West Prussia map before 1945. Storm of Königsberg

I think that many residents of the Kaliningrad region, as well as many Poles, have repeatedly asked themselves the question - why does the border between Poland and the Kaliningrad region run 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 knowledgeable in history know and remember that before the outbreak of the First World War, the Russian and German empires had, and partly it ran approximately the same as the current border of the Russian Federation with the Republic of Lithuania.

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

Fragment of a map of the administrative divisions of the Russian Empire. 1914.

The results of the First World War, including Germany's territorial losses, were consolidated by the Treaty of Versailles 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 surrounding areas receiving the status of a “free city”) and East Prussia (the transfer of the Memel region (Memelland) to the control of the League of Nations).

The following (very minor) border changes in the southern part of East Prussia were associated with the results of the war 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 there, would not mind annexing into 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, the result of which was the entry of Memelland into Lithuania with autonomy rights and the renaming of Memel to Klaipeda. 15 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 on March 22, 1939, Lithuania was forced to accept Germany’s ultimatum on the return of Memelland to the Third Reich, on March 23, Hitler arrived in Klaipeda-Memel on the cruiser Deutschland, who then addressed 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 beginning 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.

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 of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union.

The next, but not the last, change in borders in the region we are considering occurred after the end of World War II. It was based on decisions made by Allied leaders in Tehran in 1943 and then at the Yalta Conference in 1945. In accordance with these decisions, first of all, the future borders of Poland in the east, common with the USSR, were determined. 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 which would become part of Poland.

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

Below we offer the reader a translation of the article (with slight abbreviations) by Wieslaw Kaliszuk, author and owner of the website “History of the Elbląg Upland” (Historija Wysoczyzny Elbląskiej), about how the process of border formation took placebetween Poland and the USSR in the territory former East Prussia.

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The current Polish-Russian border begins near the town of Wiżajny ( Wiżajny) in the Suwałki region at the junction of three borders (Poland, Lithuania and Russia) and ends in the west, at the town of Nowa Karczma on the Vistula (Baltic) Spit. The border was formed by a 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-Morawski, and the USSR Foreign Minister, 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 (11/28/1943 – 12/01/1943). 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 on June 10, 1945 received the name “Königsberg Special Military District” (KOVO). 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. Major General B.P. was appointed Commissioner of the NKVD-NKGB of the USSR for East Prussia in the period from 11/03/1945 to 01/04/1946. Trofimov, who from May 24, 1946 to July 5, 1947 served as head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Koenigsberg/Kaliningrad region. Before this, the post of NKVD Commissioner for the 3rd Belorussian Front was 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.

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 the 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 made 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 objecting to Poland’s loss of eastern territories.

Even before the conquest of East Prussia, the Moscow authorities (read “Stalin”) determined the political borders in this region. Already on July 27, 1944, the future Polish border was discussed at a secret meeting with the Polish Committee of People's Liberation (PKNO). The first draft borders on the territory of East Prussia was presented to the PKNO State Defense Committee of the USSR (GKO USSR) on February 20, 1945. In Tehran, Stalin outlined the future borders in East Prussia for his allies. The border with Poland was to run from west to east immediately south of Königsberg along the Pregel and Pissa rivers (about 30 km north of the current Polish border). The project was much more profitable for Poland. She would receive the entire territory of the Vistula (Baltic) Spit and the cities of Heiligenbeil (now Mamonovo), Ludwigsort (now Ladushkin), Preußisch Eylau (now Bagrationovsk), Friedland (now Pravdinsk), Darkemen (Darkehmen, after 1938 - Angerapp, now Ozersk), Gerdauen (now Zheleznodorozhny), Nordenburg (now Krylovo). However, all cities, regardless of which bank of the Pregel or Pissa they are located on, will then be included in the USSR. Despite the fact that Königsberg was supposed to go to the USSR, its location near the future border would not prevent Poland from using the exit from the Frisches Half 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 planned to annex the northeastern part of East Prussia, including Königsberg, since the USSR would like to have an ice-free port on the Baltic Sea. In the same year, Stalin mentioned this more than once in his communications 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 Stanislaw Mikolajczyk. The same issue was raised during 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 the Second World War from various Polish parties and which was planned to be subsequently transformed into parliament. — admin) and PCNO, organizations in opposition 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 the inclusion of Königsberg into the USSR. On November 22, 1944 in London, at a meeting of the Coordination Committee, consisting of representatives of the four parties included in the government in exile, it was decided not to accept the dictates of the Allies, including the recognition of borders along the “Curzon Line”.

