History of Koenigsberg (Kaliningrad). History of Königsberg - German language online - Start Deutsch

Kaliningrad is a unique city in many respects, with an amazing history, shrouded in many mysteries and mysteries. The architecture of the times of the Teutonic Order intertwined with modern buildings, and today, walking along the streets of Kaliningrad, it is difficult to even imagine what kind of view opens around the corner. This city has more than enough secrets and surprises - both in the past and in the present.

Königsberg before the war

Koenigsberg: historical facts

The first people on the site of modern Kaliningrad lived in the first millennium BC. Remains of stone and bone tools were found at the site of tribal camps. A few centuries later, settlements were formed where artisans who knew how to work with bronze lived. Archaeologists note that the finds most likely belong to the Germanic tribes, but there are also Roman coins issued approximately in the 1st-2nd century AD. Until the XII century AD. these territories also suffered from Viking raids.

Fort destroyed by war

But it was only in 1255 that the settlement was finally captured. The Teutonic Order not only colonized these lands, but also gave the city a new name - King's Mountain, Koenigsberg. For the first time, the city fell under Russian rule in 1758, after the Seven Years' War, but less than 50 years later, Prussian troops recapture it. During the time that Königsberg was under the rule of Prussia, he radically changed. A sea canal, an airport, many factories, a power station were built, and a horse tram was put into operation. Much attention was paid to the education and support of art - the Drama Theater, the Academy of Arts were opened, the university began accepting applicants on Paradnaya Square.

Kaliningrad today

Here, in 1724, the famous philosopher Kant was born, who did not leave his beloved city until the end of his life.

Monument to Kant

World War II: battles for the city

In 1939 the population of the city reached 372 thousand people. And Koenigsberg would have developed and grown if the Second World War had not begun. Hitler considered this city one of the key ones, he dreamed of turning it into an impregnable fortress. He was impressed by the fortifications around the city. German engineers improved them, equipped concrete pillboxes. The assault on the defensive ring turned out to be so difficult that 15 people received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the capture of the city.

Soviet soldiers storm Koenigsberg

There are many legends about the secret underground laboratories of the Nazis, in particular about Königsberg 13, where psychotropic weapons were developed. There were rumors that the Fuhrer's scientists were also actively studying the occult sciences, trying to have an even greater influence on the minds of people, but there is no documentary evidence of this.

Such fortifications were erected around the perimeter of the city.

During the liberation of the city, the Germans flooded the dungeons and blew up part of the passages, so it still remains a mystery - what is there, behind tens of meters of debris, maybe scientific developments, or maybe untold riches ...

Ruins of Brandenburg Castle

It is there, according to many scientists, that the legendary amber room, taken out of Tsarskoe Selo in 1942, is located.

How a German city became Soviet

In August 1944, the central part of the city was bombed - the British aviation implemented the "Retribution" plan. And in April 1945 the city fell under the onslaught of Soviet troops. A year later, it was officially attached to the RSFR, and a little later, five months later, it was renamed Kaliningrad.

View of the surroundings of Königsberg

In order to avoid possible protest moods, it was decided to populate the new city with a population loyal to the Soviet regime. In 1946, more than twelve thousand families were transferred to the Kaliningrad region "voluntarily-compulsorily". The criteria for the selection of migrants were agreed in advance - the family must have at least two adults, able-bodied people, it was strictly forbidden to move "unreliable", those who had a criminal record or family ties with "enemies of the people".

Gate of Königsberg

The indigenous population was almost completely deported to Germany, although they lived for at least a year, and some for two, in neighboring apartments with those who had recently been a sworn enemy. Skirmishes happened often, cold contempt gave way to fights.

The war took a huge toll on the city. Most of the agricultural land was flooded, 80% of industrial enterprises were either destroyed or seriously damaged.

The terminal building was seriously damaged, only the hangars and the flight control tower remained from the grandiose structure. Given that this is the first airport in Europe, enthusiasts are dreaming of a revival of its former glory. But, unfortunately, funding does not allow for a full-scale reconstruction.

Plan of Königsberg 1910

The same sad fate befell the house-museum of Kant, a building of historical and architectural value, literally falling apart. It is interesting that in some places the German numbering of houses has also been preserved - the count goes not by the buildings, but by the entrances.

Many old churches and buildings are abandoned. But there are also completely unexpected combinations - several families live in the Taplaken castle in the Kaliningrad region. It was erected in the 14th century, has been rebuilt several times since then, and is now recognized as an architectural monument, as the plaque on the stone wall. But if you look into the patio, you can find a playground, installed modern double-glazed windows. Several generations have been living here for several generations, who have nowhere to move.

