What happened to East Prussia. Capture of the settlements of East Prussia West Prussia map before 1945

During the German counterattack on Kragau (East Prussia), artillery officer Yuri Uspensky was killed. The deceased had a handwritten diary.

"January 24, 1945. Gumbinnen - We passed through the entire city, which was relatively undamaged 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 scattered on the streets. On the walls of houses, inscriptions are visible everywhere: "Death to Bolshevism." Thus, the Fritz tried to campaign among their soldiers.
In the evening we talked in Gumbinnen with the prisoners. 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 now they say: "We don't care where we work - in Germany or in Russia."
We quickly reached Insterburg. From the window of the car you can see the landscape typical for East Prussia: roads lined with trees, villages in which all houses are covered with tiles, fields that are surrounded by barbed wire fences to protect against livestock.
Insterburg turned out to be bigger than Gumbinnen. The whole city is still in smoke. Houses are burning down. Endless columns of soldiers and trucks pass through the city: such a joyful picture for us, but so formidable for the enemy. This is retribution for everything the Germans have done to us. Now German cities are being destroyed, and their population will finally know what it is: war!

We drive further along the highway in the passenger car of the headquarters of the 11th army towards Königsberg to find the 5th artillery corps there. The highway is full of heavy trucks.
The villages we meet on our way are partly badly destroyed. It is striking that we come across very few wrecked Soviet tanks, not at all like it was in the first days of the offensive.
Along the way, we meet columns of the civilian population, which, under the protection of our submachine gunners, are sent to the rear, away from the front. Some Germans ride in large covered wagons. Teenagers, men, women and girls go on foot. All good clothes. It would be interesting to talk with them about the future.

Soon we stop for the night. Finally we got to a rich country! Everywhere you can see herds of livestock roaming the fields. Yesterday and today we boiled and fried two chickens a day.
Everything in the house is very well equipped. The Germans left almost all their household belongings. I am compelled to think again about what a great grief this war brings with it.
It passes like a fiery whirlwind through cities and villages, leaving behind smoking ruins, trucks and tanks mangled by explosions, and mountains of corpses of soldiers and civilians.
Now let the Germans see and feel what war is! How much grief is still in this world! I hope that Adolf Hitler does not have long to wait for the noose prepared for him.

January 26, 1945. Petersdorf near Velau. - Here, on this sector of the front, our troops were four kilometers from Koenigsberg. The 2nd Belorussian Front went to the sea near Danzig.
Thus, East Prussia is completely cut off. In fact, it is already almost in our hands. We are driving along Velau. The city is still burning, it is completely destroyed. Everywhere smoke and corpses of the Germans. On the streets you can see many guns abandoned by the Germans and the corpses of German soldiers in the sewers.
These are signs of the brutal defeat of the German troops. Everyone is celebrating the victory. Soldiers cook food on a fire. Fritz abandoned everything. Entire 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 weapon covered with a knitted blanket being carried past. Nice disguise! On another gun lies a mattress, and on the mattress, wrapped in a blanket, a Red Army soldier sleeps.
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 led past us. Angry soldiers shout in his face: "Well, did you conquer Russia?" With their fists and the butts of their machine guns, they urge him on, pushing him in the back.

January 27, 1945. The village of Starkenberg. - The village looks very peaceful. The room of the house where we stayed is light and cozy. From afar comes the sound of cannonade. This is a battle in Koenigsberg. The position of the Germans is hopeless.
And now the time comes when we can pay for everything. Ours treated East Prussia no worse than the Germans did with the Smolensk region. We hate the Germans and Germany with all our heart.
For example, in one of the houses of the village, our guys saw a murdered woman with two children. And on the street you can often see dead civilians. The Germans themselves deserved this on our part, because they were the first to behave in this way in relation to the civilian population of the occupied regions.
One only needs to remember Majdanek and the theory of the superman to understand why our soldiers bring East Prussia to such a state with such satisfaction. But German composure in Majdanek was a hundred times worse. In addition, the Germans glorified the war!

