were married to men, who were independent businessmen, four of them were farmers with their own farm.

Reichau. Reinhold, 30.01.1894-12.01.1978, and Emma Weiß, née Mattern, 23.03.1905-07.11.1977, lived in Reichau. Emma was the fourth of the six daughters of my grandparents. The trek Weiß started there on the 21.01.1945. I can remember the farmstead of the Reichauer, because there in the middle of the farmstead stood raised on a pole a pigeon-loft and this loft and the pigeons fascinated me. We had no pigeons on our farm.

Schwenkendorf. There Mr Kuschinski was estate administrator. Walter and Anneliese Kuschinski were friendly with my parents. I can remember that their two sons, they were probably a bit older than me, had many toys. The two once took me along to a place where many busses stood lined up and I thought they were good to play with, that had probably to do with military transport, but the two kept away from these busses, was probably not allowed to play with them.

Himmelforth. My grandmother Wilhelmine Mattern, née Weiß, was born in Himmelforth on the 01.02.1872. She was the mother of Lina Preuß, my mother.

One can see on the genealogical table that a large part of ancestors come from Himmelforth.

Except my grandmother Wilhelmine Mattern, née Weiss, I still got to know her 9 years younger sister, Ida Weiss, married Preuß - born 3.3.1881 - after the war.

Mohrungen. I was born in the hospital in Mohrungen on the 03.03.1939. My grandparents Leopold Mattern and Wilhelmine Weiß got married there on the 06.12.1894 in St. Peter-Paul. On the 21.01.1945 the trek Preuß/Weiß carried out a change of direction and did not go further to Maldeuten, but to Hagenau.

I have been several times in Mohrungen and have memories of the town. On the 21. January 1945 I was the last time there. It was the end of that town.

Seubersdorf. There an uncle of my father lived, Rudolf Preuß. He was the fourth son of my great grandparents. He was master smith. I can remember him very well. He was 13 years younger than my grandfather and was 90 when he died.

Neumannsruh. There is the following entry in the family documents: The estate Neumannsruh, owner Kreddig, Arthur, was 600 acres in size.

Ponarien. Ponarien lies at the north east end of the Lake Narien

The escape diary has on the 01.02.1946 this entry: "Reinhold reported: Countess Groeben, Ponarien, is dead. He has found her with chest shot in the woods and buried with a daughter of Bachmanns."

Polkehnen Polkehnen is north east of Liebstadt. The escape diary has on the 01.02.1946 this entry: "The old Uncle Eduard Mattern in Polkenen is also dead."

That could have been the brother of my grandfather Leopold Mattern. He is listed in the genealogical table as child of my great grandfather 36 Friedrich Mattern.

He was apparently younger than my grandfather, who was born 1862, was therefore 1946 younger than 84.

Klein Luzeinen. Klein Luzeinen is that neighbouring place to Kranthau, which is closest to it. It is at the south east end of the Nariensee. The escape diary has on the 01.02.1946 this entry: "The young Mrs Lange from Klein Luzainen was shot dead by the Russians, when she against Russian orders still went to feed the livestock."

Bergling. Bergling is mentioned in the escape diary on the 9.02.1946 and probably also on the 1.02.1946, only it is there written without a g, therefore Berling.

Willnau. Willnau is mentioned on the 9.02.1946 in the escape diary. Willnau south of Reichau, north of Klein Luzeinen.

Herzogswalde. Herzogswalde is mentioned in the escape diary on the 18.02.1945, only that it there written without an s. Herzogswalde is north of Reichau.

Now to the fifth graphic, Part5, it is the lower left corner of the map.

The description of details follows after it.

^    Part5

Bodenerhebungen. This map of the district Mohrungen is relative colourful and therefore gives an impression of the altitude differences. The district Mohrungen is assigned to the Oberland, the upper land, and that to show the difference to the northern neighbour district Preußisch Holland, which is just a little above sea level. The difference in height results in a distinctive structure, close by Löpen, in the east of Löpen. My neighbour Karl who has visited East Prussia as a tourist, who therefore has an interest in that land, has once told me that he has seen a television broadcast, in which his neighbour, Rudi Gehrmann, the youngest child of Gehrmanns in Löpen, was visiting there and came across a German television team and has explained to them and their cameras the plant, which he knew well from his childhood. There ships are pulled on wagons from below up and others are let down from the top to the bottom. The ships go there over mountains. The Oberländer Kanal can be seen on Part1 and Part2. On Part2 is in the district Preußisch Holland, at the border to the district Mohrungen recognizable: Geneigte Ebene No. 1 Buchwalde. Buchwalde is seen directly north of border, Löpen is south. And further north east: Geneigte Ebene No. 2 (inclined plane No. 2).

This water way is shown on the map on the top, at the Drausen See, as Oberländer Kanal, however further down as Oberlandischer, at Maldeuten. And at the very bottem of the map, near Osterode, as: Der Oberländische Kanal. And then in the Geserich-See as Oberländer Kanal and also as Oberländischer Canal.

