The church in Heiligenwalde was built in 1344. The nave and the chancel are of round fieldstones plastered with lime. The corners are of brick, and so are the window and door reveals. The tower was built later. The tower roof is covered with flat tiles and ends in a low octagonal lantern. The slender dome is clad in copper. The weathervane bears the coat of arms of the first King in Prussia and the year 1721. The nave has four diagonal buttresses. The chancel has no buttresses. There are no windows on the north side. The triumphal arch is almost round. The sacristy (an annex on the north side) houses a beautiful medieval carved figure of the Virgin of 1510. The church also holds several wood-carved figures, among them a figure of Saint Nicholas of 1500. Altarpiece of 1690. Pulpit of 1675. Organ with Rococo ornament of 1761. Confessional of 1671. A large bell of 1855 and one small bell.
The village and the church were not damaged during the war. A scheduled Kaliningrad–Ushakovo bus runs here. The old German houses are in a neglected state, and some of them are abandoned. A small number of new brick and wooden buildings have been put up.
Gothic wooden sculptures from Heiligenwalde Church.
Heiligenwalde Church was luckier than others, even though the first director of the state farm sold its beautiful wooden sculptures to Lithuania. It looks more attractive than most other churches of the same age in the region.
Interior of the nave of Heiligenwalde Church.
In the summer of 1994 the church turned 650; former German residents and today's Russian ones celebrated together, and a church service was held in the church.
After 1994, thanks to the head of the local school, the gradual revival of the ancient church began. Restoration was carried out with money from former residents of Heiligenwalde and other sponsors, and as early as 2007 a concert was held in it.
Photos: Bildarchiv Ostpreußen;
Mikhail Ogorodnikov (at the very top, 2020).
Translated from Russian with the help of AI (Claude, Anthropic), October 2026.