January 28, 1945. We played cards until two o'clock in the morning. The houses were abandoned by the Germans in a chaotic state. The Germans had a lot of all sorts of property. But now everything is in complete disarray. The furniture in the houses is just great. Each house is full of a variety of utensils. Most Germans lived quite well.
War, war - when will you end? For three years and seven months this destruction of human lives, the results of human labor and monuments of cultural heritage has been going on.
Towns and villages are burning, the treasures of thousands of years of labor are disappearing. And the nonentities in Berlin are doing their best to continue this one-of-a-kind battle in the history of mankind 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 broad front. The allies are coming too. Yes, Hitler wanted to crush the whole world. Instead, he crushed Germany.

February 2, 1945. - We have arrived in Fuchsberg. Finally, we reached our destination - the headquarters of the 33rd Tank Brigade. I learned from a Red Army soldier from the 24th Tank Brigade that thirteen people from our brigade, including several officers, had been poisoned. They drank denatured alcohol. That's where the love of alcohol can lead!
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 scared. 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 seen among them.

Last night, the soldiers of the division told me about some things that can not be approved. In the house where the headquarters of the division was located, the evacuated women and children were placed 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.
Such behavior is unacceptable. Revenge, of course, is necessary, but not in this way, but with weapons. You can somehow understand those whose loved ones were killed by the Germans. But the rape of young girls - no, this is unacceptable!
In my opinion, the command must soon put an end to such crimes, as well as to the unnecessary destruction of property. For example, soldiers spend the night in some 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 while we live here and, carrying out soldier's service, we will continue to live. Such crimes only undermine the morale of the soldiers and weaken discipline, which leads to a decrease in combat capability."

• Velau (Znamensk) The city was taken on January 23, 1945 during the Insterburg-Koenigsberg operation.
• Gumbinnen (Gusev) Having launched an 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 10 p.m. on January 21, by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the capture of the city was announced, thanks to the distinguished troops and salute to the 12th art. volleys 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. attacked on all fronts. On the Königsberg direction, the fierce resistance of the enemy on the Pregel River was crushed with a decisive blow and they stormed a powerful stronghold, a communications hub and the vital center of East Prussia, the city of Instenburg .... ... Seventh: The 6th Army continued its advance on Instenburg. As a result of decisive actions of the right flank and center, the resistance of the enemy's Instenburg lines was broken through. On the left flank, by the end of the day, they were still fighting ...
• Kranz (Zelenogradsk) Krantz was occupied by Soviet troops on February 4, 1945. Fierce battles were fought on the Curonian Spit, but Kranz himself was practically not injured during the war. In 1946 Krantz 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 (Guryevsk) 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 the center in Neuhausen, and on September 7, 1946 the city was renamed in honor of the Hero 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 of Colonel General Galitsky participated in the assault on Pillau. November 27, 1946 Pillau was named Baltiysk.
• Preussish-Eylau (Bagrationovsk) The city was captured on February 10, 1945 during the East Prussian operation. September 7, 1946 the city was renamed in honor of the Russian commander hero Patriotic War 1812 General Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration.
• Ragnit (Neman) The fortified city of Ragnit was stormed on January 17, 1945. After the war, Ragnit was renamed Neman in 1947.
• Raushen (Svetlogorsk) In April 1945, Raushen and the settlements adjacent to it were occupied without fighting. In 1946 it was renamed Svetlogorsk.
• Tapiau (Gvardeysk) The city was captured on January 25, 1945 by the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front during the Insterburg-Koenigsberg operation: 39 A - part of the forces of the 221st Rifle Division (Major General Kushnarenko V.N.), 94th Rifle Corps (Major General Popov I.I.)
• Tilsit (Sovetsk) The troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front, resolutely developing the offensive, defeated the enemy's Tilsit grouping and cut off all the roads connecting Tilsit with Insterburg. Subsequently, with a swift strike by units of the 39th and 43rd armies at 22h. 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 troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front during the East Prussian operation: 28 A - part of the forces of the 20th Rifle Division (Major General A.A. Myshkin), 20th Rifle Corps (Major General N.A. Shvarev)
• Haselberg (Krasnoznamensk) On January 18, 1945, the city was taken by the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front during the Insterburg-Königsberg operation. In 1946 it was renamed Krasnoznamensk.
• Heiligenbeil (Mamonovo) The city was captured on March 25, 1945 during the destruction of the enemy's Hejlsberg grouping.
• Stallupenen (Nesterov) The city was captured on October 25, 1944 by troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front during the Gumbinnen operation.

