East Prussia: history and modernity. Map, borders, castles and cities, culture of East Prussia

The opening shot shows the former Königsberg North Station and the German tunnel leading to it right under the main square. Despite all the horrors of the war, the Kaliningrad region amazes with its perfectly preserved German infrastructure: here it is not only railways, stations, canals, ports and airfields - it is even power lines! Which, however, is quite logical: churches and castles - pr O the damned ruins of a defeated enemy, and the people need railway stations and substations.

And one more thing: yes, it is clearly seen that a hundred years ago Germany was significantly ahead of Russia in development ... but not as much as you might think from this post, because the history of these lands into "before" and "after" was not broken in 1917 , and 1945, that is, to compare all this with the early Soviet Union, and not with the Russian Empire.

...To begin with, by tradition - a review of comments. Firstly, Albertina in Germany was far from the second and hardly if the tenth. Secondly, photos No. 37 (now it really is a sample of the Bauhaus) and No. 48 (now it has something more similar to the architecture of the Third Reich, albeit a little earlier) have been replaced. In addition, as they pointed out to me, I understood the "new materiality" in a completely non-canonical way - in general, very little is known about this style in Russia, a sensible selection of photographs was found in the English Wikipedia, and there one can appreciate that it is very diverse. So my characteristic of this style is only a subjective, emotional perception of its samples seen in the Kaliningrad region.... Well, now - further:

In Königsberg there were two large stations (North and South) and many small stations like Rathoff or Hollenderbaum. However, I will have a separate post about the transport attractions of Kaliningrad, here I will show only the most important thing - the landing stage. This is the rarest thing in the former USSR - there are still such ones in Moscow (Kievsky and Kazansky railway stations), St. Under the landing stage there are high platforms, underground passages ... in general, the level is not at all for the Russian regional center. The station itself, on the contrary, is small and cramped, in Russia such were sometimes built even in cities that were inferior to Koenigsberg in population of every 5: there was simply a different railway school, unlike either Russian or. The inscription on three spans - "Welcome to Kaliningrad", also somehow not in Russian, but in a completely different sense.

I think it's not a secret for anyone that small Germany is one of the main railway powers in the world ... but like Russia, it took a long time to gain momentum. It is interesting, at the same time, that in the forefront of railway construction there was not Prussia at all, but Bavaria, in 1835, the 5th in the world (after England, USA, France and - with a difference of six months - Belgium) to open a steam locomotive line. The Adler (Eagle) steam locomotive was purchased in England, and the Nuremberg-Fürth line itself was even more suburban than Tsarskoselskaya: 6 kilometers, and nowadays you can travel by metro between the two cities. In 1837-39, the Leipzig-Dresden line (117 kilometers) was built, in 1838-41 - Berlin-Potsdam (26 km), and then ... During the years, the Bromberg (now Bydgoszcz) - Königsberg line was also built, reaching the farthest from the center of the German city. Within the current borders of Russia, Kaliningrad is the third (after St. Petersburg and Moscow) large city with a railway. However, after 5 years the German railways, but during these five years the whole East Prussia managed to sprout with them.

To be honest, I don't know anything about the age of German train stations, and I haven't seen so many of them. I will just say that in their arrangement at small stations they differ from Russian ones much less than Austro-Hungarian ones. It's easy to imagine such a station ... but in general, at any station up to Vladivostok.

Much more interesting is the fact that many stations (offhand Chernyakhovsk, Sovetsk, Nesterov) are equipped here with such canopies over the tracks - here again, this is the prerogative of big cities and their suburbs. However, here you need to understand that in Russia most of the year the main discomfort for passengers was created by frost, so a large heated station was more expedient, and even colder on the platform under a canopy; here rain and wind were the most relevant.

Many stations nevertheless died in the war and were replaced by Stalinist ones:

But something else is interesting here: after the war, the length of the railway network on the territory of the Kaliningrad region was reduced by three times - from 1820 to 620 kilometers, that is, there are probably hundreds of railway stations scattered across the region. Alas, I did not notice any of them, but something is close:

This is Otradnoye, a suburb of Svetlogorsk. From the latter, a railway, abandoned since the 1990s, leads to Primorsk, and its rusty rails, by some miracle, still lie. The house is adjacent to the embankment, in the direction of which beams stick out from it. The second entrance leads to the door to nowhere. That is, apparently, it was residential or office building the beginning of the twentieth century, part of which was occupied by the station:

Or here is the abandoned Yantarny station on the same line - if not the rails, who would guess that this is a station?

However, if you believe the map of active and disassembled lines, then the network has decreased by about a third, at most by half, but not three times. But the fact is that in Germany a hundred years ago there was a dense network of narrow-gauge railways (gauge, like ours, 750mm), and, apparently, it also entered these 1,823 kilometers. Be that as it may, in Germany at the end of the 19th century, almost any village could be reached by public transport. Often, narrow-gauge railways had their own stations, the essence of which is usually not remembered even by old-timers - after all, trains have not run from them for almost 70 years. For example, at the Gvardeysk station, opposite the main station:

Or here's a suspicious building in Chernyakhovsk. The Insterburg narrow-gauge railway existed, had its own station, this building with its backyards facing the tracks ... in general, it looks like:

In addition, in the Kaliningrad region there are sections of the "Stephenson" gauge (1435 mm), rare for Russia, on the lines leading from Kaliningrad and Chernyakhovsk to the south - only about 60 kilometers. For example, the Znamenka station, from where I went to Balga - the left path seemed to me a bit narrower than the right; if I am not mistaken, there is one "Stephenson" track at the South Station. More recently, the Kaliningrad-Berlin train went through Gdynia:

In addition to the stations, all sorts of auxiliary buildings are well preserved. Most stations on the other side of the tracks have such cargo terminals ... however, they are not rare in Russia either.

In some places, hydrants for refueling steam locomotives have survived - though, I don't know, pre- or post-war:

But the most valuable of these monuments is the circular depot of the 1870s in Chernyakhovsk, now turned into a parking lot. The archaic buildings that replaced the "locomotive sheds" and subsequently gave way to a fan-shaped depot with turntables were nevertheless very perfect for their time. Six of them have survived along the Eastern Highway: two in Berlin, as well as in the cities of Pila (Schneidemühl), Bydgoszcz (Bromberg), Tczew (Dirschau) and here.

There are similar structures (or have they already been broken?) In Russia on the Nikolayevskaya Main Line, we have them (were?) Even larger and older (1849), but the pride of the Insterburg Depot is the only "Schwedler dome" in Russia, extremely light for its time and as subsequent times showed - very durable: Unlike the capital, no one is going to break it. There are similar structures in Germany and Poland.

Finally, bridges ... But there are somehow few bridges - after all, the rivers in the region are narrow, even the Pregolya is noticeably smaller than the Moskva River, and the railway bridge across the Neman in Sovetsk was restored after the war. Here is the only "small" bridge I saw on the Chernyakhovsk-Zheleznodorozhny line, and it seems like one of its threads - the "Stephenson" track. Under the bridge is not a river, but another interesting object - the Masurian Canal, which will be discussed later. And concrete German "hedgehogs", which are lying around the region immensely:

Things are much better with bridges over railways... I don't know exactly when they were built (possibly before the First World War), but their most characteristic detail is such concrete trusses that I have never come across in other places:

But the 7-arched bridge across the Pregolya in Znamensk (1880) is quite metal:

And now under us is no longer rails, but asphalt. Or - paving stones: here it is found not only in rural areas, but even outside settlements. This is how you drive yourself on the asphalt, and suddenly - trrrrrrrrrrrtttrrrr ... It gives a disgusting vibration, but it is not slippery on it. Paving stones are still paved with cities, including Kaliningrad itself, and someone told me that stones in it lie from all over the world, since in the old days cargo ships carried them as ballast and sold them in loading ports. In a damp climate, there was simply no other choice - in Russia the roads periodically "transported", and in winter there was even slippery snow, but here the porridge was constantly on them. I have already shown this frame - the road to. Almost all of it is asphalted, and only a section of paving remains on the hill.

Another feature of the Prussian roads is the "last soldiers of the Wehrmacht." The trees hold the ground under the road with their roots, and they mask them from the air with their crowns, and when they were planted, the speeds were not the same and crashing into a tree was no more dangerous than crashing into a ditch. Now, there is no one to mask the roads from, and to drive along them - I say as a convinced non-driver - is really STRANGE! A guy on the train told me that these trees were somehow charmed: it's a common thing when in such an alley several wreaths hang on a single tree, "they attract to themselves!" - this is the question of the fascist curse ... In fact, there are not many such "alleys" left, and mostly in remote areas, but the asphalt on them is really not bad.

