A small stronghold on a high tongue of land
The 18th-century tract on the Vier Brüder-Säule (Four Brothers’ Column) preserves a detailed note about Connowedit: in “old times” it stood between Caporn and Maargen, about 300 paces from the latter’s outwork (once called “Vorwerk Marien”), right by the Frisches Haff (Vistula Lagoon) on a forested hill shaped like a tongue jutting into the water—steep on the Haff side. The same source notes an older map where the place is labelled “Connobedit”, implying pre-Christian origins.
In the period remembered by the source, Connowedit was held “for the Order” by Martin Golin. From the site one could survey the width of the Haff, and the castle is described as a small but stout fort, a key to the entrance of the Pregel—later complemented across the water by Brandenburg Castle (built for Margrave Otto of Brandenburg in 1266) on the Natangian side.
The promontory has been gnawed away over centuries by storm-driven waves and ice: much of the hill collapsed, and with it the remains of the fort. When the lagoon lies exceptionally low, foundation stones are said to be visible; urns and grave goods (spears, knives, rings, horse-tackle) have been found in the area—evidence of an ancient burial ground.
Where was it?
The notice places Connowedit on the Samland (Sambia) shore of the lagoon, in or near the Kaporner Heide, a name linked to the Old Prussian word kapurnei (“burial mound”). Caporn later formed an administrative district; the famous Vier Brüder-Säule stood in this heath and was repeatedly renewed into the modern era.
Why it matters
Connowedit sits at the intersection of Prussian, Teutonic, and Old Prussian layers of the Samland coast: a lookout over trade and passage into the Pregel; a memory bound up with the Kaporner heath and the Four Brothers’ memorial; and a reminder that whole sites can slip—literally—into the water.
Further reading & sources
- Schloß Connowedit (Preußische Kuriositäten)
- Facsimile and transcription of the 18th-century notice.
- Background on the Kaporner Heide and the Four Brothers’ memorial.