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), transformed from the PKNO, which ceased its activities 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 in general terms, which was supposed 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, now Braniewo and end on the Vistula (Baltic) Spit about 3 km north of the present village of Nowa Karczma. The position of the future border on the same terms 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 same way as it is laid now.

By the way, Poland has historical rights to the entire territory of the former East Prussia. Royal Prussia and Warmia went to Prussia as a result of the First Partition of Poland (1772), and the Polish crown lost fief rights to the Duchy of Prussia due to the Welau-Bydgoszcz treaties (and the political shortsightedness of King John Casimir), agreed upon in Welau on September 19, 1657, and ratified in Bydgoszcz November 5-6. In accordance with them, Elector Frederick William 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 fall 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 push the borders of Poland under his control as far west as possible was the result of a simple calculation: Poland’s western border would simultaneously be the border of the USSR’s sphere of influence, at least until the fate of Germany became clear. Nevertheless, violations of agreements on the future border between Poland and the USSR were a consequence 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 preliminary agreements on the border on the territory of the former East Prussia in favor of the USSR and the consent of Great Britain and the United States to these actions undoubtedly indicate their reluctance to strengthen the territorial strength of Poland, doomed to Sovietization.

After adjustment, the border between Poland and the USSR was supposed to pass along the northern borders of the former administrative regions of East Prussia (Kreiss. - 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 sections, the border was moved without permission by the decision of the commanders of individual units of the Soviet Army. Allegedly, Stalin himself controlled the passage of the border in this region. For the Polish side, the eviction of the local Polish administration and population from towns and villages already settled and taken under Polish control came as a complete surprise. Since many settlements were already populated by Polish settlers, it got to the point that a Pole, leaving for work in the morning, could upon returning find out that his home was already on the territory of the USSR.

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

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

A striking example of a 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 delimitation act signed by the two parties on July 15, 1945. Commissioner for the Masurian District (Colonel Jakub Prawin - 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 the government representative in the Warmia-Masurian District, head of the administration of this district, and from May 23 to November 1945, the first governor of the Olsztyn Voivodeship. - admin) was informed in writing on September 4 that the Soviet authorities had ordered the Gerdauen mayor, Jan Kaszynski, to immediately leave the local administration and resettle the Polish civilian population. The next day (September 5), representatives of J. Pravin (Zygmunt Walewicz, Tadeusz Smolik and Tadeusz Lewandowski) expressed an oral protest against such orders to the 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 prohibiting Polish settlers from entering these territories. In this regard, on September 11, a protest was sent from Nordenburg to the District Prosecutor's Office in Olsztyn (Allenstein). This indicates that back in September 1945 this territory was Polish.

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

In the Preussisch-Eylau area, the military commandant Major Malakhov transferred all powers to the headman Pyotr Gagatko on June 27, 1945, but already on October 16, the head of the Soviet border troops in the area, Colonel Golovkin, informed the headman about the transfer of the border one kilometer south of Preussisch-Eylau. Despite protests from the Poles (10/17/1945), the border was moved back. On December 12, 1945, on behalf of Pravin's deputy Jerzy Burski, the mayor of Preussisch-Eylau vacated 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 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 Masurian district was that the borders of almost all northern powiats (powiat - district. - admin) were changed.