And in general, the roads here are surprisingly decent, especially the recently reconstructed Kaliningrad-Vilnius-Moscow highway (in the region Chernyakhovsk, Gusev and Nesterov are strung on it). For the first fifty kilometers, it is completely in two lanes with a physical separation, potholes and pits are felt only on bridges.

But the trouble with bus stations - in fact, they are only in largest cities areas like Sovetsk or Chernyakhovsk, and for example even Zelenogradsk or Baltiysk are simply absent. There is a platform from which buses leave, a billboard with a timetable to Kaliningrad and pieces of paper with suburban traffic nailed to poles and trees. This is, say, in Baltiysk, one of the main cities of the region:

Although in fairness, the bus system itself is perfectly organized here. Yes, all of it is tied to Kaliningrad, but ... Let's say there are several dozen flights a day on the Kaliningrad-Baltiysk route, and 4 on the Baltiysk-Zelenogradsk route (via Yantarny and Svetlogorsk), which, in general, is also a lot. It is not a problem to travel by buses even along the almost deserted Curonian Spit, if you know their schedule in advance. Most of the cars are quite new, you can't find killed "Ikarus". And despite the fact that the region is quite densely populated, they travel through it quickly - to Chernyakhovsk and Sovetsk (this is 120-130 kilometers) from Kaliningrad, an express bus takes an hour and a half.
But back to German times. I don't remember the pre-war Soviet-built bus stations at all; Finnish bus stations have survived in Vyborg and the county Sortavala; in general, I thought that the Germans also have a bus station in every town. As a result, the only sample I came across again in Chernyakhovsk:
UPD: as it turned out, this is also a Soviet building. That is, apparently, the Finns were the pioneers of bus station construction in Europe.

But several times we saw much more amusing things - German gas stations. Compared to modern ones, they are very small, and therefore they are mainly occupied by shops.

Germany is the birthplace of not only diesel, but also electric transport, the inventor of which can be considered Werner von Simmens: in the Berlin suburbs in 1881, he created the world's first tram line, and in 1882 - an experimental trolleybus line (after that, trolleybus networks appeared and disappeared in dozens of European cities , but have taken root in few places). Urban electric transport in the future Kaliningrad region was available in three cities. Of course, the Koenigsberg tram is a narrow-gauge tram (1000mm, it's like in Lvov + Vinnitsa, Zhitomir, Evpatoria and Pyatigorsk), the oldest in Russia (1895, but we had older ones in the whole empire) and is regularly operating to this day. Another tram network has been operating in Tilsit (Sovetsk) since 1901, in memory of which a rare trailer was installed on its central square several years ago:

But Insterburg again distinguished itself: in 1936, not a tram, but a trolleybus was launched here. It is worth saying that throughout the former USSR, before the war, trolleybuses appeared only in Moscow (1933), Kiev (1935), St. Petersburg (1936) and then Romanian Chernivtsi (1939). The depot survived from the Insterburg system:

Both the tram and the trolleybus in the district centers were never revived after the war. In Germany, trolleybuses almost disappeared in a purely peaceful way. In the former Königsberg, this transport appeared in 1975.

Well, now let's go down from the asphalt to the water:

Europe has always been a land of dams - its rivers are fast, but poor in water and periodically overflow their banks. In the Kaliningrad region, shortly before my arrival, there was a storm with torrential rain that washed away the snow, and as a result, fields and meadows were flooded with a thin layer of water for kilometers. Many dams and ponds were founded here by the Crusaders, and they have existed continuously for the eighth century. In fact, the oldest man-made object in Kaliningrad itself is the Castle Pond (1255). Dams and mills, of course, have been renovated many times, but for example, in Svetlogorsk, the Mill Pond has existed since about the 1250s:

Especially in this sense, he distinguished himself ... no, not Insterburg, but neighboring Darkemen (now Ozersk), somewhere in 1880, or in 1886 (I never figured it out) instead of the usual dam, a mini-hydroelectric power station was built. It was the very dawn of hydropower, and it turns out that the oldest operating power plant (and hydroelectric power station in general) in Russia is located here, and Darkemen, thanks to her, was one of the first in Europe to acquire electric street lighting (some even write that "the very first", but to me I can't really believe it).

But especially among the hydraulic structures, there are 5 concrete locks of the Mazury Canal, dug back in the 1760s from the Masurian Lakes to Pregolya. The current sluices were built in 1938-42, becoming, perhaps, the largest monuments of the Third Reich era in the region. But it did not work out: after the war, the channel divided by the border was abandoned and is now overgrown.

However, out of five locks, we visited three:

The Pregolya, which began with the confluence of the Instruch and Angrappa on the territory of present-day Chernyakhovsk, is such a "little Rhine" or "little Nile", a river-core of the Kaliningrad region, which for a long time was its main road. There are enough locks on it itself, and on the islands of its delta, Koenigsberg has grown. And this is where it leads: from the center of Kaliningrad, you can clearly see the operating two-level lift bridge over the Pregolya (1916-26), behind which the port is located:

And although the residential part of Kaliningrad is separated from the sea by industrial zones and suburbs, and the sea is only the Kaliningrad Bay, separated from the real sea by the Baltic Spit, there is still a lot of sea in the atmosphere of Koenigsberg. The taste of the air and the cries of hefty gulls remind of the proximity of the sea; romance is added by the Museum of the World Ocean with "Vityaz". Pre-war photographs show that the channels of the Pregolya were simply clogged with vessels of various sizes, and in Soviet times AtlantNIRO worked here (it still exists, but it breathes badly), which was engaged in marine research throughout the Atlantic all the way to Antarctica; since 1959, one of the four whaling fleets of the USSR, "Yuri Dolgoruky", was based here ... however, it was me who stepped aside. And the main attraction of the Königsberg port is two elevators from the 1920s and 1930s, Red and Yellow:

It is worth remembering here that East Prussia was the granary of Germany, and grain from Russia was transported through it. Its transformation into an exclave after the First World War could turn into a disaster, and Poland was not as pliable then as Lithuania is in our time. In general, this situation has greatly affected the local infrastructure. At the time of construction, the yellow elevator was almost the largest in the world, and to this day it is grandiose:

The second "reserve" of the port infrastructure is Baltiysk (Pillau), located on the spit, that is, between the bay and the open sea, the westernmost city of Russia. Actually, its special role began in 1510, when a storm made a breach in the sand spit almost opposite Königsberg. Baltiysk was both a fortress and trade port, and a military base, and breakwaters near the strait were erected in 1887. Here they are - the Western Gate of Russia:

And this leading sign also puzzled. I have not seen such people in Russia. Maybe I didn't see my problems, or maybe German:

In Baltiysk, I happened to visit an operating vessel. According to the sailor who met us there, this crane, a captured German one, was working even before the war. I don’t presume to judge, but it looks very archaic:

However, the Baltic seaside is not only ports, but also resorts. The Baltic is shallower and warmer here than on the German coast, so monarchs and writers (for example, Thomas Mann, whose house has survived on the Lithuanian part of the Curonian Spit) came to Kranz, Rauschen, Neukuren and others to improve their health. The Russian nobility also rested here. The peculiarity of these resorts is the promenades, or rather the promenade decks above the beaches. In Svetlogorsk already without a beach - recently it was literally washed away by a storm, as the German breakwaters have long ago deteriorated. Above the promenade there is a mega-lift (1973) that has not been operating since 2010, built to replace the German funicular that did not survive the war:

Things are better in Zelenogradsk. Pay attention to the windmills on the horizon - this is already ours. Vorobievskaya wind farm is considered the largest in Russia, although by world standards it is miniature. There are also German lighthouses on the coast, primarily at Cape Taran, but I did not get there.

But in general, Koenigsberg was turned not so much into the sea as into the sky, it is no coincidence that all the roads here led to the 100-meter tower of the Castle. I was told "We have a cult of pilots here!" However, by the beginning of the twentieth century Germany was the European, if not the world, leader of aeronautics - it is not entirely obvious that the Zepellin is not a synonym for an airship, but its specific brand. Germany had 6 combat zeppellins, one of which was based in Königsberg. There was also an aeronautics school. The zeppelline hangar (unlike many others in Germany itself) did not survive, but looked like this:

And in 1919, the isolation of Prussia gave rise to another landmark object - the Devau airfield, which became the first civilian airport in Europe. In 1922, the world's first air terminal was built here (it has not survived), then the first international Aeroflot line Moscow-Riga-Koenigsberg opened, and many people flew on it - for example, Mayakovsky, who dedicated a poem to this phenomenon. Now Devau, located within the city, belongs to DOSAAF, but there are ideas (so far at the level of enthusiasts) to recreate the airport terminal, organize a museum and even, ideally, an international airport for small aircraft.