Exactly 69 years ago, on April 9, 1945, Soviet troops captured Königsberg by storm during the East Prussian operation.

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), sets a combat mission for pilots storming Koenigsberg from the air. 1945

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

3. Line of trenches at 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 in a firing position. Southwest of Koenigsberg. 1945

6. The heavy gun of the battery commander Captain Smirnov in a firing position is firing at the German fortifications in Koenigsberg. April 1945

7. The fighters of the battery of Captain V. Leskov bring up artillery shells on the outskirts of the city of Koenigsberg. 1945

8. Soviet soldier guards-artilleryman with a gun shell, on which is written: "Across Koenigsberg." 1945

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

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

11. Self-propelled guns with a landing of submachine gunners attack enemy positions in the area of ​​Koenigsberg. April 1945

12. Guardsman V. Surnin, the first to break into one of the buildings of the city of 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 Primorsky highway southwest of the city of Koenigsberg, left after the battle. The movement of wagons 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 the battles in East Prussia. From left to right: guards ml lieutenant Nezdoly 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 the streets of Koenigsberg. 1945

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

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

19. Soviet sappers clear 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 railway line Kenisberg - Fishhausen. 1945 East Prussia.

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

23. Soviet heavy guns are moving along the road, past one of the settlements 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, 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. Artillery crew of the 11th Guards Army is fighting on the Frisch Nerung Spit. 1945 East Prussia

30. Soviet guardsmen on the 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 the 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 river Alle, blown up by the German troops during the retreat. 1945

35. Soviet trucks on one of the streets of the city of Yelsa, 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. February 02, 1945

38. Machine gunners of the 3rd Belorussian Front are walking along the ruined street of Insterburg. 06 February 1945

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

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

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

42. One of the streets of the city of Willenberg, occupied by the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front. February 02, 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 Semenov near the destroyed Royal Castle in Koenigsberg. April 1945

46. ​​Preparation of the operation to bombard Koenigsberg in the 135th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment. 1945

47. Soviet soldiers are walking along the embankment of Koenigsberg, destroyed in battles. 04/09/1945

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

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

50. German tank destroyer Jagdpanzer IV / 70 (left) and half-tracked tractor Sd.Kfz.7 knocked out by Soviet troops during the assault on Koenigsberg Street. April 1945

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

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

53. A column of Soviet self-propelled guns ISU-152 goes to new battle lines to strike at the fortress forts of Koenigsberg. April 1945

54. Soviet unit in a street fight 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. German 88-mm anti-aircraft gun FlaK 36/37 abandoned on the outskirts of Koenigsberg. April 1945

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

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

60. German prisoners at the Sackheim Gate of Koenigsberg. April 1945

61. Soviet soldiers are sleeping, resting after the battles, right on the street taken by storm of Koenigsberg. April 1945

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

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

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

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

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

67. German assault gun StuG III shot down in Koenigsberg. In the foreground is a dead German soldier. April 1945

68. Koenigsberg, positions of the German air defense forces after the bombing. On the right is a sound pickup. April 1945

69. Koenigsberg, destroyed German artillery battery. April 1945

70. Koenigsberg, German bunker near Horst Wessel Park. April 1945

I think that many residents of the Kaliningrad region, however, like many Poles, have repeatedly asked themselves the question - why does the border between Poland and the Kaliningrad region pass in this way and not otherwise? In this note, we will try to figure out 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 start of World War I, the Russian and German empires had, and in part it passed in much the same way as the current border of the Russian Federation with the Republic of Lithuania.