Bronislaw Saluda, a researcher on 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 work of the settlers to improve it would be in vain. In addition, it happened that the border separated a residential building from the outbuildings or land plot assigned to it. In Shchurkovo it so happened that the border passed through a cattle barn. The Soviet military administration responded to complaints from the population that the loss of land here would be compensated by lands 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 agreement of the Allied leaders (Roosevelt and Churchill) to include the northern part of East Prussia with Königsberg into the Soviet Union, Stalin offered 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, 16 more border adjustments took place in favor of the Kaliningrad region. From the initial draft of the border, presented in Moscow by the State Defense Committee of the USSR for consideration by the PKNO, in reality the borders were moved 30 km to the south. Even in 1956, when the influence of Stalinism on Poland weakened, the Soviet side “threatened” the Poles with “adjusting” the borders.

On April 29, 1956, the USSR proposed to the Polish People's Republic (PPR) to resolve the issue of the temporary state of the border within the Kaliningrad region, which had persisted since 1945. The border agreement was concluded in Moscow on March 5, 1957. The PPR 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 defined on the ground and with the installation of boundary pillars.

The Vistula (Kaliningrad) Lagoon (838 sq. km) was divided between Poland (328 sq. km) and the Soviet Union. Poland, contrary to initial plans, found itself cut off from the exit 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 the “dead sea”. The “naval blockade” of Elblag, Tolkmicko, 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 access through the Pilau Strait to the Baltic Sea.

The final border passed through railways and roads, canals, settlements and even farmsteads. For centuries, the emerging single geographical, political and economic territory was arbitrarily dismembered. The border passed through the territory of six former territories.

It is believed that as a result of numerous border adjustments, Poland lost about 1,125 square meters in this region relative to the original border design. km of territory. The border drawn “along the line” led to numerous negative consequences. For example, between Braniewo and Gołdap, 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 broken. The unfinished Masurian Canal was also cut almost in half. Numerous power and telephone lines were also cut. All this could not but lead to a worsening of the economic situation in settlements adjacent to the border: who would want to live in a settlement whose affiliation is not 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 settlers began only in the summer of 1947, during the forced resettlement of thousands of Ukrainians to these areas during Operation Vistula.

The border, practically drawn from west to east along the latitude, led to the fact that throughout the entire territory from Gołdap to Elbląg the economic situation never improved, although at one time Elbing, which became part of Poland, was 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 economically developed than Elblag. The negative role of the final partition of East Prussia also affected the indigenous population of this region - the Masurians. All this significantly delayed the economic development of this entire region.

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

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 includes 9.5 km of water border and 835 m of land border on the Baltic Spit.

Two voivodeships have a common border with the Kaliningrad region: Pomeranian and Warmian-Masurian, and six poviats: Nowodworski (on the Vistula Spit), Braniewski, Bartoszycki, Kieszynski, Węgorzewski and Gołdapski.

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

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

The western border of Poland was recognized by the German Democratic Republic by the treaty of July 6, 1950, the Federal Republic of Germany recognized the border of Poland by the treaty of December 7, 1970 (clause 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. However, before the unification of Germany and the signing of the Polish-German border treaty on November 14, 1990, the Federal Republic of Germany officially declared that the German lands ceded to Poland after World War II 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 international legal status. After World War II, the victorious powers agreed to transfer Königsberg to the jurisdiction of the Soviet Union, but only until an agreement was signed in accordance with international law, which would ultimately determine the status of this territory. An international treaty with Germany was signed only in 1990. The signing of it was previously prevented by the Cold War and Germany, divided into two states. And although Germany has officially renounced its claims to the Kaliningrad region, formal sovereignty over this territory has not been formalized by Russia.

Already in November 1939, the Polish government in exile was considering the inclusion of all of 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/Shchurkovo) is a Polish settlement located near the border with the Kaliningrad region. During the formation of the border, part of Schönbruch ended up on Soviet territory, part on Polish territory. The settlement was designated on Soviet maps as Shirokoe (now does not exist). It was not possible to find out whether Shirokoe was inhabited.

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

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It seems to us that it would 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 allocated 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 - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain

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

The following agreement has been reached:

“A new situation was 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 previously possible before the recent liberation of Western Poland. The Provisional Government currently operating in Poland must therefore be reorganized on a broader democratic basis, with the inclusion of democratic figures from Poland itself and Poles from abroad. This new government should 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 at Moscow as a Commission primarily with the members of the present Provisional Government and with other Polish democratic leaders both from Poland itself and from abroad. borders, having in mind the reorganization of the present Government on the above principles. This Polish Provisional Government of National Unity must commit itself to holding free and unobstructed elections as soon as possible on the basis of universal suffrage by secret ballot. In these elections, all anti-Nazi and democratic parties must have the right to participate and nominate candidates.

