Austagirren is first mentioned in 1302. After 1540 it was called Auctigirren, and from 1820 Aukstagirren. By the 19th century it was a village forming a rural community in the Landkreis Labiau (Polessk). The village belonged to the parish of Laukischken (Saranskoye). In 1874 the Berßgirren community was included in the newly established Amtsbezirk Groß Baum (Sosnovka). In 1909 Austagirren got a parish of its own, which included several localities from the parish of Laukischken (Saranskoye). In 1923–26 a parish church was built here to a design by the Königsberg architect Friedrich Lahrs (it was opened for services in 1925). On 30 September 1929 the Austagirren community lost its independence and was incorporated into the new rural community of Groß Baum (Sosnovka).
Groß Baum was founded in the 18th century and was a village forming a rural community in the Landkreis Labiau (Polessk). The village belonged to the parish of Laukischken (Saranskoye).
In 1874 Amtsbezirk No. 18 was established in the Landkreis Labiau (Polessk), comprising eight rural communities: Austagirren (part of Sosnovka), Berßgirren (from 1938 Birkenhöfen, Armeyskoye), Groß Baum (part of Sosnovka), Groß Kirschnakeim (from 1938 Kirschkeim, Fevralskoye), Kallweninken (Fevralskoye), Klein Kirschnakeim (from 1938 Kleinschanzkrug, Fevralskoye), Pogarblauken (from 1938 Pogarben, part of Beryozovka) and Szanzell (from 1938 Schanzkrug, Malyshevo). Residents of Groß Baum headed the Amtsbezirk in 1881–1931 and in 1945. By 1908 the Gutsbezirk Kirschnakeim, Mühle and the forester's lodge Forsthaus Kallweninken (part of Malyshevo), as part of the forest Gutsbezirk Gertkauken, Forst (Novaya Derevnya), had also been included in the Amtsbezirk Groß Baum.
In 1909 the new parish of Austagirren (Sosnovka) was created, and the Groß Baum community came to belong to it.
On 30 September 1928 the Gutsbezirk Kirschnakeim, Mühle became part of the rural community of Groß Kirschnakeim (Fevralskoye). On 30 September 1929 the rural communities of Austagirren (Sosnovka) and Groß Baum (Sosnovka) were merged into a new rural community of Groß Baum. The Groß Baum community also received part of the forest Gutsbezirk Neu Sternberg, including the head forestry office Oberförsterei Neu Sternberg (part of Sosnovka), the forester's lodges Försterei Groß Baum (inter-district forestry office), Försterei Wasgien (part of Sosnovka) and Försterei Schwentoie (Sosnovka forestry office), and more than 8 ha of land. At the same time the rural communities of Kallweninken (Fevralskoye), Klein Kirschnakeim (Fevralskoye) and Szanzell (Malyshevo), together with the Kallweninken forester's lodge (part of Malyshevo), were merged into a new rural community of Szanzell. On 9 April 1931 the communities of Florweg (Lesnoye) and Szargillen (from 1938 Eichenrode, Bogatovo) passed from the Amtsbezirk Neu Sternberg to the Amtsbezirk Groß Baum. As a result, the Amtsbezirk Groß Baum consisted of seven rural communities: Berßgirren (Armeyskoye), Florweg (Lesnoye), Groß Baum (Sosnovka), Groß Kirschnakeim (Fevralskoye), Pogarblauken (Fevralskoye), Szanzell (Malyshevo) and Szargillen (Bogatovo). The last change in its composition came on 1 April 1938, when the Berßgirren community (Armeyskoye) became part of the Groß Baum community (Sosnovka). 
Before the war Groß Baum had a school, a sawmill and a coaching inn.
The Groß Baum forester's lodge belonged to the forest Gutsbezirk Neu Sternberg, Forst. The lodge belonged to the parish of Laukischken (Saranskoye). From 1883, as part of the forest Gutsbezirk Neu Sternberg, it belonged to the Amtsbezirk Neu Sternberg. From 30 September 1929 it was part of the rural community of Groß Baum (Sosnovka).