East Prussia and under the Third Reich became the fiefdom of the Luftwaffe with numerous airfields. The school in Neukuren (now Pionersky) graduated many enemy aces, including Eric "Bubby" Hartman - the best military pilot in history: it is officially believed that he shot down 352 aircraft, of which 2/3 were Soviet.
Under the Baltic are the ruins of the Neytiff airbase:

And under the Soviets, the local pilots escaped into space: out of 115 Soviet cosmonauts, four were connected to Kaliningrad, including Alexei Leonov and Viktor Patsaev.

But back to earth. The urban infrastructure is of particular interest here - I don’t know how much more developed than in the early USSR, but very unusual. The most notable are, of course, the water towers, the "collection" of which he collects in his magazine soullaway ... If our water tanks were built in large batches, the Germans in Prussia cannot find two identical ones. True, for the same reason, our water supplies still seem to me average more beautiful. Here are a couple of samples from Baltiysk (before and after the First World War) - in my opinion the most interesting that I saw here:

And here is the largest in the region - in Sovetsk:

Continuation of water supplies - hydrants. Here they are almost the same throughout the region, in its different cities:

However, Koenigsberg is also the birthplace of the electric power industry, or rather, of Gustav Kirchhoff, and this cannot be overlooked here. The most common promarch here, after industrial mills, is power plants:

And also - substations:

Countless transformer booths:

And even the pillars "with horns" - their lines stretch across the entire area:

There are also some other pillars here. Supports for electrified narrow-gauge railways? Lanterns in villages razed to the ground? War, everything here ends in war.

The Germans built for centuries, but it played a cruel joke on us. Communications in other parts of the USSR wore out faster - they were repaired faster. Here, many pipes and wires have not been repaired since the 1940s, and their resource has finally expired. According to and taiohara , and soullaway , accidents with cut off water or electricity are regular here. In Baltiysk, for example, the water is turned off at night. In many houses, there are still boiler houses that are completely unusual for the Soviet Union, and in winter the Prussian towns are enveloped in smoke.

In the next part ... I conceived three "general" posts, but in the end I realized that I needed a fourth. In the next part - about the main symbol of the present Kaliningrad region: amber.

FAR WEST
... Sketches, thanks, disclaimer.
.
East Prussia
... Outpost of the Crusaders.
.
German infrastructure.
Amber edge.
Foreign Russia. Modern flavor.
Kaliningrad / Konigsberg.
The city that is.
Ghosts of Koenigsberg. Kneiphof.
Ghosts of Koenigsberg. Altstadt and Löbenicht.
Ghosts of Koenigsberg. Rosgarten, Tragheim and Haberberg.
Victory Square, or simply Square.
Koenigsberg transport. Stations, trams, Devau.
Museum of the World Ocean.
Inner Königsberg ring. From Friedland Gate to Ploshchdi.
Inner Königsberg ring. From the market to the amber museum.
Inner Königsberg ring. From the amber museum to Pregolya.
Amalienau Garden City.
Rathof and Juditten.
Ponart.
Sambia.
Natangia, Warmia, Bartya.
Nadrovia, or Lithuania Minor.

I think that many residents of the Kaliningrad region, however, like many Poles, have repeatedly asked themselves the question - why the border between Poland and the Kaliningrad region passes exactly this way and not otherwise? In this article we will try to understand how the border between Poland and the Soviet Union was formed on the territory of the former East Prussia.

Those who are at least a little versed in history know and remember that before the outbreak of the First World War, the Russian and German empires had, and partly passed it in about the same way as the current border of the Russian Federation with the Republic of Lithuania.

Then, as a result of the events associated with the coming to power of the Bolsheviks in 1917 and a separate peace with Germany in 1918, the Russian Empire disintegrated, its borders changed significantly, and certain territories that were once part of it received their statehood. This is exactly what happened, in particular, with Poland, which regained its independence in 1918. In the same year, 1918, the Lithuanians founded their own state.

Fragment of the map of the administrative division of the Russian Empire. 1914.

The results of the First World War, including the territorial losses of Germany, were enshrined in the Versailles Peace Treaty in 1919. In particular, significant territorial changes occurred in Pomerania and West Prussia (the formation of the so-called "Polish corridor" and Danzig and its surroundings received the status of a "free city") and East Prussia (the transfer of the Memel region (Memelland) under the control of the League of Nations).

Germany's territorial losses after the end of the First World War. Source: Wikipedia.

The following (very minor) border changes in the southern part of East Prussia were associated with the results carried out in Warmia and Mazury in July 1921. At its end, the population of most of the territories that Poland, counting on the fact that a significant number of ethnic Poles live on them, would not mind annexing to itself, to the young Polish Republic. In 1923, the borders in the East Prussian region changed again: in the Memel region, the Union of Lithuanian Riflemen raised an armed uprising, which resulted in the incorporation of Memelland into Lithuania on the basis of autonomy rights and the renaming of Memel into Klaipeda. Fifteen years later, at the end of 1938, elections to the city council were held in Klaipeda, as a result of which the pro-German parties (acting as a single list) won with an overwhelming advantage. After Lithuania was forced to accept an ultimatum from Germany on the return of Memelland to the Third Reich on March 22, 1939, Hitler arrived in Klaipeda-Memel on March 23 on the Deutschland cruiser, then spoke to the residents from the balcony of the local theater and received a parade of Wehrmacht units. Thus, the last peaceful territorial acquisition of Germany before the outbreak of World War II was formalized.

The redistribution of borders in 1939 did not end with the annexation of the Memel region to Germany. On September 1, the Polish campaign of the Wehrmacht began (the same date is considered by many historians to be the date of the outbreak of World War II), and two and a half weeks later, on September 17, units of the Red Army entered Poland. By the end of September 1939, the Polish government in exile was formed, and Poland, as an independent territorial entity, ceased to exist again.

Fragment of a map of the administrative division of the Soviet Union. 1933.

The borders in East Prussia again underwent significant changes. Germany, represented by the Third Reich, having occupied a significant part of the territory of the Second Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, again received a common border with the heir to the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union.

The next, but not the last, change in the borders in the region we are considering took place after the end of the Second World War. It was based on the decisions made by the leaders of the Allies in Tehran in 1943, and then at the Yalta Conference in 1945. In accordance with these decisions, the future borders of Poland in the east, common with the USSR, were determined, first of all. Later, the Potsdam Agreement of 1945 finally determined that defeated Germany would lose the entire territory of East Prussia, part of which (about a third) would become Soviet, and most of it would become part of Poland.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 7, 1946, the Konigsberg region was formed on the territory of the Konigsberg Special Military District, created after the victory over Germany, which became part of the RSFSR. Three months later, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of July 4, 1946, Koenigsberg was renamed Kaliningrad, and the Koenigsberg region into Kaliningrad.

Below we offer the reader a translation of the article (with small abbreviations) by Wieslaw Kaliszuk, author and owner of the site “History of the Elblg Upland” (Historija Wysoczyzny Elbląskiej), about how the process of border formation wentbetween Poland and the USSR within the territory of the former East Prussia.

____________________________

The current Polish-Russian border begins near the town of Vizhainy ( Wiżajny) in the Suwałki region at the junction of three borders (Poland, Lithuania and Russia) and ends in the west, near the town of Nowa Karczma on the Vistula (Baltic) Spit. The border was formed by the Polish-Soviet agreement signed in Moscow on August 16, 1945 by the chairman of the Provisional Government of National Unity of the Polish Republic, Edward Osubka-Moravsky, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, Vyacheslav Molotov. The length of this section of the border is 210 km, which is approximately 5.8% of the total length of Poland's borders.

The decision on the post-war border of Poland was made by the Allies already in 1943 at a conference in Tehran (28.11.1943 - 01.12.1943). It was confirmed in 1945 by the Potsdam Agreement (07/17/1945 - 08/02/1945). In accordance with them, East Prussia was to be divided into the southern Polish part (Warmia and Mazury), and the northern Soviet part (about a third of the former territory of East Prussia), which received the name "Konigsberg Special Military District" (KOVO) from June 10, 1945. From 07/09/1945 to 02/04/1946, the leadership of KOVO was entrusted to Colonel-General K.N. Galitsky. Prior to this, the leadership of this part of East Prussia captured by Soviet troops was carried out by the Military Council of the 3rd Belorussian Front. The military commandant of this territory, Major General M.A. Pronin, appointed to this position on 06/13/1945 already on 07/09/1945, transferred all administrative, economic and military powers to General Galitsky. In the period from 03.11.1945 to 04.01.1946, Major General B.P. Trofimov, who from 05/24/1946 to 07/05/1947 served as head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Konigsberg / Kaliningrad region. Prior to that, Colonel-General V.S. Abakumov.