Another stretch of water, which connects the Oberland with the land lying below, is the Liebe River, which gives Liebstadt the name. It has the Nariensee as source, in the extreme north of the lake, then flows in north east direction to Liebstadt and from there towards the north into the Passarge River.

"Already before the First World War the outlet of the Narien from the Hermenau bay was damned up before the Narien mill and further down in the Royer Wald, and own electricity generated with the help of four turbines for the estates, for Groß Hermenau and Royen."

On the map this altitude difference in the area from the Narien See to the Narien mill, Narien M., watermill, and the Royer Wald, Royer Forst, is recognizable in colour.

Now to the sixth graphic, Part6; it is the second lower eighth of the map.

The descriptions of the details follow afterwards.

^    Part6

Maßstab 1 : 100 000 und Zeichenerklärung (Scale 1 : 100 000 and symbol explanation). The longer one has a look at this map, the more interesting details are discovered. For example at the very bottom the red line is explained: Postautoverbindung (post-office bus connection). Therefore a post-office bus connection existed from Preußisch Holland to Mohrungen. And both towns were starting point and terminus; the line therefore did not exceed these two places. So there existed good connections between these two towns and their districts.

Therefore a railway line existed between Preußisch Holland and Mohrungen, over Maldeuten, and a post-office bus connection, which was direct.

While I am writing these lines, it is actually the first time, that I really study this map. I always believed that this map did not show the Schiefe Ebene, only with this study I found that it does.

The main reason why I studied this map was to find the places which are in the genealogical table.

Now to the seventh graphic, Part7; it is the seventh part, at the bottom.

The description of the details follows after that.

^    Part7

Sonnenborn. Here the entry 13.01.1946 exists in the escape diary and there "Trude visited grand aunt Weiß from Sonnenborn last week, who only on the 7. November left Sonnenborn, was expelled, chucked out by the Poles! 3 days before the Winkenhagener obviously left there: Aunt Ida, uncle Adolf and Lieschen Münnekhoff with her 2 small children. But how did they get out and where are they now? Aunt Weiß from Sonnenborn is to be very miserable and not recognizable at all."

Winkenhagen. Here exists the same entry 13.01.1946.

In the genealogical table Winkenhagen is mentioned: 55.

There is found with Justine Otto: 15 years old. Children: 16, 5 of them living: Wilhelmine, x1.2.1872, Ida, married Preuß, Winkenhagen x3.3.1881 (+30.5.1961), Emma, married Eissing, x13.4.1885, Friedrich, Dr., Agrc. Dir., x 26.5.1892, married +22.5.1975 in Mölln, Hanna, married Eissing, x1883

Wilhelmine was my grandmother; Ida was her sister and I have also got to know her after the war, I believe. And that can be right, when she has lived until 1961. Also Lieschen Münnekhoff I have got to know at this occasion.

Between Sonnenborn and Winkenhagen was Bärting and the Bärting See. To row over the lake was probably faster than to drive around it.

Now to the eighth graphic, Part8; it the eighth part, at the bottom.

The description of details follows afterwards.

^    Part8

"x Hof Preuß". This is the already above mentioned handwritten red entry on the map. This map is therefore a document of the family. This entry is therefore a genuine addition to the legend.

Osterode , district Osterode. In Osterode lived Kurt Pelz with his wife Gertrud Pelz, née Mattern. Gertrud was the fifth of the six sisters. With her I had many meetings until her high age. I can remember well that I got from her a colourfully painted wooden truck as toy. That was just after the war, when it was difficult to get anything at all. At the end of the war she lived in Marienburg in West Prussia and after the war she had employment at the estate Marienburg south of Hildesheim, and I visited her there and there was a washbasin and its plug was operated with a lever, opened and closed. That fascinated me.

Allenstein. The district Allenstein is shown on the map to the right. My father once took me with him on a trip there and in town was a circus. He now did not take me to a performance of the circus, but to the show of animals. And there he and I were almost exclusively interested in the elephants. We therefore stood directly before these big animals and observed them. Big horses were in any case interesting to us, but these Elephants were indeed much larger. And that was genuine natural life, not like in a circus performance, where there is something artificial, what is unnatural.

Now we come to the two last graphics, Part9 and Part10. They show the cover of the map and there stands: Heimatkarte des Kreises Mohrungen mit Entfernungsangaben, Maßstab 1 : 100 000, Preis 1,10 RM. Verlag Geogr. Institut Paul Baron, Liegnitz.

And on the inside of the cover is the handwritten black entry "Preuß Kranthau", twice.

The way of writing the letter "ß" is so that the first ß was not written in German letters, as otherwise mostly usual, but in Latin, and that the second ß, with the use of printed letters, was not written as ß, what indeed can be done, but as double-s. This way of writing has the advantage that it can be understood internationally, where the letter ß is relatively unknown. That I write my name at the end with a double-s, is therefore already based on family tradition, and not only on preventing international difficulties.

A comparison of writings of my mother shows quite clearly that both entries were made by my mother.

^    Part9

^    Part10

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