Rudau was founded in 1270 as a castle of the Teutonic Order (according to other sources, in 1263), although a settlement of the Prussians had existed here earlier. In 1291 an Order mill was built here. At the beginning of the 14th century the castle was rebuilt in stone. In 1370 a battle took place near Rudau between the Teutonic Knights and a Lithuanian army commanded by Algirdas and Kęstutis. In the Battle of Rudau the Marshal of the Order, Henning Schindekopf, was mortally wounded, but the Order's army won a decisive victory over the Lithuanians. To commemorate this event, a chapel was erected in Rudau on the orders of Grand Master Winrich von Kniprode. In the 16th century Rudau Castle fell into considerable disrepair; it was partly dismantled, and one of its wings was rebuilt as a church.
In 1525 the Kammeramt Rudau was merged with Pobethen and Grünhoff. The Rudau parish began to function at the same time. In 1764 Rudau church was damaged by lightning, and in 1818 by a hurricane. It was repaired in 1820–28. By 1830 Rudau had a mill, a tavern and five farmhands' households.
In the 19th century Rudau was a village forming a rural community in the Landkreis Fischhausen (from 1939 the Landkreis Samland). Rudau church was the parish church for 30 villages and estates.
In 1874 Amtsbezirk No. 25 Rudau was established in the Landkreis Fischhausen; besides the community itself, it comprised the Gutsbezirke Heybüchen (part of Melnikovo), Maldaiten (Fyodorovo) and Sandhof (part of Melnikovo). A resident of Rudau, the pharmacist Klein, held the post of head of the Amtsbezirk from 1914.
On 27 November 1886 the Gutsbezirk Heybüchen (part of Melnikovo) was abolished and incorporated into the Rudau community. On 25 June 1904 the Gutsbezirk Jaxen (part of Melnikovo) from the Amtsbezirk Laptau (Muromskoye) was incorporated into the Rudau community. On 26 September 1905 the Gutsbezirk Sandhof (part of Melnikovo) was abolished and likewise incorporated into the rural community of Rudau. As a result, the Amtsbezirk Rudau came to consist of the rural community of Rudau (Melnikovo) and the Gutsbezirk Maldaiten (Fyodorovo). A little later the separate Gutsbezirk Ekritten (Vetrovo) split off from the Gutsbezirk Maldaiten (Fyodorovo) and became part of the Amtsbezirk Rudau.
On 30 September 1928 the Gutsbezirke Ekritten (Vetrovo) and Maldaiten (Fyodorovo), as well as the Gutsbezirk Backeln (Kudrinka) from the Amtsbezirk Schugsten (Beryozovka), became part of the Rudau community. The Amtsbezirk Rudau came to consist of the single rural community of Rudau, and its composition did not change again.
Jaxen was an estate in the Landkreis Fischhausen (from 1939 the Landkreis Samland). In 1874, when the Amtsbezirk Laptau (Muromskoye) was established, the Gutsbezirk Jaxen became part of it. The Jaxen estate existed as a constituent of the Amtsbezirk Laptau until 1904, when it lost its independence and was incorporated into the Rudau community (Melnikovo).
Abbau Blaublum was a small settlement in the Landkreis Fischhausen (from 1939 the Landkreis Samland). The settlement belonged to the parish of Rudau. In practice it belonged to the Laptau community (Muromskoye). From 1901 it was officially part of the Laptau community (Muromskoye).
Heybüchen was a small village in the Landkreis Fischhausen (from 1939 the Landkreis Samland). From 1896 it was part of the Rudau community. The settlement's parish was also located there.
Sandhof was an estate forming a Gutsbezirk in the Landkreis Fischhausen. Its parish was in Rudau. From 1874 it was part of the Amtsbezirk Rudau. On 19 November 1904 the Sandhof estate became public property. In 1905 the Gutsbezirk Sandhof was abolished and incorporated into the Rudau community.
Kemsie was a Vorwerk in the Gutsbezirk Maldaiten (Fyodorovo) of the Landkreis Fischhausen (from 1939 the Landkreis Samland). The Vorwerk belonged to the parish of Rudau (Melnikovo). In 1928, together with the abolished Gutsbezirk, it became part of the rural community of Rudau.
In January 1945 Rudau was taken without a fight by units of the 11th Army. On 17 June 1947 Rudau was renamed the settlement of Melnikovo.
The Melnikovo Village Council of the Primorsk District was created at the same time and existed until 1959. The other villages and Vorwerke that became part of Melnikovo were not officially renamed and became part of Melnikovo de facto. In 1955 the settlement had 50 farmsteads. After the Melnikovo Village Council was abolished, the settlement became part of the Muromskoye Village Council. As of 2019 the settlement had a school, a library, a post office, a livestock farm, two construction companies and a tourist centre.
Coordinates of the settlement: 54°52'24'' N 20°27'33'' E (Rudau, centre), 54°52'30'' N 20°28'22'' E (Jaxen), 54°52'33'' N 20°27'53'' E (Abbau Blaublum), 54°52'41'' N 20°27'33'' E (Heybüchen), 54°52'31'' N 20°27'08'' E (Kemsie), 54°52'35'' N 20°26'59'' E (Sandhof).
Sights: the ruins of the church (1270), pre-war buildings.
Population change of Rudau: 1830 – 200, 1844 – 283, 1858 – 329, 1895 – 493, 1919 – 713, 1933 – 1010, 1939 – 1052 inhabitants.
Population of Jaxen: 1905 – 31 inhabitants.
Population of Abbau Blaublum: 1905 – 6 inhabitants.
Population of the Sandhof estate: 1905 – 39 inhabitants.
Population of Kemsie: 1905 – 14 inhabitants.
Population of Heybüchen: 1905 – 13 inhabitants.
For reference
List of localities in the Rudau parish: Adamsheide (54°50'35'' N 20°23'17'' E), Abbau Blaublum (part of Melnikovo), the Dammwalde forestry (Forsthaus Dammwalde; 54°48'31'' N 20°26'48'' E), Dollkeim (Kovrovo), Eisselbitten (Sirenevo), Ekritten (Vetrovo), Friedrichswalde (Opornoye), Georghöhe (Zashchitnoye), Gersthenen (Nadezhdino), Grünhoff (Roshchino), Heybüchen (part of Melnikovo), Jaxen (part of Melnikovo), Kirschnehnen (Vasilkovo), Kemsie (part of Melnikovo), Maldaiten (Fyodorovo), Michelau (Kamenka), Mogahnen (Motevelovo), Nadrau (Nizovka), Nautzau (Kovrovo), Pluttwinnen (Vershinino), Perkuiken (54°49'24'' N 20°26'37'' E), Ringels (Iskrovo), Rudau (Melnikovo), Sandhof (part of Melnikovo), Saßlauken (part of Vasilkovo), Sergitten (Seryozhkino), Sporwitten (54°50'48'' N 20°25'35'' E), Tedtken (Korchagino), Weischkitten (Sokolniki), Wittenen (Karasino).
Modern photos by Mikhail Ogorodnikov.
Translated from Russian with the help of AI (Claude, Anthropic), October 2026.