At the end of 1945, the Soviet part of East Prussia was divided into 15 administrative regions. Formally, the Königsberg region was formed on April 7, 1946 as part of the RSFSR, and on July 4, 1946, with the renaming of Königsberg to Kaliningrad, the region was also renamed Kaliningrad. On September 7, 1946, a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was issued on the administrative-territorial structure of the Kaliningrad region.

"Curzon Line" and Poland's borders after the end of World War II. Source: Wikipedia.

The decision to move the eastern border to the west (approximately to the "Curzon line") and "territorial compensation" (Poland was losing 175,667 square kilometers of its territory in the east as of September 1, 1939) was made without the participation of the Poles by the leaders of the Big Three - Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin during a conference in Tehran from November 28 to December 1, 1943. Churchill had to convey to the Polish government in exile all the "advantages" of this decision. During the Potsdam Conference (July 17 - August 2, 1945) Joseph Stalin put forward a proposal to establish Poland's western border along the Oder - Neisse line. Poland's "friend" Winston Churchill refused to recognize Poland's new western borders, believing that "under Soviet rule" it would become too strong due to the weakening of Germany, while not opposing Poland's loss of eastern territories.

Border options between Poland and the Kaliningrad region.

Even before the conquest of East Prussia, the Moscow authorities (read "Stalin") defined the political boundaries in this region. Already on July 27, 1944, the future Polish border was discussed at a secret meeting with the Polish Committee for People's Liberation (PKNO). The first draft of the borders on the territory of East Prussia was presented to the PKNO by the State Defense Committee of the USSR (GKO USSR) on February 20, 1945. In Tehran, Stalin drew in front of his allies the outlines of future borders on the territory of East Prussia. The border with Poland was to run from west to east directly south of Königsberg along the rivers Pregel and Pissa (about 30 km north of the current border of Poland). The project was much more profitable for Poland. At the same time, she would receive the entire territory of the Vistula (Baltic) Spit and the city of Heiligenbeil (Heiligenbeil, now Mamonovo), Ludwigsort (Ludwigsort, now Ladushkin), Preußisch Eylau, now Bagrationovsk), Friedland (Friedland, now Pravemdinsk) (Darkehmen, after 1938 - Angerapp, now Ozersk), Gerdauen (now Zheleznodorozhny), Nordenburg (Nordenburg, now Krylovo). Nevertheless, all cities, regardless of which of the banks of the Pregel or Pissa they are located on, will then be included in the USSR. Despite the fact that Koenigsberg was supposed to move to the USSR, its location near the future border would not prevent Poland from using the exit from the Frisches Haf Bay (now the Vistula / Kaliningrad Bay) to the Baltic Sea together with the USSR. Stalin wrote to Churchill in a letter dated February 4, 1944, that the Soviet Union plans to annex the northeastern part of East Prussia, including Konigsberg, since the USSR would like an ice-free port on the Baltic Sea. Stalin in the same year mentioned this more than once in communication with both Churchill and British Foreign Minister Anthony Eden, as well as during a Moscow meeting (10/12/1944) with the Prime Minister of the Polish government in exile Stanislav Mikolajczyk. The same issue was raised during the meetings (from September 28 to October 3, 1944) with the delegation of the Krajowa Rada Narodowa (KRN, Krajowa Rada Narodowa - a political organization created during World War II from various Polish parties and which was planned to be subsequently transformed into parliament. - admin) and PKNO, organizations opposed to the London-based Polish government in exile. The Polish government in exile reacted negatively to Stalin's claims, pointing out the possible negative consequences of Koenigsberg's inclusion in the USSR. On November 22, 1944, in London, at a meeting of the Coordination Committee, consisting of representatives of the four parties that make up the government in exile, it was decided not to accept the Allied diktat, including the recognition of borders along the "Curzon Line".

Map showing variants of the Curzon Line drawn up for the 1943 Tehran Allied Conference.

The draft borders, proposed in February 1945, were known only to the State Defense Committee of the USSR and the Provisional Government of the Polish Republic (VPPR), which was transformed from PKNO, which ceased to operate on December 31, 1944. At the Potsdam Conference, it was decided that East Prussia would be divided between Poland and the Soviet Union, but the final demarcation of the border was postponed until the next conference, already in peacetime. The future border was only outlined, which was to begin at the junction of Poland, the Lithuanian SSR and East Prussia, and pass 4 km north of Goldap, 7 km north of Brausberg (Brausberg, now Braniewo) and end at the Vistula (Baltic) spit about 3 km north of the current village of Nova Karchma. The position of the future border on the same conditions was also discussed at a meeting in Moscow on August 16, 1945. There were no other agreements on the passage of the future border in the way it is laid now.

By the way, Poland has a historical right to the entire territory of the former East Prussia. Royal Prussia and Warmia ceded to Prussia as a result of the First Partition of Poland (1772), and the Polish crown lost its fief rights to the Duchy of Prussia due to the Velauska-Bydgoszcz treatises (and the political shortsightedness of King Jan Casimir), agreed in Velau on September 19, 1657, and ratified in Bydgoszcz November 5-6. In accordance with them, Elector Friedrich Wilhelm I (1620 - 1688) and all his descendants in the male line received sovereignty from Poland. In the event that the male line of the Brandenburg Hohenzollerns was interrupted, the Duchy was again to retreat under the Polish crown.

The Soviet Union, supporting the interests of Poland in the west (east of the Oder-Neisse line), created a new Polish satellite state. It should be noted that Stalin acted primarily in his own interests. The desire to move the borders of Poland under his control as far west as possible was the result of a simple calculation: the western border of Poland would be at the same time the border of the USSR's sphere of influence, at least until the fate of Germany becomes clear. Nevertheless, violations of the agreements on the future border between Poland and the USSR were the result of the subordinate position of the Polish People's Republic.

The agreement on the Polish-Soviet state border was signed in Moscow on August 16, 1945. The change in the preliminary agreements on the border on the territory of the former East Prussia in favor of the USSR and the consent of the United Kingdom and the United States to these actions undoubtedly indicate their unwillingness to territorially strengthen Poland, doomed to Sovietization.

After the adjustment, the border between Poland and the USSR was to pass along the northern borders of the former administrative regions of East Prussia (krays. - admin) Heiligenbeil, Preussisch-Eylau, Bartenstein (now Bartoszyce), Gerdauen, Darkemen and Goldap, about 20 km north of the current border. But already in September-October 1945, the situation changed dramatically. In some areas, the border moved arbitrarily by the decision of the commanders of individual units Soviet army... Allegedly, Stalin himself controlled the passage of the border in this region. For the Polish side, it came as a complete surprise to the eviction of the local Polish administration and population from the cities and villages already inhabited and taken under Polish control. Since many settlements were already inhabited by Polish settlers, it came to the point that a Pole, leaving in the morning for work, could find out upon his return that his house was already on the territory of the USSR.

Władysław Gomulka, at that time Polish Minister for Returned Lands (Returned Lands (Ziemie Odzyskane) is a common name for territories that belonged to the Third Reich until 1939 and were transferred to Poland after the end of World War II by the decisions of the Yalta and Potsdam conferences, as well as the results of bilateral agreements between Poland and the USSR. admin), noted:

“In the first days of September (1945), the facts of unauthorized violation of the northern border of the Mazury region by the Soviet army authorities were recorded in the territories of the Gerdauen, Bartenstein and Darkemen districts. The border line, defined at that time, was moved into the interior of the Polish territory at a distance of 12-14 km. "

A striking example of the unilateral and unauthorized change of the border (12-14 km south of the agreed line) by the Soviet army authorities is the Gerdauen region, where the border was changed after the delineation act signed by the two sides on July 15, 1945. Commissioner for the Mazury District (Colonel Jakub Pravin - Jakub Prawin, 1901-1957 - member of the Communist Party of Poland, brigadier general of the Polish Army, statesman; was the plenipotentiary representative of the Polish government at the headquarters of the 3rd Belorussian Front, then a government representative in the Warmia-Mazury region, the head of the administration of this district, and from May 23 to November 1945, the first voivode of the Olsztyn Voivodeship. - admin) was informed in writing on 4 September that Soviet authorities An order was given to Jan Kashinsky, the elder of Gerdauen, to immediately leave the local administration and resettle the Polish civilian population. The next day (September 5), representatives of J. Pravin (Zygmunt Valevich, Tadeusz Smolik and Tadeusz Lewandowski) verbally protested against such orders to representatives of the Soviet military administration in Gerdauen, Lieutenant Colonel Shadrin and Captain Zakroev. In response, they were told that the Polish side would be notified in advance of any changes to the border. In this area, the Soviet military leadership began to evict the German civilian population, while barring access to these territories for Polish settlers. In this regard, a protest was sent from Nordenburg to the District Prosecutor's Office in Olsztyn (Allenstein) on 11 September. This indicates that as early as September 1945, this territory was Polish.

