The Kaliningrad region is in a special position among other regions of the Russian Federation, since it is remote and separated geographically. The history of Kaliningrad, the westernmost regional center, is of great interest to scientists, since after World War II the city from German to Soviet. Although his real story began much earlier.
At the origins of Koenigsberg
Back in 1255, a castle was founded, the name of which sounded like Königsberg - translated into Russian as "Royal Mountain". The neighbors called him in their own way, so in historical documents you can find both Königsberg and Korolevets. Under this name it has been mentioned since the 13th century in Russian chronicles.
Initially, the name of Königsberg was associated only with the castle, but not with the adjacent settlements. And only in 1286 one of the settlements received city law, and the name was recorded in the documents.
As part of Prussia
If we talk about the history of Kaliningrad briefly, one cannot fail to mention the important role of the Poles. After being defeated by Polish troops, the Teutonic Order recognized itself as a vassal of this country, and was forced to move the capital to Konigsberg. At this time, the city is actively developing, including the economy, trade, construction and architecture, printing. During 1466-1657, he was the fiefdom of the Kingdom of Poland, then Prussia.
Konigsberg in the XIX-XX centuries
Throughout the 19th century, there was a rapid modernization of the system of defensive structures, city gates were erected, railway transport appeared, public, and since 1922 - air.
In the twentieth century, its borders expanded significantly, Konigsberg went far beyond the defensive outposts, many Art Nouveau-style residential and office buildings appeared, including: the House of Technology, where the famous Eastern Fair was held; The main station, which was significantly damaged during the war; suburban homes created under the Garden City program.
During World War II, the city was heavily bombed and almost completely destroyed. As a result of the Potsdam Conference, it came under the jurisdiction of the Soviet Union and became a regional center.
In 1946, it received a new name Kaliningrad in honor of Mikhail Kalinin, who was called the All-Union Headman. Although many townspeople still call it Königsberg.
