INSTERBURG, a town in the province of East Prussia, at the point where Angerapp and Inster join to form the Pregel, 57 m. E. of Konigsberg by the railway to Eydtkuhnen, and at the junction of lines to Memel and Allenstein. Pop. (1933) 41,216. Insterburg, the "burg" on the Inster, was founded in the 14th century by the knights of the Teutonic order. Having passed to the margraves of Brandenburg, the village which had sprung up round the castle received civic privileges in 1583. During the next cen tury it prospered greatly, partly owing to the settlement in it of several Scottish trading families. In 1679 it was besieged by the Swedes ; in 1690 it suffered severely from a fire ; and in 1710-11 from pestilence. The town church is celebrated for its fine wood carvings. Besides flax-spinning and iron-founding, Insterburg has manufactures of machinery, cement, leather and beer, along with a considerable trade in cereals and wood, while horse-breeding is extensively carried on in the neighbourhood.