When the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity has been duly formed in accordance with (270) the above, the Government of the USSR, which at present maintains diplomatic relations with the present Provisional Government of Poland, the Government of the United Kingdom and the Government of the United States will establish diplomatic relations with the new Polish Provisional Government of National Unity and exchange ambassadors, from whose reports the respective governments will be informed of the situation in Poland.

The Heads of the Three Governments believe that the Eastern border of Poland should run along the Curzon Line with deviations from it in some areas of five to eight kilometers in favor of Poland. The Heads of the Three Governments recognize that Poland must receive significant increases in territory in the North and West. They believe that on the question of the size of these increments the opinion of the new Polish Government of National Unity will be sought in due course and that thereafter the final determination of the Western border of Poland will be postponed until the peace conference."

Winston S. Churchill

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Even in the late Middle Ages, the lands located between the Neman and Vistula rivers received their name East Prussia. Throughout its existence, this power has experienced 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 the renaming due to the redistribution between Poland and the Soviet Union.

History of the 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 separated by conventional borders.

The expanses of Prussian possessions covered the part of Poland and Lithuania that now exists. These included Sambia and Skalovia, Warmia and Pogesania, Pomesania and Kulm land, Natangia and Bartia, Galindia and Sassen, Skalovia and Nadrovia, Mazovia and Sudovia.

Numerous conquests

Prussian lands throughout their existence were constantly subject to attempts at conquest by stronger and more aggressive neighbors. So, in the twelfth century, the Teutonic knights - the 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 some eastern lands being conquered by the Russian Empire.

In the twentieth century, military actions also did not spare these lands. Beginning in 1914, East Prussia was involved in the First World War and, in 1944, in the Second World War.

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

Existence between the wars

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

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

In addition, East Prussia also lost the territory of Soldau (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 found itself in a difficult situation, accompanied by enormous economic difficulties.

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-Konigsberg airline was opened, the German Oriental Fair was resumed, and the Konigsberg city radio station began operating.

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

Redistribution of territory

A considerable number of changes were made to the geographical maps of East Prussia before 1945. The same thing 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 repartition of Europe. And the map of East Prussia, in their opinion, was 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 be translated into reality.

Post-war time

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

In those years, thousands of German officers and soldiers were hiding throughout East Prussia, and groups engaged in sabotage and sabotage were active. In April 1945 alone, the military commandant’s office captured more than three thousand armed fascists.

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

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

East Prussian lands today

Today, 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 geographically separated. In addition to the administrative center - Kaliningrad (until 1946 it was named Koenigsberg), such cities as Bagrationovsk, Baltiysk, Gvardeysk, 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 depths about ninety percent of its world reserves.

Interesting places in modern East Prussia

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

Excursions at the Georgenburg stud farm are popular among tourists. It existed as early as the beginning of the thirteenth century. The Georgenburg fortress was a haven for German knights and crusaders, whose main business was breeding horses.

Churches built in the fourteenth century (in the former cities of Heiligenwald and Arnau), as well as sixteenth-century churches in the territory of the former city of Tapiau, are still quite well preserved. These majestic buildings constantly remind people of the past times of prosperity of the Teutonic Order.

Knight's castles

The land, rich in amber reserves, has attracted German conquerors since ancient times. In the thirteenth century, the Polish princes, together with them, gradually seized these possessions and built numerous castles on them. The remains of some of them, being architectural monuments, still make an indelible impression on contemporaries today. The largest number of knight's castles were erected in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Their construction sites were captured Prussian rampart-earthen fortresses. When building castles, traditions in the style of orderly Gothic architecture of the late Middle Ages were necessarily maintained. In addition, all buildings corresponded to a single plan for their construction. Nowadays, an unusual thing has been discovered in the ancient

The village of Nizovye is very popular among residents and guests. It houses a unique local history museum with ancient cellars. Having visited it, you can say with confidence that the entire history of East Prussia flashes before your eyes, starting from the times of the ancient Prussians and ending with the era of Soviet settlers.