A similar situation was in the Bartenstein (Bartoszyce) district, whose headman received all the acceptance documents on July 7, 1945, and already on September 14, the Soviet military authorities issued an order to free the territories around the villages of Schönbruch and Klingenberg ( Klingenberg). Despite the protests of the Polish side (09/16/1945), both territories were ceded to the USSR.

In the Preussisch-Eylau area, the military commandant, Major Malakhov, on June 27, 1945, transferred all powers to the elder Pyotr Gagatko, but already on October 16, the head of the Soviet border troops in this area, Colonel Golovkin, informed the elder about the transfer of the border a kilometer south of Preussisch-Eylau. Despite the protests of the Poles (10/17/1945), the border was pushed back. On December 12, 1945, on the instructions of Pravin's deputy Jerzy Boerski, the burgomaster of Preussisch-Eylau freed the city administration and handed it over to the Soviet authorities.

In connection with the unauthorized actions of the Soviet side to move the border, Yakub Pravin repeatedly (September 13, October 7, 17, 30, November 6, 1945) appealed to the central authorities in Warsaw with a request to influence the leadership of the Northern Group of Forces of the Soviet Army. The protest was also sent to the representative of the Server Group of Forces in the Masurian District, Major Yolkin. But all of Pravin's appeals had no effect.

The result of arbitrary border adjustments not in favor of the Polish side in the northern part of the Mazury Region was that the borders of almost all northern counties (powiat - district. - admin) were changed.

Bronislav Saluda, a researcher of this problem from Olsztyn, noted:

“... subsequent adjustments to the border line could lead to the fact that some of the villages already occupied by the population could end up on Soviet territory and the labor of migrants in its arrangement was wasted. In addition, it happened that the border separated a residential building from the outbuildings or land plot assigned to it. In Shchurkovo it happened that the border passed through a cattle shed. The Soviet military administration responded to complaints from the population that the loss of land here would be compensated for by land on the Polish-German border. "

The exit to the Baltic Sea from the Vistula Lagoon was blocked by the Soviet Union, and the final demarcation of the border on the Vistula (Baltic) Spit was carried out only in 1958.

According to some historians, in exchange for the consent of the Allied leaders (Roosevelt and Churchill) to include the northern part of East Prussia with Konigsberg in the Soviet Union, Stalin proposed to transfer Bialystok, Podlasie, Chelm and Przemysl to Poland.

In April 1946, the official demarcation of the Polish-Soviet border on the territory of the former East Prussia took place. But she did not put an end to changing the border in this region. Until February 15, 1956, there were 16 more border adjustments in favor of the Kaliningrad region. In reality, the borders were moved 30 km to the south from the initial draft of the border crossing, presented in Moscow by the USSR State Defense Committee for consideration by the PKNO. Even in 1956, when the influence of Stalinism on Poland weakened, the Soviet country “threatened” the Poles with “adjusting” the borders.

On April 29, 1956, the USSR proposed to the Polish People's Republic (Poland) to resolve the issue of the temporary state of the border within the Kaliningrad region, which has been preserved since 1945. The border treaty was signed in Moscow on March 5, 1957. Poland ratified this treaty on April 18, 1957, and on May 4 of the same year, an exchange of ratified documents took place. After a few more minor adjustments, in 1958 the border was determined on the ground and with the installation of border pillars.

The Vistula (Kaliningrad) Lagoon (838 sq. Km) was divided between Poland (328 sq. Km) and the Soviet Union. Poland, contrary to the original plans, found itself cut off from the outlet from the bay to the Baltic Sea, which led to the disruption of the once established shipping routes: the Polish part of the Vistula Lagoon became a "dead sea". The "naval blockade" of Elblag, Tolkmitzko, Frombork and Braniewo also affected the development of these cities. Despite the fact that an additional protocol was attached to the agreement of July 27, 1944, which stated that peaceful ships would be allowed free exit through the Pilau Strait to the Baltic Sea.

The final border went through railroads and highways, canals, settlements, and even subsidiary farms. For centuries, the emerging single geographic, political and economic territory has been arbitrarily dismembered. The border passed through the territory of six former krais.

Polish-Soviet border in East Prussia. The variant of the border for February 1945 is indicated in yellow; blue - for August 1945, red - the real border between Poland and the Kaliningrad region.

It is believed that as a result of numerous border adjustments, Poland received less than 1125 sq. km of territory. The “ruled” border has led to numerous negative consequences... For example, between Braniewo and Goldap, out of 13 roads that once existed, 10 turned out to be cut by the border, between Sempopol and Kaliningrad, 30 out of 32 roads were violated. The unfinished Mazury Canal was also cut in half. Numerous power lines and telephone lines were also cut. All this could not but lead to a deterioration of the economic situation in the settlements adjacent to the border: who wants to live in a settlement whose affiliation has not been determined? There was a fear that the Soviet side might once again move the border to the south. Some more or less serious settlement of these places by migrants began only in the summer of 1947, during the forcible resettlement of thousands of Ukrainians to these regions during the operation "Vistula".

The border, practically drawn from west to east along the latitude, led to the fact that the economic situation did not improve throughout the entire territory from Goldap to Elblag, although Elbing, which became part of Poland, was once the largest and most economically developed city (after Königsberg ) in East Prussia. Olsztyn became the new capital of the region, although until the end of the 1960s it was less populated and less developed economically than Elblag. The negative role of the final partition of East Prussia affected the indigenous population of this region - the Mazurs. All this significantly delayed economic development of this whole region.

Fragment of a map of the administrative divisions of Poland. 1945 year. Source: Elbląska Biblioteka Cyfrowa.
Legend for the above map. The dotted line is the border between Poland and the Kaliningrad region under the agreement of 08.16.1945; solid line - voivodeship boundaries; dot-dotted line - district borders.

The option of drawing the border using a ruler (a rare case in Europe) was later often used for the gaining independence of African countries.

The current length of the border between Poland and the Kaliningrad region (since 1991, the border with the Russian Federation) is 232.4 km. This, including, 9.5 km of the water border and 835 m of the land border on the Baltic Spit.

Two voivodeships have a common border with the Kaliningrad region: Pomorskie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie, and six poviats: Novodvorskiy (on the Vistula Spit), Braniewski, Bartoszycky, Kenshynskiy, Vengorzhevskiy and Goldapskiy.

There are border crossings on the border: 6 land (road Gronovo - Mamonovo, Grzechotki - Mamonovoi II, Bezledy - Bagrationovsk, Goldap - Gusev; railway Braniewo - Mamonovo, Skandava - Zheleznodorozhny) and 2 sea ones.

On July 17, 1985 in Moscow, an agreement was signed between Poland and the Soviet Union on the delimitation of territorial waters, economic zones, a zone of sea fishing and the continental shelf of the Baltic Sea.

The western border of Poland was recognized by the German Democratic Republic by the agreement of July 6, 1950, The Federal Republic Germany's border with Poland was recognized by the treaty of December 7, 1970 (paragraph 3 of Article I of this treaty states that the parties do not have any territorial claims to each other and renounce any claims in the future. -the German border treaty on November 14, 1990, in Germany it was officially announced that the German lands that were transferred to Poland after the Second World War were in the "temporary possession of the Polish administration."

The Russian enclave on the territory of the former East Prussia - the Kaliningrad region - still does not have an international legal status. After World War II, the victorious powers agreed to transfer Koenigsberg to the jurisdiction of the Soviet Union, but only before the signing of an agreement in accordance with international law, which, ultimately, will determine the status of this territory. An international treaty with Germany was signed only in 1990. The Cold War and Germany, which was divided into two states, prevented it from signing it earlier. And although Germany officially renounced claims to the Kaliningrad region, Russia has not formalized its formal sovereignty over this territory.

As early as November 1939, the Polish government-in-exile was considering incorporating the entire East Prussia into Poland after the end of the war. Also in November 1943, the Polish ambassador Edward Raczynski, in a memorandum handed over to the British authorities, among other things, mentioned the desire to include all of East Prussia in Poland.

Schönbruch (now Szczurkowo / Schurkovo) is a Polish settlement located at the very border with the Kaliningrad region. During the formation of the border, part of Schönbruch ended up on Soviet territory, and part on Polish territory. The settlement on the Soviet maps was designated as Shirokoe (now it does not exist). It was not possible to find out whether Shirokoye was inhabited.