Then, as a result of the events connected with the coming to power of the Bolsheviks in 1917 and the separate peace with Germany in 1918, the Russian Empire collapsed, 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 1918, the Lithuanians also founded their own state.

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

The results of the First World War, including the territorial losses of Germany, were secured by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. In particular, significant territorial changes took place in Pomerania and West Prussia (the formation of the so-called “Polish corridor” and Danzig with its environs receiving the status of a “free city”) and East Prussia (the transfer of the Memel region (Memelland) under the control of the League of Nations).

Territorial losses of Germany after the end of the First World War. Source: Wikipedia.

The following (very minor) changes in the borders in the southern part of East Prussia were associated with the results carried out in Warmia and Mazury in July 1921. At the end of it, the population of most of the territories that Poland, counting on the fact that they are home to a significant number of ethnic Poles, would not mind annexing to itself, 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 on the basis of autonomy and the renaming of Memel to 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 won with an overwhelming advantage. After Lithuania was forced to accept Germany's ultimatum 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, who then spoke to the residents from the balcony of the local theater and accepted the parade of Wehrmacht units. Thus, the last peaceful territorial acquisition of Germany before the outbreak of World War II was formalized.

The annexation of the Memel Territory to Germany did not end the redistribution of borders in 1939. On September 1, the Polish campaign of the Wehrmacht began (the same date is considered by many historians as the date of the start 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, again ceased to exist.

Fragment of the 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 of borders in the region we are considering took place after the end of the Second World War. It was based on the decisions taken by the leaders of the Allies in 1943 in Tehran, 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 it would become part of Poland.

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 7, 1946, on the territory of the Königsberg Special Military District, created after the victory over Germany, the Königsberg Region was formed, 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 was renamed Kaliningrad.

Below we offer the reader a translation of the article (with slight abbreviations) by Wieslaw Kaliszuk, author and owner of the site "History of the Elblag 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 Vizhajny ( Wizajny) in the Suvalshchyna 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 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 the borders of Poland.

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 received the name "Königsberg Special Military District" (KOVO) from June 10, 1945. From 07/09/1945 to 02/04/1946, the leadership of the 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, who was 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. Trofimov, who from 05/24/1946 to 07/05/1947 served as head of the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Königsberg / 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. September 7, 1946 issued a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the administrative-territorial structure of the Kaliningrad region.

"Curzon Line" and the borders of Poland 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 the conference in Tehran, which took place 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 the western border of Poland along the Oder-Neisse line. Poland's "friend" Winston Churchill refused to recognize the new western borders of Poland, believing that "under the rule of the Soviets" it would become too strong due to the weakening of Germany, while not objecting to the loss of Poland's eastern territories.

Variants of the border between Poland and the Kaliningrad region.

Even before the conquest of East Prussia, the Moscow authorities (read "Stalin") determined political boundaries 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 of the borders on the territory of East Prussia was presented to the PKNO by the USSR State Defense Committee (GKO USSR) on February 20, 1945. In Tehran, Stalin drew before his allies the contours of the future borders in the territory of East Prussia. The border with Poland was to run from west to east immediately 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 cities of Heiligenbeil (Heiligenbeil, now Mamonovo), Ludwigsort (Ludwigsort, now Ladushkin), Preußisch Eylau (Preußisch Eylau, now Bagrationovsk), Friedland (Friedland, now Pravdinsk), Darkemen (Darkehmen, after 1938 - Angerapp, now Ozersk), Gerdauen (Gerdauen, now Zheleznodorozhny), Nordenburg (Nordenburg, now Krylovo). However, all cities, regardless of which of the banks of the Pregel or Pissa they are, 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 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 planned to annex the northeastern part of East Prussia, including Königsberg, since the USSR would like to get an ice-free port on the Baltic Sea. Stalin in the same year mentioned this more than once in his conversations with both Churchill and British Foreign Minister Anthony Eden, as well as during a Moscow meeting (10/12/1944) with Stanislav Mikolajczyk, Prime Minister of the Polish government in exile. The same issue was raised during meetings (from September 28 to October 3, 1944) with the delegation of the Craiova Rada Narodowa (KRN, Krajowa Rada Narodowa - political organization, created during the Second World War from various Polish parties and which was planned to be subsequently transformed into a parliament. — admin) and the PCWP, organizations in opposition to the London-based Polish government-in-exile. The Polish government in exile reacted negatively to Stalin's claims, pointing to the possible negative consequences of incorporating Königsberg into the USSR. On November 22, 1944, in London, at a meeting of the Coordinating Committee, consisting of representatives of the four parties that make up the government in exile, it was decided not to accept the dictates of the allies, including the recognition of the borders along the Curzon Line.

