Olkhovatka (Kaliningrad region)

It is part of the Kalininsky rural settlement .

A village called Walterkiem is mentioned in 1539 and 1542.

The parish of Walterkemen was established in 1607, but the construction of the church was delayed until 1717, and already in 1753 the building of the church required overhaul.

On June 3, 1938 (officially approved on July 16), the name Walterkemen was replaced by Gross Waltersdorf as part of a campaign to rename toponyms not sounding in the German manner.

On October 19, 1944, units of the 2nd Guards Tank Corps and the 31st Rifle Division continued their advance towards the border of the Krasnaya River (Rominte). Here, in the Gross Waltersdorf area, the Germans concentrated the forces of the 76th Infantry Regiment, more than 30 tanks and two artillery divisions. On October 21, 1944, after stubborn battles, the 25th Panzer Brigade, with the assistance of units of the 83rd Infantry Division, occupied Gross Waltersdorf. On the night of October 23, 1944, the 1st and 16th Guards Rifle Divisions were deployed here, gaining a foothold on the eastern shore of Romint.

On October 22, the German command, concentrating on the flanks of two shock groups (the 2nd parachute-motorized division "German Goering", the 5th Panzer and 61st infantry divisions and the motorized brigade "Führer"), launched a strong counterattack, trying to reach the line Romine at Gross-Waltersdorf to cut off the advanced formations of the 11th Army and the 2nd Tank Corps and defeat them. Soviet troops began to retreat to positions near Rominte and from October 27 went over to the defensive. The front line stabilized here until January 16, 1945, when parts of the 11th Rifle Corps of the 2nd Guards Army went on the offensive.

Regional significance:

• Kirche 1653

Local value:

• Mass grave of Soviet soldiers who died in January 1945;
• Burial place of Russian and German soldiers who died in August 1914.