Kreis Rastenburg

The Rastenburg district was reduced in size on February 1, 1818 and became part of Regierungsbezirk Königsberg in the Prussian province of East Prussia.

It initially included the parishes of Bartenstein, Bäslack, Falkenau, Gallingen, Groß Schwansfeld, Gudnick, Lamgarben, Langheim, Leunenburg, Paaris, Rastenburg, Schönfließ-Tolksdorf, Schwarzstein and Wenden.

In September 1940, not far from Rastenburg, in the Görlitzer Forest near the small town of Görlitz, the Wolf's Lair headquarters was set up under the highest degree of secrecy during the preparations for the war in the east.

In the summer of 1945, the Rastenburg district was placed under Polish administration by the Soviets in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement, together with the southern half of East Prussia.

The German inhabitants of the district were subsequently expelled by the local Polish administrative authorities.