First mentioned by Teutonic Order in macher colony
documents in 1429 and 1497, the settlement was originally 5 km south of
today's position near the Hohe Düne
(high dune) at Grabscher Haken
(Old Prussian grabis = hill).
The fishing village became part of the Duchy of Prussia in 1525 and the Kingdom
of Prussia in 1701.
Continuously threatened by sand drifts, the
village was moved away from the dune to