To this event, friends, I dedicate this photo collection.

1. The commander of the 303rd Soviet Aviation Division, Major General of Aviation Georgy Nefedovich Zakharov (1908-1996), assigns a combat mission to the pilots storming Koenigsberg from the air. 1945

2. View of one of the forts of Koenigsberg. 1945

3. Line of trenches near Koenigsberg. 1945

4. A Soviet infantry unit passes through a destroyed settlement on the outskirts of Koenigsberg. January 30, 1945 East Prussia.

5. Soviet guards mortars at a firing position. South-west of Koenigsberg. 1945

6. The heavy gun of battery commander Captain Smirnov at a firing position fires at German fortifications in Konigsberg. April 1945

7. Soldiers from Captain V. Leskov’s battery deliver artillery shells on the approaches to Koenigsberg. 1945

8. Soviet soldier guardsman-artilleryman with a cannon shell on which is written: “Around Koenigsberg.” 1945

9. A Soviet infantry unit is fighting on one of the streets of Koenigsberg. 1945

10. Soviet soldiers during the battle for Koenigsberg, heading to a combat position under the cover of a smoke screen. 1945

11. Self-propelled guns with a landing of machine gunners attack enemy positions in the Konigsberg area. April 1945

12. Guardsman V. Surnin, the first to break into one of the buildings in Koenigsberg during the attack on the city, strengthens the flag with his name on the roof of the house. 1945

13. The corpses of German soldiers on the side of the Primorskoye Highway southwest of Koenigsberg, left after the battle. Movement of carts with Soviet soldiers of the 3rd Belorussian Front. March 1945

15. Group of Heroes of the Soviet Union of the 5th Army, awarded this title for battles in East Prussia. From left to right: Guards ml Lieutenant Nezdoliy K., Guards. Captain Filosofov A., Major General Gorodovikov B.B., Guards Captain Kotin F., Sergeant Major Voinshin F. 1944 East Prussia.

16. Soviet sappers clear mines from the streets of Koenigsberg. 1945

17. V.E. Yashkov, photogrammetrist of the 136th Army Cannon Artillery Brigade (1st left) with colleagues at the German railway artillery range. 1945 Germany.

18. Soldiers of the Moscow Proletarian Division fire at the enemy on the Frisch Nerung Spit. 1945 East Prussia.

19. Soviet sappers clear mines from one of the streets of Tilsit with the help of service dogs. 1945

20. A border post with the inscription “Germany” (in Russian) on the street of a German city destroyed during the fighting. 1945 East Prussia.

21. Soviet soldiers in the battle for the Könisberg - Fischhausen railway line. 1945 East Prussia.

22. Mortar crew of the 11th Guards Army at a firing position on the approaches to the city of Pilau. 1945 East Prussia.

23. Soviet heavy guns are moving along the road, past one of the populated areas of East Prussia. 1945

24. Soldiers of the 5th Army of the 3rd Belorussian Front (from left to right): I. Osipov, P. Kornienko, A. Seleznev were the first to enter the city of Granz. April 1945

26. German transport, sunk by Soviet troops, in the port of Elbing. 1945

28. Residents of Elbing return to the city after the end of hostilities. February 1945

29. The artillery crew of the 11th Guards Army is fighting on the Frisch Nerung spit. 1945 East Prussia

30. Soviet guardsmen on Frisch Nerung Bay after the defeat of the enemy. April 1945 East Prussia.

31. Commander of the 11th Guards Army, Major General K.N. Galitsky and Chief of Staff Lieutenant General I.I. Semenov at the map. April 1945 East Prussia.