If you are told that there is nothing to see in Kaliningrad, do not believe it. Yes, his old city with world masterpieces has sunk into oblivion and is built up with the worst examples of Soviet architecture, and yet, in modern Kaliningrad, somewhere around 40% of Koenigsberg. The city is now only slightly larger than it was on the eve of the war (430,000 against 390), and, as it were, turned inside out: there is almost no antiquity in the center, but on the outskirts there is enough for several provincial cities. Yes, and this antiquity itself is not ours, and since in its very essence, it is interesting and unusual here that which in Russia would have passed by without noticing. Here - and.

Two medieval buildings have survived from Königsberg (including the Cathedral), a bit of the 18th century, a grandiose belt of fortifications of the 19th century, but most of its architecture dates back to the 1870-1930s, be it the garden city of Amalienau, the villas of Marauniengof, the proletarian Rathof and Ponart , airfield Devau, stations and railway infrastructure and individual buildings are everywhere. There is also the grandiose Museum of the World Ocean, where there are four ships alone. I suddenly accumulated materials about Kaliningrad for about 12-15 posts, a little less than about Lvov. And in the first of them - basically what did not fit in the rest: I deliberately do not show bright monuments yet - only the everyday buildings of pre-war Königsberg.

The center of Königsberg was destroyed by three blows.
The first was an Anglo-American Air Force raid in August 1944. Like Dresden, Hamburg, Pforzheim and many others, Koenigsberg got into the program of "psychological bombing": the Anglo-Saxons knocked out the historical center with precision. without touching either the stations, or the port, or the factories, or the forts. The scale was, of course, not Dresden - and yet 4,300 people died here in one night ... and most of the historical center.
The next blow was the assault on the city by the Red Army in 1945. Königsberg was one of the most powerful fortresses in the world, and the destruction in that assault was especially large-scale in the north and east. However, oddly enough, this blow to the old city was the least destructive of the three. However, after the war, the city seemed to have shifted to the west, to the former Amalienau, Hufen, Rathof, Juditten. It was these areas, built up at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, that became the historical center of Kaliningrad, while the old Königsberg lay in ruins for another twenty years. Indeed, even 10 years after the war, the city was about half the size of the pre-war one, and therefore there were quite enough surviving houses. In the ruins they searched for valuables; children played; they shot a movie about the war, the houses were gradually dismantled into bricks, and in general, many here still remember what the Royal Castle looked like.
Only in the 1960s did the authorities take care of using the "dead city", and this was the third, control strike on the old Königsberg - its ruins were simply demolished, and the vacant place was built up with high-rise buildings. And in general, having arrived in Kaliningrad and found a panel district of the worst kind on the site of Altstadt, Lobenicht, Kneiphof, it is easy to think that there is nothing more interesting further. And this is not true at all:

I lived for two weeks north of Amalienau, in a kind of "dormitory area" of the 1920s and 30s between Karl Marx Avenue and Borzov Street. Their architecture in German is simple and rhythmic. On the first day of my stay, it rained cold from morning to evening. Katerina taiohara led me deep into an unfamiliar and incomprehensible city, talking about how, after the First World War, the devastated, but not broken in spirit, Germans invented an "ideal city" for ordinary people:

As you can see, there is a lot in common between the German pre-war period (mainly of the "Weimar" era) and early Soviet architecture - the same low-rise buildings, the same spacious courtyards-squares and wide green streets. But in the USSR, cottages were almost never built - and here they are all outskirts, and I lived in one of these (not these specifically):

One of the first discoveries for me was these houses - sort of townhouses of the 1920s:

The main "feature" of which is the bas-reliefs and sculptures that adorn each entrance. According to Katerina, there was an art academy nearby, and the workshops attached to it supplied the entire area with such decorations. Most of the sculptures have long been broken, "Child and Cat" from the opening frame - one of just a few surviving examples. But the bas-reliefs - what will happen to them? Interesting - the owner of each apartment hung them to his liking, or was the house originally designed that way?

Another notable object in the area is the clock tower. It seems to be (for sure, none of those with whom I spoke knows) - a car repair plant of the 1920s:

Such is the realm of types - both German and Soviet. Found in the area and detached houses individual projects - again, both new buildings and German ones:

The area to the south looks completely different, between Karl Marx and Mira Avenues, connecting the center with Amalienau. It was clearly formed before the First World War, and it can be correlated with the provincial cities Russian Empire, only instead of Art Nouveau there is Jugendstil, and instead of stylizations for Ancient Rus' - stylizations for Old Hansa.

