The Market Place


The Ozyorsk (Darkemen) market place was highly impressive because of its trading area – 3,25 ha. It was the biggest market place in the Kaliningrad Oblast. Between 1896 and 1897 there had been a post office built there, which survived till today. There is also the former Gustaw Korth’s House, built in 1903 and the former hotel Reiners Hof, in which, in 1807 dwelled the king of Prussia Frederik Willhelm III with his wife Louisa and the emperor of Russia Alexander III at the market place.
At the end of 19th century, the monument of the victims of Austro-Prussian war with Napoleon of 1806 and French-Prussian of 1866 and 1870-1871 had been raised at the west frontage of the market place. The names of the victims and other inscriptions are placed on the four sides of the pedestal and on the top, there was a Prussian Eagle. After World War II, a bust of Stalin was placed on the extant pedestal and later, in the sixties – a bust of Lenin.