Klingenberg (now Ostre Bardo / Ostre Bardo) is a Polish settlement a few kilometers east of Shchurkovo. It is located at the very border with the Kaliningrad region. ( admin)

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It seems to us that it will be appropriate to cite the texts of some official documents that formed the basis for the process of dividing East Prussia and delimiting the territories that were ceded to the Soviet Union and Poland, and which were mentioned in the above article by V. Kalishuk.

Excerpts from the Materials of the Crimean (Yalta) Conference of the Leaders of the Three Allied Powers - USSR, USA and Great Britain

We have gathered for the Crimean Conference to resolve our differences on the Polish question. We have fully discussed all aspects of the Polish question. We reaffirmed our common desire to see a strong, free, independent and democratic Poland established, and as a result of our negotiations, we agreed on the conditions under which the new Provisional Polish Government of National Unity would be formed in such a way as to gain recognition from the three main powers.

The following agreement has been reached:

“A new situation has been created in Poland as a result of its complete liberation by the Red Army. This requires the creation of a Provisional Polish Government, which would have a broader base than was possible before, until the recent liberation of the western part of Poland. The Provisional Government currently operating in Poland must therefore be reorganized on a broader democratic basis with the inclusion of democratic leaders from Poland itself and Poles from abroad. This new government would then be called the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity.

V.M. Molotov, Mr. W.A. Harriman and Sir Archibald K. Kerr are authorized to consult in Moscow as a Commission primarily with members of the present Provisional Government and with other Polish democratic leaders both from Poland itself and from borders, meaning the reorganization of the current Government on the basis indicated above. This Polish Provisional Government of National Unity must commit to holding free and unhindered elections as soon as possible on the basis of universal suffrage by secret ballot. In this election, all anti-Nazi and democratic parties should have the right to participate and nominate candidates.

When the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity is properly formed in accordance (270) with the above, the Government of the USSR, which currently maintains diplomatic relations with the current Provisional Government of Poland, the Government of the United Kingdom and the US Government will establish diplomatic relations with the new Polish Provisional Government of National Unity. and will exchange ambassadors, according to whose reports the respective governments will be informed about the situation in Poland.

The Heads of the Three Governments believe that the eastern border of Poland should go along the Curzon Line, with deviations from it in some areas from five to eight kilometers in favor of Poland. The Heads of the Three Governments acknowledge that Poland should receive substantial gains in territory in the North and in the West. They believe that the opinion of the new Polish Government of National Unity will be asked in due course on the question of the size of these increments, and that thereafter the final determination Western border Poland will be postponed until the peace conference.

Winston S. Churchill

Franklin D. Roosevelt

One of the most significant operations carried out by the Red Army in 1945 was the storming of Königsberg and the liberation of East Prussia.

Fortifications of the Grolman Upper Front, Oberteich bastion after surrender /

Fortifications of the Grolman Upper Front, Oberteich Bastion. Courtyard.

Troops of the 10th Tank Corps of the 5th Guards Tank Army of the 2nd Belorussian Front occupy the city of Mühlhausen (now the Polish city of Mlynary) during the Mlavsko-Elbing operation.

German soldiers and officers taken prisoner during the assault on Konigsberg.

A column of German prisoners is walking along Hindenburg Strasse in the city of Insterburg (East Prussia), towards the Lutheran Church (now the city of Chernyakhovsk, Lenin Street).

Soviet soldiers carry weapons of their dead comrades after a battle in East Prussia.

Soviet soldiers are learning to overcome barbed wire.

Soviet officers inspecting one of the forts in the occupied Konigsberg.

Machine gun crew MG-42 is firing in the area of ​​the railway station in the city of Goldap in battles with Soviet troops.

Ships in the frozen harbor of Pillau (now Baltiysk, Kaliningrad region of Russia), late January 1945.

Konigsberg, Tragheim district after the assault, damaged building.

German grenadiers move towards the last Soviet positions in the area of ​​the Goldap railway station.

Koenigsberg. Kronprinz barracks, tower.

Konigsberg, one of the fortifications between fortifications.

Ship aviation support Hans Albrecht Wedel receives refugees in Pillau harbor.

Leading German troops enter the city of Goldap in East Prussia, which was previously occupied by Soviet troops.

Konigsberg, panorama of the city ruins.

The corpse of a German woman killed by an explosion at Metgethen in East Prussia.

Belonging to the 5th tank division tank Pz.Kpfw. V Ausf. G "Panther" on the street of the city of Goldap.

German soldier hanged on the outskirts of Königsberg for looting. Inscription in German "Plündern wird mit-dem Tode bestraft!" translates as "Who will rob - will be executed!"

A Soviet soldier in a German Sdkfz 250 armored personnel carrier on a street in Konigsberg.

Units of the German 5th Panzer Division are moving forward for a counterattack against the Soviet troops. District of Cattenau, East Prussia. Tank Pz.Kpfw. V "Panther".

Königsberg, a barricade on the street.

A battery of 88mm anti-aircraft guns prepares to repel a Soviet tank attack. East Prussia, mid-February 1945.

German positions on the outskirts of Konigsberg. The caption reads: "We will defend Koenigsberg." Propaganda photo.

Soviet self-propelled guns ISU-122S is fighting in Konigsberg. 3rd Belorussian Front, April 1945.

German sentry on the bridge in the center of Konigsberg.

A Soviet motorcyclist drives past German StuG IV self-propelled guns and 105-mm howitzers abandoned on the road.

A German landing ship evacuating troops from the Heiligenbeil boiler enters Pillau harbor.

Konigsberg blown up by the pillbox.

Destroyed German self-propelled gun StuG III Ausf. G in the background of the Kronprinz tower, Königsberg.

Konigsberg, panorama from the Don tower.

Kenisberg, April 1945. View of the Royal Castle

German assault gun StuG III knocked out in Konigsberg. In the foreground, a dead German soldier.

German vehicles on Mitteltragheim Street in Königsberg after the assault. StuG III assault guns on the right and left, JgdPz IV tank destroyer in the background.

Grolman Upper Front, Grolman Bastion. Before the surrender of the fortress, it housed the headquarters of the 367th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht.

On the street of the port of Pillau. The evacuated German soldiers abandon their weapons and equipment before being loaded onto ships.

The German 88mm FlaK 36/37 anti-aircraft gun abandoned on the outskirts of Konigsberg.

Konigsberg, panorama. Don Tower, Rossgarten Gate.

Königsberg, German bunker in the Horst Wessel Park area.

An unfinished barricade on the Duke Albrecht Alley in Königsberg (now Thalmann Street).

Königsberg, destroyed by a German artillery battery.

German prisoners of war at the Zakheim gate of Konigsberg.

Königsberg, German trenches.

German machine-gun crew in position in Königsberg near the Don tower.

German refugees on Pillau Street walk past a column of Soviet self-propelled guns SU-76M.

Königsberg, Friedrichsburg Gate after the assault.

Konigsberg, Wrangel tower, moat.

View from the Don tower to Oberteich (Upper Pond), Konigsberg.

On Königsberg street after the assault.

Konigsberg, Wrangel tower after surrender.

Corporal I.A. Gureev at the post at the border mark in East Prussia.

Soviet unit in a street fight in Konigsberg.

Regulator sergeant Anya Karavaeva on the way to Konigsberg.

Soviet soldiers in the town of Allenstein (now the town of Olsztyn in Poland) in East Prussia.

Artillerymen of the Guard Lieutenant Sofronov are fighting on the Avaider Alley in Konigsberg (now the Alley of the Courageous).

The result of an air strike on German positions in East Prussia.

Soviet soldiers are fighting a street fight on the outskirts of Konigsberg. 3rd Belorussian Front.

Soviet armored boat # 214 in the Konigsberg Canal after a battle with a German tank.

German assembly point of defective captured armored vehicles in the Königsberg area.

Evacuation of the remnants of the "Great Germany" division to the Pillau area.

German equipment abandoned in Konigsberg. In the foreground is the sFH 18 150 mm howitzer.

Koenigsberg. Bridge over the moat to the Rossgarten gate. Don tower in the background

An abandoned German 105mm le.F.H.18 / 40 howitzer in position in Königsberg.

A German soldier lights a cigarette at the StuG IV self-propelled gun.

A destroyed German Pz.Kpfw tank is on fire. V Ausf. G "Panther". 3rd Belorussian Front.

Soldiers of the "Great Germany" division are loaded onto makeshift rafts to cross the Frisches Huff Bay (now the Kaliningrad Bay). Balga Peninsula, Cape Kalholz.