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

The border project proposed in February 1945 was known only to the State Defense Committee of the USSR and the Provisional Government of the Polish Republic (VPPR), which was 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, 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 Braunsberg (Brausberg, now Braniewo / Braniewo) and end on the Vistula (Baltic) Spit about 3 km north of the current village of Nova Karchma. 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 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 were 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 according to the Velau-Bydgoszcz treatises (and the political short-sightedness 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 again had to go 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: the western border of Poland would be at the same time the border of the sphere of influence of the USSR, at least until the fate of Germany became clear. However, violations of agreements 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 Great Britain and the United States to these actions undoubtedly indicate their unwillingness to strengthen the territorial strength of Poland, doomed to Sovietization.

After the adjustment, the border between Poland and the USSR was supposed to run along the northern borders of the former administrative regions of East Prussia (Kreiss. - admin) Heiligenbeil, Preussisch-Eylau, Bartenstein (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 moved without permission 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, the eviction of the local Polish administration and population from cities and villages already settled and taken under Polish control was a complete surprise. Since many settlements were already inhabited by Polish settlers, it came to the point that a Pole, leaving for work in the morning, could find out upon his return that his house was already on the territory of the USSR.

Władysław Gomułka, then Polish Minister for Recovered Lands (Recovered Lands (Ziemie Odzyskane) - 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 by the results of a bilateral agreement 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 Masurian district by the Soviet army authorities in the territories of the regions of Gerdauen, Bartenstein and Darkemen were recorded. The border line, determined at that time, was moved deep into the Polish territory at 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. Plenipotentiary for the Masurian District (Colonel Jakub Pravin - Jakub Prawin, 1901-1957 - member of the Communist Party of Poland, Brigadier General of the Polish Army, statesman; was authorized representative Polish government at the headquarters of the 3rd Belorussian Front, then the representative of the government in the Warmian-Masurian district, the 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 4 September that Soviet authorities An order was given to the headman of Gerdauen, Jan Kaszyński, 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 denying access to these territories to Polish settlers. In this regard, on September 11, a protest was sent from Nordenburg to the District Attorney's Office in Olsztyn (Allenstein). This indicates that as early as September 1945 this territory was Polish.

A similar situation was in the Bartenstein (Bartoszyce) district, the headman of which on July 7, 1945 received all the acceptance documents, and already on September 14, the Soviet military authorities ordered the territories around the villages of Schönbruch and Klingenberg to be liberated from the Polish population ( 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 headman Peter Gagatko, but already on October 16, the head of the Soviet border troops in this area, Colonel Golovkin, informed the headman 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 behalf of Pravin's deputy Jerzy Burski, Burgomaster Preussisch-Eylau liberated 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 poviats (powiat - district. - admin) were changed.

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

“... subsequent adjustments to the border line could lead to the fact that part of the villages already occupied by the population could end up on Soviet territory and the work of the settlers in its arrangement was wasted. In addition, it happened that the border separated a residential building from the outbuildings or land allotment assigned to it. In Shchurkovo, it so happened that the border passed through a cattle shed. The Soviet military administration responded to the complaints of the population that the loss of land here would be compensated 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 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, there were 16 more border adjustments in favor of the Kaliningrad region. From the initial draft of the border crossing, 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 “adjustment” of the borders.