The Neu Sternberg head forestry office formed the forest Gutsbezirk of the same name in the Landkreis Labiau (Polessk). The head forestry office belonged to the parish of Laukischken (Saranskoye). The forest Gutsbezirk also included the forester's lodges Forsthaus Florweg (part of Lesnoye), Groß Baum (part of Sosnovka), Forsthaus Lucknojen (from 1938 Försterei Neuenrode, 54°52'05'' N 21°18'45'' E), Schwentoie (part of Sosnovka) and Wasgien (part of Sosnovka), as well as the forest colonies of Szargillen (Bogatovo), Klein Rudlauken (Petino), Yorksdorf (from 1906 Jorksdorf, Petino), Petruschkehmen (part of Beryozovka), Burgsdorf (part of Beryozovka), Friedrichsfelde (part of Beryozovka) and Schönwalde (part of Beryozovka).
The Wasgien forester's lodge belonged to the forest Gutsbezirk Neu Sternberg, Forst. The lodge belonged to the parish of Laukischken (Saranskoye). From 1883, as part of the forest Gutsbezirk Neu Sternberg, it belonged to the Amtsbezirk Neu Sternberg. From 30 September 1929 it was part of the rural community of Groß Baum (Sosnovka).
The Schwentoie forester's lodge belonged to the forest Gutsbezirk Neu Sternberg, Forst. The lodge belonged to the parish of Laukischken (Saranskoye). From 1883, as part of the forest Gutsbezirk Neu Sternberg, it belonged to the Amtsbezirk Neu Sternberg. From 30 September 1929 it was part of the rural community of Groß Baum (Sosnovka).
On 22 January 1945 Groß Baum and Austagirren were taken by units of the Red Army's 39th Army.
On 17 June 1947 Austagirren and Groß Baum were merged and renamed the settlement of Sosnovka. The Sosnovka Village Council was created at the same time. The four forester's lodges around Sosnovka were not officially renamed and became part of Sosnovka de facto. In 1955 Sosnovka had 68 houses, a school, a sawmill and a poultry farm. A forestry enterprise (leskhoz) was opened on the site of the Neu Sternberg head forestry office. In 1973 the settlement had 133 houses, and in 1975, 193. There were also a school, a poultry farm and the forestry enterprise, and the Sosnovka forestry office was set up on the site of the Schwentoie forester's lodge. As of 2011 the settlement had 180 houses (39 of them two-family and 31 multi-family), 331 households. An inter-district forestry enterprise was set up on the site of the Groß Baum forester's lodge, and the "Forester's House" hotel complex was opened on the site of the Neu Sternberg head forestry office.
Coordinates of the settlement: 54°49'29'' N 21°21'14'' E (Groß Baum), 54°49'20'' N 21°20'26'' E (Austagirren), 54°48'49'' N 21°21'21'' E (Neu Sternberg head forestry office), 54°49'39'' N 21°21'55'' E (Groß Baum forester's lodge), 54°50'13'' N 21°20'53'' E (Wasgien forester's lodge), 54°48'11'' N 21°21'56'' E (Schwentoie forester's lodge).
Sights: the church (1923–26); a memorial plaque from Groß Baum church to those who fell in the First World War, on the grounds of the "Forester's House" hotel; a mass grave of Soviet soldiers (30 people, monument of 1948); a monument to I.I. Zvaryka, a scout of the "Jack" reconnaissance group (1983). Pre-war maps also show a glacial erratic boulder (54°48'26'' N 21°21'20'' E) and the Bismarck Oak (54°49'23'' N 21°21'5145'' E). Their present condition needs to be verified.
Population change: 1933 – 821, 1939 – 1036, 2002 – 805, 2010 – 742, 2011 – 888 inhabitants.
Population change of the Austagirren community: 1905 – 529, 1910 – 553 inhabitants.
Population change of Groß Baum: 1895 – 287, 1910 – 295 inhabitants.
Population change of the merged Groß Baum community: 1933 – 821, 1939 – 1036 inhabitants.
Population of the Groß Baum forester's lodge: 1905 – 5 inhabitants.
Population of the Wasgien forester's lodge: 1905 – 9 inhabitants.
Population of the Schwentoie forester's lodge: 1905 – 8 inhabitants.
Population of the Lucknojen forester's lodge: 1905 – 8 inhabitants.
Modern photos by Egidijus Baranauskas.
Translated from Russian with the help of AI (Claude, Anthropic), October 2026.