Soldiers of the "Great Germany" division in positions on the Balga Peninsula.

Meeting of Soviet fighters on the border with East Prussia. 3rd Belorussian Front.

The bow of a German transport sinking as a result of an attack by Baltic Fleet aircraft off the coast of East Prussia.

Observer pilot of the Henschel Hs.126 reconnaissance aircraft takes pictures of the terrain during a training flight.

Damaged German assault gun StuG IV. East Prussia, February 1945.

Seeing off Soviet soldiers from Konigsberg.

The Germans inspect the damaged Soviet tank T-34-85 in the village of Nemmersdorf.

Tank "Panther" from the 5th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht in Goldap.

German soldiers armed with Panzerfaust grenade launchers next to the MG 151/20 aircraft cannon in the infantry version.

A column of German tanks "Panther" is moving towards the front in East Prussia.

Broken cars on the street of Konigsberg, taken by storm. Soviet soldiers in the background.

Troops of the Soviet 10th Tank Corps and the bodies of German soldiers on Mühlhausen Street.

Soviet sappers are walking along the street of the burning Insterburg in East Prussia.

Column of Soviet tanks IS-2 on the road in East Prussia. 1st Belorussian Front.

A Soviet officer examines the German Jagdpanther self-propelled gun shot down in East Prussia.

Soviet soldiers are sleeping, resting after fighting, right on the street of Konigsberg, taken by storm.

Konigsberg, anti-tank obstacles.

German refugees with a baby in Königsberg.

A short meeting in the 8th company after reaching the state border of the USSR.

A group of pilots of the Normandie-Niemen air regiment at the Yak-3 fighter in East Prussia.

Sixteen-year old Volkssturm soldier armed with an MP 40 submachine gun. East Prussia.

Construction of defensive structures, East Prussia, mid-July 1944.

Refugees from Königsberg move towards Pillau, mid-February 1945.

German soldiers at a halt near Pillau.

German quadruple anti-aircraft gun FlaK 38, mounted on a tractor. Fishhausen (now Primorsk), East Prussia.

Civilians and a captured German soldier on Pillau Street during the garbage collection after the end of the fighting for the city.

Boats of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet being repaired in Pillau (currently the city of Baltiysk in the Kaliningrad region of Russia).

German auxiliary vessel "Franken" after attack by Il-2 attack aircraft of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet Air Force.

The explosion of bombs on the German ship "Franken" as a result of an attack by Il-2 attack aircraft of the KBF Air Force

A break from a heavy shell in the wall of the Oberteich bastion of the fortifications of the Grolman upper front of Konigsberg.

The bodies of two German women and three children, allegedly killed by Soviet soldiers in the town of Metgeten in East Prussia in January-February 1945. Propaganda German photo.

Transportation of the Soviet 280-mm mortar Br-5 in East Prussia.

Distribution of food to Soviet soldiers in Pillau after the end of the fighting for the city.

Soviet soldiers pass through a German settlement on the outskirts of Konigsberg.

Broken German assault gun StuG IV on the streets of Allenstein (now Olsztyn, Poland.)

Soviet infantry, supported by ACS SU-76, attacked German positions in the Königsberg area.

ACS SU-85 column on the march in East Prussia.

Signpost "Freeway to Berlin" on one of the roads of East Prussia.

The explosion on the tanker "Sassnitz". The tanker with a cargo of fuel was sunk on March 26, 1945, 30 miles from Liepaja, by aircraft of the 51st mine-torpedo aviation regiment and the 11th assault aviation division of the Baltic Fleet Air Force.

The bombing of German transports and Pillau port facilities by KBF airplanes.

The German ship-floating base of the hydroaviation "Boelcke", attacked by the Il-2 squadron of the 7th Guards Attack Aviation Regiment of the Baltic Fleet Air Force, 7.5 km southeast of Cape Hel.

Back in the late Middle Ages, the lands located between the rivers Neman and Vistula got their name East Prussia. Throughout its existence, this power has gone through various periods. This is the time of the order, and the Prussian duchy, and then the kingdom, and the province, as well as the post-war country until it was renamed due to the redistribution between Poland and the Soviet Union.

The history of the emergence of possessions

More than ten centuries have passed since the first mention of the Prussian lands. Initially, the people inhabiting these territories were divided into clans (tribes), which were divided by conventional boundaries.

The expanses of the Prussian possessions covered the now existing part of Poland and Lithuania. These included Sambia and Scalovia, Warmia and Poghezania, Pomezania and Kulm land, Natangia and Bartia, Galindia and Sassen, Skalovia and Nadrovia, Mazovia and Sudovia.

Numerous conquests

Throughout its existence, the Prussian lands were constantly subjected to attempts at conquest by stronger and more aggressive neighbors. So, in the twelfth century, Teutonic knights - crusaders came to these rich and alluring spaces. They built numerous fortresses and castles, for example Kulm, Reden, Thorn.

However, in 1410, after the famous Battle of Grunwald, the territory of the Prussians began to smoothly pass into the hands of Poland and Lithuania.

The Seven Years' War in the eighteenth century undermined the strength of the Prussian army and led to the fact that some of the eastern lands were conquered by the Russian Empire.

In the twentieth century, hostilities also did not bypass these lands. Beginning in 1914, East Prussia was involved in World War I, and in 1944 in World War II.

And after the victory of the Soviet troops in 1945, it ceased to exist altogether and was transformed into the Kaliningrad region.

Existence between wars

During the First World War, East Prussia suffered heavy losses. The 1939 map had already changed, and the updated province was in a terrible state. After all, it was the only German territory that was swallowed up by military battles.

The signing of the Versailles Treaty was costly for East Prussia. The winners decided to reduce its territory. Therefore, from 1920 to 1923, the League of Nations began to rule the city of Memel and the Memel region with the help of French troops. But after the January 1923 uprising, the situation changed. And already in 1924, these lands became part of Lithuania as an autonomous region.

In addition, East Prussia also lost the territory of Zoldau (the city of Dzialdowo).

In total, about 315 thousand hectares of land were disconnected. And this is a considerable territory. As a result of these changes, the remaining province fell into a quandary with enormous economic hardship.

Economic and political situation in the 20s and 30s.

In the early twenties, after the normalization of diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Germany, the standard of living of the population in East Prussia began to gradually improve. The Moscow-Koenigsberg airline was opened, the German Eastern Fair was resumed, and the Koenigsberg city radio station began its work.

Nevertheless, the world economic crisis has not spared these ancient lands. And in five years (1929-1933) in Konigsberg alone, five hundred and thirteen different enterprises went bankrupt, and increased to one hundred thousand people. In such a situation, taking advantage of the precarious and insecure position of the current government, the Nazi party took control into its own hands.

Redistribution of territory

Until 1945, a considerable number of changes were made to the geographical maps of East Prussia. The same happened in 1939 after the occupation of Poland by the troops of Nazi Germany. As a result of the new zoning, part of the Polish lands and the Klaipeda (Memel) region of Lithuania were formed into a province. And the cities of Elbing, Marienburg and Marienwerder became part of the new district of West Prussia.

The Nazis launched grandiose plans for the redivision of Europe. And the map of East Prussia, in their opinion, was supposed to become the center of the economic space between the Baltic and Black Seas, subject to the annexation of the territories of the Soviet Union. However, these plans could not come true.

Post-war time

With the arrival of Soviet troops, East Prussia also gradually changed. Military commandant's offices were created, of which there were already thirty-six by April 1945. Their tasks were recount of the German population, inventory and a gradual transition to a peaceful life.

In those years, thousands of German officers and soldiers were hiding throughout East Prussia, and groups engaged in sabotage and sabotage were operating. In April 1945 alone, military commanders captured more than three thousand armed fascists.

However, ordinary German citizens also lived on the territory of Konigsberg and in the surrounding areas. There were about 140 thousand of them.

In 1946 the city of Konigsberg was renamed Kaliningrad, as a result of which the Kaliningrad region was formed. Later, the names of other settlements were also changed. In connection with such changes, the existing 1945 map of East Prussia was also redone.

East Prussian lands today

Nowadays, the Kaliningrad region is located on the former territory of the Prussians. East Prussia ceased to exist in 1945. And although the region is part of the Russian Federation, they are territorially fragmented. In addition to the administrative center - Kaliningrad (until 1946 it bore the name of Konigsberg), such cities as Bagrationovsk, Baltiysk, Gvardeisk, Yantarny, Sovetsk, Chernyakhovsk, Krasnoznamensk, Neman, Ozersk, Primorsk, Svetlogorsk are well developed. The region consists of seven urban districts, two cities and twelve districts. The main peoples living in this territory are Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Armenians and Germans.