On April 29, 1956, the USSR proposed to the Polish People's Republic (PNR) to resolve the issue of the temporary state of the border within the Kaliningrad region, which has been in place since 1945. The border treaty 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) Bay (838 sq. km) was divided between Poland (328 sq. km) and the Soviet Union. Poland, contrary to the original plans, was 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 “sea blockade” of Elbląg, 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 subsidiary plots. For centuries, the emerging single geographical, political and economic territory was arbitrarily divided. The border passed through the territory of six former krays.

Polish-Soviet border in East Prussia. The yellow color indicates the variant of the border for February 1945;, 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. km of territory. The border drawn "along the line" led to numerous negative consequences. For example, between Branevo and Goldap, out of 13 roads that once existed, 10 were cut by the border, between Sempopol and Kaliningrad, 30 out of 32 roads were violated. The unfinished Masurian Canal was also divided in half. Numerous power lines and telephone communications were also cut. All this could not but lead to a deterioration in the economic situation in the settlements adjacent to the border: who wants to live in a settlement whose ownership is not defined? 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 forcible resettlement of thousands of Ukrainians to these parts during the Vistula operation.

The border, practically drawn from west to east along the latitude, led to the fact that throughout the entire territory from Goldap to Elbląg economic situation never recovered, although once Elbing, which went to 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 economically less developed than Elbląg. The negative role of the final division of East Prussia also affected the indigenous population of this region - the Masurians. All this significantly delayed the economic development of the entire region.

Fragment of the map of the administrative division of Poland. 1945 Source: Elblaska Biblioteka Cyfrowa.
Legend to the above map. The dotted line is the border between Poland and the Kaliningrad region under the agreement of 08/16/1945; solid line — borders of voivodeships; dot-dotted line - borders of poviats.

The option of drawing the border with a ruler (a rare case for 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, 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: Pomeranian and Warmian-Masurian, and six poviats: Novodvorsky (on the Vistula Spit), Braniewski, Bartoszycki, Kenshinsky, Vengozhevsky and Goldapsky.

Border crossings operate on the border: 6 ground (automobile Gronovo - Mamonovo, Grzechotki - Mamonovoi II, Bezledy - Bagrationovsk, Goldap - Gusev; railway Branievo - 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, maritime fishing zones and the continental shelf of the Baltic Sea.

The western border of Poland was recognized by the German Democratic Republic by an agreement of July 6, 1950, the Federal Republic of Germany recognized the border of Poland by an agreement of December 7, 1970 (paragraph 3 of article I of this agreement states that the parties do not have any territorial claims to each other, and renounce However, until the reunification of Germany and the signing of the Polish-German border treaty on November 14, 1990, it was officially declared in the FRG that the German lands ceded 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 the Second World War, 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, ultimately, would determine the status of this territory. An international treaty with Germany was signed only in 1990. The Cold War and Germany divided into two states prevented signing it earlier. And although Germany has officially renounced its claims to the Kaliningrad region, however, Russia has not formally formalized sovereignty over this territory.

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.

Schonbruch (Schönbruch, now Szczurkowo/Schurkovo) is a Polish settlement located on the very 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 on Soviet maps was designated as Shirokoye (now does not exist). It was not possible to find out whether Shirokoe was inhabited.

Klingenberg (Klingenberg, now Ostre Bardo / Ostre Bardo) is a Polish settlement a few kilometers east of Shchurkovo. 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 of the process of dividing East Prussia and delimiting the territories ceded to the Soviet Union and Poland, and which were mentioned in the above article by V. Kaliszuk.

Excerpts from the Proceedings of the Crimean (Yalta) Conference of the Leaders of the Three Allied Powers - the USSR, the 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 wish to see a strong, free, independent and democratic Poland established, 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 be recognized by 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 possible before, until the recent liberation of Western Poland. The Provisional Government now 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 should then be called the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity.

V. M. Molotov, Mr. W. A. ​​Harriman and Sir Archibald C. 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 abroad. borders, bearing in mind the reorganization of the present Government on the basis indicated above. This Polish Provisional Government of National Unity must undertake to hold free and unhindered 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 is duly formed in accordance with (270) 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 Government of the United States, will establish diplomatic relations with the new Polish Provisional Government of National Unity and they will exchange ambassadors, according to whose reports the respective governments will be informed of the situation in Poland.

