East Prussia: history and modernity. Map, borders, castles and cities, culture of East Prussia. Polish-Soviet border in East Prussia

To the question Where is Prussia right now? given by the author Evgeny Yamilov the best answer is Prussia - a state, then a land in Germany (until 1945). The main historical core of Prussia is Brandenburg, which merged in 1618 with the Duchy of Prussia (which arose in 1525 on part of the lands Teutonic Order captured by him from the Prussians). The Brandenburg-Prussian state became in 1701 the Kingdom of Prussia (capital Berlin). leadership role in economic and political life Prussia was played by the Junkers. Prussian kings from the Hohenzollern dynasty (Frederick II and others) in the 18th - 1st half of the 19th centuries. significantly expanded the territory of the state. In 1871, the Prussian Junkers, led by Bismarck, completed the unification of Germany on a Prussian-militarist basis with iron and blood; the Prussian king became the German emperor. As a result November Revolution In 1918, in Germany, the monarchy in Prussia was abolished, Prussia became one of the German lands. After the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, the territory of Prussia was divided into separate lands (1945), in 1947 the Control Council for Germany adopted a law on the liquidation of the Prussian state as a stronghold of militarism and reaction.

Answer from Cameroonian Mgwanga[guru]
Well, look at the map - Prussia - Western and Eastern - in different time occupied the land modern states(from west to east) - East Germany, Poland, Russia ( Kaliningrad region), Lithuania

And here is a map of East Prussia within the borders of 1939:

Answer from Yena Balakireva[guru]
In Russia, and in pieces in other countries

Answer from Victoria Mikhailevskaya[newbie]
part in Poland part in Russia

Answer from secret[guru]
Prussia (German Preußen) - the historical name of a number of regions in the eastern and central Europe, namely
Inhabited by the people of the same name (Prussians) region on the southeast coast Baltic Sea, during the Middle Ages conquered by the Teutonic Knights. Later this region became known as East Prussia.
Kingdom from 1701 ruled by the German Hohenzollern dynasty. It included (East) Prussia proper, as well as Brandenburg. The capital was located first in Königsberg, and after Thirty Years' War- in Berlin.
A territorial entity within the Weimar Republic that emerged after the fall of the Hohenzollerns in 1918, including most of the former kingdom. In 1947, as a territorial entity, Prussia was liquidated by decision of the Allies as part of the post-war reorganization of Europe.

Answer from Bumako mambuto[guru]
hello to you, East Prussia is the Kaliningrad region and part of it went to Poland. idiots - Berlin is Brandenburg

Administrative District West Prussia on Wikipedia.
Administrative district of West Prussia

East Prussia on Wikipedia.
Check out the wikipedia article on East Prussia

• 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 decisive action the right flank and center broke through the resistance of the Instenburg lines of the enemy. 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. On the curonian spit fierce battles were fought, 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 rifle 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.

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 car window you can see the landscape typical of East Prussia: roads lined with trees, villages in which all the 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 lined Soviet tanks, not at all like it was in the early 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.
She passes fiery whirlwind through towns and villages, leaving behind smoldering ruins, blasted trucks and tanks, and mounds 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 and corpses abandoned by the Germans. German soldiers in 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 has been going on. human lives, results human labor and monuments cultural heritage.
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 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 got to our destination - to 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 rape young girls- No, it is impossible to approve!
In my opinion, the command should soon put an end to such crimes, as well as unnecessary destruction material assets. 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."

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 of the eastern lands were conquered by the Russian Empire.

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

And after the victory 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 already had changes, and the updated province was in 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 fell into predicament accompanied by enormous economic difficulties.

The economic and political situation in the 20s and 30s.

In the early twenties, after the normalization 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

AT geographic Maps East Prussia until 1945, a considerable number of changes were made. 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 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 later the names of other settlements. 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. And although the region is part of the Russian Federation, they are territorially separated. 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, and today make an indelible impression on contemporaries. The largest number knightly castles were erected in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Their place of construction was the captured Prussian rampart-earthen fortresses. When building castles, traditions in the style of the order were necessarily observed. gothic architecture late medieval. 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.

In 1946, Stalin signed a decree according to which 12 thousand families must be resettled in the Kaliningrad region "on a voluntary basis" for permanent residence.

For three years, residents of 27 different regions of the RSFSR, union and autonomous republics arrived in the region, the reliability of which was carefully monitored. Mostly they were immigrants from Belarus, Pskov, Kalinin, Yaroslavl and Moscow regions

Thus, from 1945 to 1948, tens of thousands of Germans and Soviet citizens lived together in Kaliningrad. At that time, German schools, churches, and other public institutions operated in the city. On the other hand, because of the memory of a very recent war, the German population was subjected to looting and violence by the Soviet, which manifested itself in forced eviction from apartments, insults and coercion to perform work.

However, according to many researchers, the conditions of close residence of the two peoples in a small area contributed to their cultural and universal rapprochement. Official policy also tried to help destroy the hostility between Russians and Germans, but this vector of interaction is soon completely rethought. The deportation of the Germans to Germany is being prepared.

The "peaceful displacement" of the Germans by Soviet citizens did not produce effective results, and by 1947 there were more than 100,000 Germans on the territory of the USSR. “The non-working German population does not receive food supplies, as a result of which it is in an extremely depleted state. As a result of this situation among the German population for recent times there is a sharp increase in criminality (food theft, robbery and even murder), and in the first quarter of 1947 there were cases of cannibalism, of which twelve were registered in the region.

In order to liberate Kaliningrad from the Germans, a permit was issued to return to their homeland, but not all Germans were able or willing to use it. Colonel General Serov spoke about the measures taken: “The presence of the German population in the region has a corrupting effect on the unstable part of not only the civilian Soviet population, but also a large number of military personnel. Soviet army and fleet located in the area, and contributes to the spread of venereal diseases. The introduction of Germans into everyday life Soviet people by means of a fairly wide use of them as low-paid or generally unpaid servants, it contributes to the development of espionage. Serov raised the question of the forced resettlement of Germans in the territory of the Soviet occupation of Germany.

After that, from 1947 to 1948, about 105,000 Germans and Prussian Lithuanians were resettled in Germany from the former East Prussia.

It has been argued that the resettlement organized by the Germans during the Second World War, which, in particular, led to the Holocaust, justifies this deportation. The resettlement took place practically without casualties, which was due to a high degree his organization - the deportees were given dry rations, they were allowed to take a large number of cargo and treat them conscientiously. Also known are many Thanksgiving letters from the Germans, written by them before the resettlement: "We say goodbye to the Soviet Union with great gratitude."

So on the territory that was once called East Prussia, Russians and Belarusians, Ukrainians and former residents of other union republics began to live. After the war, the Kaliningrad region began to rapidly militarize, becoming a kind of "shield" of the USSR on the western borders. With the collapse of the USSR, Kaliningrad turned into an enclave Russian Federation, and to this day retained memories of his German past.