Today the Kaliningrad region ranks first in amber mining, storing in its bowels about ninety percent of its world reserves.

Interesting places of modern East Prussia

And although today the map of East Prussia has been changed beyond recognition, the lands with the towns and villages located on them still preserve the memory of the past. The spirit of the disappeared great country to this day it is felt in the current Kaliningrad region in the cities that bore the names Tapiau and Taplaken, Insterburg and Tilsit, Ragnit and Waldau.

Tourists are very popular with excursions at the Georgenburg stud farm. It existed at the beginning of the thirteenth century. The Georgenburg fortress was a haven for German knights and crusaders, whose main business was horse breeding.

The churches built in the fourteenth century (in the former cities of Heiligenwald and Arnau), as well as the churches of the sixteenth century on the territory the former city Tapiau. These majestic buildings constantly remind people of the old days of the prosperity of the Teutonic Order.

Knight's castles

The land, rich in amber reserves, has attracted German conquerors since the earliest times. In the thirteenth century, the Polish princes, together with gradually seized these possessions and rebuilt numerous castles on them. The remains of some of them, being architectural monuments, and today make an indelible impression on contemporaries. The largest number of knightly castles were erected in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The captured Prussian rampart-earth fortresses served as their place of construction. When building the castles, the traditions in the style of the Order's Gothic architecture of the late Middle Ages were surely followed. In addition, all buildings corresponded to a single plan for their construction. Nowadays, an unusual is open in the ancient

The settlement of Nizovye is very popular among residents and guests. It houses a unique museum of local lore with old cellars. Having visited it, we can say with confidence that the whole history of East Prussia flashes before our eyes, from the times of the ancient Prussians to the era of Soviet settlers.

During the German counterattack on Kragau (East Prussia), artillery officer Yuri Uspensky was killed. A handwritten diary was found with the murdered man.

"January 24, 1945. Gumbinnen - We passed through the whole city, which was relatively unharmed during the battle. Some buildings are completely destroyed, others are still on fire. They are said to have been set on fire by our soldiers.
In this rather large town, furniture and other household utensils are lying on the streets. On the walls of houses, the inscriptions are visible everywhere: "Death to Bolshevism." In this way the Fritzes tried to campaign among their soldiers.
In the evening we talked with the prisoners in Gumbinnen. It turned out to be four Fritz and two Poles. Apparently, the mood in the German troops is not very good, they themselves surrendered and are now saying: "We don't care where to work - in Germany or in Russia."
We quickly reached Insterburg. From the car window, you can see the landscape typical of East Prussia: roads lined with trees, villages in which all houses are covered with tiles, fields that are fenced with barbed wire to protect against livestock.
Insterburg turned out to be bigger than Gumbinnen. The whole city is still in smoke. Houses are burned to the ground. Endless columns of soldiers and trucks pass through the city: such a joyful picture for us, but such a formidable one for the enemy. This is retribution for everything that the Germans have done with us. Now German cities are being destroyed, and their population will finally know what it is: war!

We drive further along the highway in a passenger car of the 11th Army headquarters towards Konigsberg in order to find the 5th artillery corps there. The highway is completely packed with heavy trucks.
The villages we meet on our way are partly badly destroyed. It is striking that we come across very few destroyed Soviet tanks, not at all like it was in the first days of the offensive.
On the way, we meet columns of civilians who, guarded by our submachine gunners, are sent to the rear, away from the front. Some Germans travel in large covered vans. Teenagers, men, women and girls are walking. Everyone is wearing good clothes. It would be interesting to talk to them about the future.

Soon we stop for the night. Finally, we are in a rich country! Herds of livestock are visible everywhere, roaming the fields. Yesterday and today we cooked and fried two chickens a day.
Everything in the house is very well equipped. The Germans left almost all of their household belongings. I have to think once again about what a great sorrow this war brings with it.
It travels like a fiery tornado through cities and villages, leaving behind smoking ruins, trucks and tanks crushed by explosions, and mountains of corpses of soldiers and civilians.
Let the Germans now see and feel what war is! How much sorrow there is in this world! I hope that Adolf Hitler will not have long to wait for the loop prepared for him.

January 26, 1945. Petersdorf near Velau. - Here, on this sector of the front, our troops were four kilometers from Königsberg. The 2nd Belorussian Front reached the sea near Danzig.
Thus, East Prussia is completely cut off. As a matter of fact, it is already almost in our hands. We drive through Velau. The city is still burning, it is completely destroyed. Smoke and corpses of Germans are everywhere. On the streets you can see many guns and corpses of German soldiers abandoned by the Germans in the sewers.
These are signs of the brutal defeat of the German troops. Everyone is celebrating a victory. The soldiers are preparing food on the fire. The Fritzes abandoned everything. Whole herds of livestock roam the fields. The surviving houses are full of excellent furniture and utensils. On the walls you can see paintings, mirrors, photographs.

Many houses were set on fire by our infantry. Everything happens as the Russian proverb says: "As it comes around, it will respond!" The Germans did this in Russia in 1941 and 1942, and now in 1945 it echoed here in East Prussia.
I see a cannon being carried by, covered with a knitted blanket. Nice disguise! On the other gun lies a mattress, and on the mattress, wrapped in a blanket, a Red Army soldier is sleeping.
To the left of the highway, you can see an interesting picture: two camels are being led there. A captive Fritz with a bandaged head is escorted by us. Angry soldiers shout in his face: "Well, have you conquered Russia?" With their fists and the butts of their submachine guns, they urge him on, pushing him in the back.

January 27, 1945. The village of Starkenberg. - The village looks very peaceful. The room in the house where we stayed is light and comfortable. The noise of cannon fire is heard from afar. This is a battle in Königsberg. The position of the Germans is hopeless.
And now the time comes when we can pay for everything. Ours dealt with East Prussia no worse than the Germans dealt with the Smolensk region. We hate Germans and Germany with all our hearts.
For example, in one of the houses in the village, our guys saw a murdered woman with two children. And on the street you can often see killed civilians. The Germans themselves deserved this on our part, because they were the first to behave this way towards the civilian population of the occupied regions.
One need only recall Majdanek and the theory of the superman to understand why our soldiers are so happy to bring East Prussia to such a state. But the German composure in Majdanek was a hundred times worse. Moreover, the Germans glorified the war!

January 28, 1945. - Until two o'clock in the morning we played cards. The houses were abandoned by the Germans in a chaotic state. The Germans had a lot of all kinds of property. But now everything is in complete disarray. The furniture in the houses is excellent. Each house is full of a wide variety of dishes. Most Germans lived quite well.
War, war - when will you end? This destruction of human lives, the results of human labor and monuments of cultural heritage has been going on for three years and seven months.
Cities and villages are ablaze, the treasures of a thousand years of labor disappear. And the nonentities in Berlin are trying their best to continue this one-of-a-kind battle in human history for as long as possible. Therefore, hatred is born, which is poured out on Germany.
February 1, 1945. “In the village, we saw a long column of modern slaves, whom the Germans drove to Germany from all over Europe. Our troops invaded Germany on a wide front. The allies are also advancing. Yes, Hitler wanted to crush the whole world. Instead, he crushed Germany.

February 2, 1945. - We arrived at Fuchsberg. Finally we got to our destination - to the headquarters of the 33rd tank brigade... From a Red Army soldier from the 24th Tank Brigade, I learned that thirteen people from our brigade, including several officers, had been poisoned. They drank denatured alcohol. This is what the love of alcohol can lead to!
On the way, we met several columns of German civilians. Mostly women and children. Many carried their children in their arms. They looked pale and frightened. When asked if they were Germans, they hastened to answer "Yes".
There was a clear stamp of fear on their faces. They had no reason to be glad that they were Germans. At the same time, quite nice faces could be noticed among them.

Last night the soldiers of the division told me about some things that cannot be approved in any way. In the house where the division headquarters was located, evacuated women and children were accommodated at night.
Drunken soldiers began to come there one after another. They chose women for themselves, took them aside and raped them. There were several men for every woman.
This behavior cannot be approved in any way. Revenge, of course, is necessary, but not like that, but with weapons. Still somehow you can understand those whose loved ones were killed by the Germans. But the rape of young girls - no, it cannot be approved!
In my opinion, the command must soon put an end to such crimes, as well as unnecessary destruction of material assets. For example, soldiers spend the night in a house, in the morning they leave and set fire to the house, or recklessly break mirrors and break furniture.
After all, it is clear that all these things will one day be transported to the Soviet Union. But as long as we live here and, carrying the soldier's service, we will live in the future. Such crimes only undermine the morale of soldiers and weaken discipline, which leads to a decrease in combat effectiveness. "