The Heads of the Three Governments believe that Poland's eastern frontier should run 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 recognize that Poland must receive substantial increases in territory in the North and in the West. They consider that the opinion of the new Polish Government of National Unity will be sought in due course on the question of the amount of these increments, and that thereafter the final determination of Poland's western frontier will be postponed until a peace conference."

Winston S. Churchill

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Even in the late Middle Ages, the lands located between the Neman and Vistula rivers got their name East Prussia. For all the time of 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 up to the renaming due to the redistribution between Poland and the Soviet Union.

The history of the origin of possessions

More than ten centuries have passed since the first mention of the Prussian lands. Initially, the people who inhabited these territories were divided into clans (tribes), which were separated by conditional borders.

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

Numerous conquests

The Prussian lands throughout their existence were constantly subjected to attempts to conquer by stronger and more aggressive neighbors. So, in the twelfth century, the Teutonic knights - the crusaders - came to these rich and alluring expanses. They built numerous fortresses and castles, such as 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 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 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 map of 1939 already had changes, and the updated province was in a terrible state. 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 League of Nations began to control the city of Memel and the Memel region with the help of French troops. But after the January uprising in 1923, the situation changed. And already in 1924, these lands, as an autonomous region, became part of Lithuania.

In addition, East Prussia also lost the territory of Soldau (the city of Dzialdovo).

In total, about 315 thousand hectares of land were disconnected. And this is a large area. As a result of these changes, the remaining province found itself in a difficult situation, accompanied by enormous economic difficulties.

The 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-Kenigsberg airline was opened, the German Oriental Fair was resumed, and the Koenigsberg city radio station began work.

Nevertheless, the global economic crisis has not bypassed these ancient lands. And in five years (1929-1933), five hundred and thirteen different enterprises went bankrupt in Koenigsberg alone, and grew to one hundred thousand people. 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.

Territory redistribution

A considerable number of changes were made to the geographical maps of East Prussia until 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 redivision 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 failed to materialize.

Post-war time

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

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

However, ordinary German citizens also lived on the territory of Koenigsberg and in the surrounding areas. They numbered about 140 thousand people.

In 1946, the city of Koenigsberg was renamed Kaliningrad, as a result of which the Kaliningrad region was formed. And in the future, the names of other settlements were also changed. In connection with such changes, the previously 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. Although the area is part of Russian Federation, they are geographically dispersed. In addition to the administrative center - Kaliningrad (until 1946 it bore the name of Koenigsberg), such cities as Bagrationovsk, Baltiysk, Gvardeysk, Yantarny, Sovetsk, Chernyakhovsk, Krasnoznamensk, Neman, Ozersk, Primorsk, Svetlogorsk are well developed. The region consists of seven city districts, two cities and twelve districts. The main peoples living in this territory are Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Armenians and Germans.

To date, the Kaliningrad region ranks first in the extraction of amber, storing about ninety percent of its world reserves in its bowels.

Interesting places of 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 keep the memory of the past. Spirit of the Disappeared great country and to this day is felt in the present Kaliningrad region in the cities bearing the names Tapiau and Taplaken, Insterburg and Tilsit, Ragnit and Waldau.

Excursions conducted at the Georgenburg stud farm are popular with tourists. It existed as early as the beginning of the thirteenth century. The fortress of Georgenburg 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 Heiligenwalde and Arnau), as well as the churches of the sixteenth century in the territory of 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 ancient times. In the thirteenth century, the Polish princes, together with 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 knightly castles were built in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Their place of construction was the captured Prussian rampart-earthen fortresses. When building castles, the traditions in the style of the order's Gothic architecture of the late Middle Ages were necessarily observed. In addition, all buildings corresponded to a single plan for their construction. Nowadays, an unusual

The village of Nizovye is very popular among residents and guests. It houses a unique museum of local lore with ancient cellars. Visiting it, one can say with confidence that the whole history of East Prussia flashes before one's eyes, starting from the time of the ancient Prussians and ending with the era of Soviet settlers.