Ordensburg Krössinsee

Ordensburg Krössinsee
Section of Ordensburg Krössinsee
General information
Status	Complete
Architectural style	Nazi architecture
Location	Złocieniec
Owner	Polish Armed Forces

Ordensburg Krössinsee (also Crössinsee) was the first of three NS-Ordensburgen, educational centers constructed in Germany in the 1930s for cadres of the Nazi Party. It was built near what was then the city of Falkenburg in Pomerania, today Złocieniec in Poland.

Today, this former Nazi training centre is used by the 2nd Battalion, 12th Tank Brigade of the Polish Land Forces.

The groundbreaking for Ordensburg Krössinsee was on 22 April 1934. It was designed by the Cologne architect Clemens Klotz. The vast construction of rustic stone buildings with granite foundations was built at a cost of 20 million Reichsmarks, and the facility was officially dedicated on 24 April 1936. On 16 May 1941, the Ordensburg was renamed "Die Falkenburg am Krössinsee" (The Castle Falkenburg at Lake Krössin) by the Reichs Minister of Labor, Dr. Ley, Robert. On 29 June 1944, a small portion of the complex was destroyed by fire.

Ordensburg Krössinsee was one of three NS-Ordensburgen, the others being Ordensburg Sonthofen in Allgäu and Ordensburg Vogelsang in Eifel. A fourth was planned, but never built, at (the historic) Ordensburg Marienburg in West Prussia, known today as Malbork Castle in Poland.

The Commander of the Ordensburg was Otto Gohdes. Cadets, known as Ordens Junkers, were required to be at least 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 m), between 23 and 26 years old, racially pure and in good health without any physical limitations. At the outbreak of World War II, a very high percentage of Junkers were killed in action.