32. Soldiers of the 70th Army inspect shells intended for firing from the Su-76. 1945 East Prussia.

33. View of the city of Velau. The bridge over the Alle River, blown up by German troops during the retreat. 1945

35. Soviet trucks on one of the streets of the city of Elsa, occupied by troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front. March 1945

37. View of one of the streets of the city of Hohenstein, occupied by troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front. 02 February 1945

38. Submachine gunners of the 3rd Belorussian Front walk along a destroyed street in Insterburg. 06 February 1945

39. Cavalry and infantry of the 2nd Belorussian Front on the square of the city of Allenstein. 02 February 1945

40. Soviet soldiers march in formation past a monument erected at the burial site of M.I. Kutuzov’s heart on a square in Bunzlau. March 17, 1945

41. Soviet submachine gunners during a street battle in Glogau. April 1945

42. One of the streets of the city of Willenberg, occupied by troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front. 02 February 1945

43. Artillery of the 1st Ukrainian Front on one of the streets of Neisse. April 1945

44. Soldiers of the 3rd Belorussian Front escort German prisoners of war. 1945 Koenigsberg

45. Commander of the 11th Guards Army, Colonel General Kuzma Nikitovich Galitsky (1897-1973) and Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Ivan Iosifovich Semyonov, near the destroyed Royal Castle in Koenigsberg. April 1945

46. ​​Preparations for the bombing operation of Koenigsberg in the 135th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment. 1945

47. Soviet soldiers walk along the embankment of Koenigsberg, destroyed in battle. 04/09/1945

48. Soldiers of the 3rd Belorussian Front run to attack on one of the streets of Koenigsberg. April 1945

49. Soviet soldiers pass through a German village on the outskirts of Konigsberg. 1945

50. German Jagdpanzer IV/70 tank destroyer (left) and Sd.Kfz.7 half-track tractor destroyed by Soviet troops during the assault on the street of Koenigsberg. April 1945

51. Soviet soldiers near German 150-mm infantry howitzers sIG 33 on Steile Strasse (now Grieg Street) in captured Königsberg. 04/13/1945

52. Commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky (left) and his deputy Army General I.Kh. Bagramyan clarify the plan for the assault on Koenigsberg. 1945

53. A column of Soviet self-propelled guns ISU-152 is moving towards new combat lines to strike the forts of Koenigsberg. April 1945

54. Soviet unit in a street battle in Koenigsberg. April 1945

55. Soviet soldiers pass through a German settlement on the outskirts of Koenigsberg. 01/25/1945

56. Abandoned German guns near the ruins of a building in Koenigsberg after the city was taken by storm. April 1945

57. A German 88-mm FlaK 36/37 anti-aircraft gun abandoned on the outskirts of Königsberg. April 1945

58. Soviet self-propelled gun ISU-152 “St. John’s wort” on the street of captured Koenigsberg. On the right in the column is the Soviet self-propelled gun SU-76. April 1945

59. Soviet infantry, supported by the SU-76 self-propelled guns, attacks German positions in the Konigsberg area. 1945

60. German prisoners at the Sackheim Gate in Königsberg. April 1945

61. Soviet soldiers sleep, resting after the fighting, right on the street of Königsberg, which was taken by storm. April 1945

62. German refugees with a baby in Konigsberg. March-April 1945

63. Broken cars on the street of Königsberg taken by storm. Soviet soldiers in the background. April 1945

64. Soviet soldiers are fighting a street battle on the outskirts of Koenigsberg. 3rd Belorussian Front. April 1945

65. A German 150-mm heavy self-propelled gun (self-propelled howitzer) “Hummel” destroyed by a direct hit from a large-caliber projectile. April 1945

66. Soviet self-propelled gun ISU-122S is fighting in Koenigsberg. 3rd Belorussian Front, April 1945.

67. German assault gun StuG III destroyed in Königsberg. In the foreground is a killed German soldier. April 1945

68. Koenigsberg, positions of German air defense troops after the bombing. A sound-reduction installation is visible on the right. April 1945

69. Koenigsberg, destroyed German artillery battery. April 1945

70. Koenigsberg, German bunker in the Horst Wessel Park area. April 1945

• Velau (Znamensk) The city was taken on January 23, 1945 during the Insterburg-Koenigsberg operation.
• Gumbinnen (Gusev) Having launched the offensive on January 13, 1945, the soldiers of the 28th Army were able to overcome enemy resistance and, by the end of January 20, break into the eastern outskirts of the city. At 22:00 on January 21, by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the capture of the city was announced, gratitude was announced to the distinguished troops and a salute was given to the 12th artillery. salvos from 124 guns.
• Darkemen (Ozersk) The city was captured on January 23, 1945 during the Insterburg-Koenigsberg operation. In 1946, the city was renamed Ozyorsk. After the Second World War the city was heavily damaged, but the city center still retains its historical appearance.
• Insterburg (Chernyakhovsk) Troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front, 22.1..45. carried out an offensive along the entire front. In the Koenigsberg direction, with a decisive blow they broke the fierce resistance of the enemy on the Pregel River and stormed a powerful stronghold, a communications hub and the vital center of East Prussia, the city of Instenburg... . … Seventh: 6 The army continued its attack on Instenburg. As a result of decisive actions by the right flank and center, the resistance of the enemy's Instenburg lines was broken through. At the end of the day they were still fighting on the left flank...
• Kranz (Zelenogradsk) Kranz was occupied by Soviet troops on February 4, 1945. There were fierce battles on the Curonian Spit, but Kranz himself was practically unharmed during the war. In 1946 Kranz was renamed Zelenogradsk.
• Labiau (Polessk) The city was captured on January 23, 1945 during the Insterburg-Koenigsberg operation. In 1946, it was renamed Polessk in honor of the historical and geographical region of Polesie.
• Neuhausen (Gurievsk) On January 28, 1945, the village of Neuhausen was taken by the 192nd Infantry Division under the command of Colonel L. G. Bosanets. On April 7 of the same year, the Königsberg district was formed with its center in Neuhausen, and on September 7, 1946, the city was renamed in honor of the Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General Stepan Savelyevich Guryev (1902-1945), who died during the assault on Pillau
• Pillau (Baltiysk) The city was captured on April 25, 1945 by the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front and the forces of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet during the Zemland operation. The 11th Guards Army under Colonel General Galitsky took part in the assault on Pillau. On November 27, 1946, Pillau received the name Baltiysk.
• Preussisch-Eylau (Bagrationovsk) The city was captured on February 10, 1945 during the East Prussian operation. On September 7, 1946, the city was renamed in honor of the Russian commander, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, General Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration.
• Ragnit (Neman) The fortified city of Ragnit was captured by storm on January 17, 1945. After the war, Ragnit was renamed Neman in 1947.
• Raushen (Svetlogorsk) In April 1945, Rauschen and the surrounding settlements were occupied without fighting. In 1946 it was renamed Svetlogorsk.
• Tapiau (Gvardeysk) The city was captured on January 25, 1945 by troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front during the Insterburg-Koenigsberg Operation: 39 A - part of the forces of the 221st Infantry Division (Major General Kushnarenko V.N.), 94th Infantry Division (Major General Popov I.I.)
• Tilsit (Sovetsk) The troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front, decisively developing the offensive, defeated the enemy’s Tilsit group and cut all the roads connecting Tilsit with Insterburg. Subsequently, with a swift strike by units of the 39th and 43rd armies at 10 p.m. 30m. On January 19, 1945, they captured the powerful German defense center in East Prussia, the city of Tilsit.
• Fischhausen (Primorsk) The city was captured on April 17, 1945 during the Zemland operation.
• Friedland (Pravdinsk) The city was captured on January 31, 1945 by the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front during the East Prussian Operation: 28 A - part of the forces of the 20 Infantry Division (Major General Myshkin A.A.), 20 Infantry Division (Major General Shvarev N.A.)
• Haselberg (Krasnoznamensk) On January 18, 1945, the city was taken by troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front during the Insterburg-Koenigsberg operation. In 1946 it was renamed Krasnoznamensk.
• Heiligenbeil (Mamonovo) The city was captured on March 25, 1945 during the destruction of the Heilsberg enemy group.
• Stallupenen (Nesterov) The city was captured on October 25, 1944 by troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front during the Gumbinnen operation.