However, there are also many houses here, similar to the interwar period - but still not massive, as in the neighboring area.

One of the many old German schools. As I already wrote, in the German Empire they were numerous and grandiose:

An impressive building on Sovetsky Prospekt, a little short of the main square:

And this, for comparison, is literally the opposite end of the former Königsberg, the Haberberg district near the South Station:

Like , Königsberg impressed me with its details. And as has been said more than once, the German and Austrian approaches here were radically different: if the Austrians almost every house was, in fact, a stand for details, the Germans remember the houses with some one - but very catchy detail. The only exception, perhaps, is these wonderful houses on Komsomolskaya Street (formerly Luisenallee) near the intersection with Chekistov Street, literally strewn with "saz" bas-reliefs. Note that it is very easy to mistake them for Stalinists:

On the same "storyteller houses" there are also such metal gizmos - I don’t even know their purpose:

But more often the Koenigsberg house "does" something like this:

If in Lviv I was most impressed with the details of the doors, in Königsberg - portals:

Moreover, the virtuoso mastery of rhythm made it possible to make them beautiful even near completely utilitarian buildings. And here on the right is a modern creative:

There are a lot of German "artifacts" in Königsberg, including inscriptions (they want him far from the small towns of the region here!):

Collection stone slabs near one of the houses, the location of which I do not remember. They look suspiciously like tombstones...

But the most memorable are the German bomb shelters that mark hundreds of courtyards here. Königsberg was bombed from the first months of the war, its surroundings were the "patrimony" of the Luftwaffe, and Soviet journalism did not call it the "citadel city" for nothing. Bombari (as they are called here) is one of the most characteristic features of Koenigsberg. This one is in front of the school:

The reminders of those who died storming this citadel are also characteristic. Monuments and almost mass graves in the yards here are a common thing:

And there is a military memorial here in almost every district:

A few more random sketches. A street in the former Altstadt, not far from the place where the famous warehouses of Lastadia stood.

One of the rivers crossing the city, not every old-timer knows the names of most of them:

As in the countries of Eastern Europe, graffiti is popular here - compared to "mainland" Russia, they are more numerous, meaningful and noticeable:

Characteristic TV tower-mast. I came across these somewhere in a dozen and a half cities, most of which are in the western regions of the former USSR:

A very unusual building. There is "flaming gothic", and here - "flaming postmodernism":

And from Koenigsberg there was also paving stones, which looks very strange against the backdrop of Khrushchev.

And old mossy trees with the seal of complex destinies. Trees and pavements - they remember everything:

In the next three posts - about the ghosts of Koenigsberg. What was and what is left.

FAR WEST-2013

City of Kaliningrad(former Koenigsberg) occupies the position of a semi-exclave in relation to Russian Federation: they do not have a common border. The region is adjacent to Lithuania and Poland, has direct access to ice-free Baltic Sea. Such a convenient location allows the city to have a sustainable development. In recent years, Kaliningrad has been recognized as the best Russian city several times.

Born in the second half of the 13th century, the castle of Königsberg (“royal mountain”) is closely connected with the history of the knights of the Teutonic Order. It was they who moved their capital here from Poland. And then they contributed to the development of the Duchy of Prussia, where the power belonged entirely to church hierarchy. Cities flourished around the fortress:

Altstadt
Lebenicht
Kneiphof

They were destined to unite with Koenigsberg, which became the capital of the Prussian state in 1724. A few years later, the capital of Prussia became a Russian city for a short time as a result of the defeat of the "Prussians" by the Russian troops in the Seven Years' War.

Historians tend to rate four summer period Russian rule as positive for the development of the city. The industrialization of Koenigsberg began later, when woodworking and shipbuilding were developed.

By the beginning of the First World War, the city had become a major international trading port and at the same time was a German exclave after the defeat of Germany in the war. It was separated from the country by the Polish corridor. This affected the development of the territory: Konigsberg was the most backward German city due to its distance from Germany. This is how he entered World War II.

In 1944, British aircraft destroyed the central part of the city, historical monuments and thousands of civilians were damaged. In April 1945, Soviet troops under the command of Marshal Vasilevsky successfully completed the assault on Koenigsberg, achieving the complete surrender of the German troops.

The future fate of the Prussian city was finally decided after the complete victory of the Soviet troops - according to the Potsdam decision, part of the Prussian lands, together with Koenigsberg, went to Soviet Union, and in July 1946 the city was renamed Kaliningrad and became the center of the region of the same name. A new era began in the history of the ancient Prussian city.

The latest history of Kaliningrad

In the Soviet period of development of Kaliningrad, we distinguish several stages:

Great Migration of Nations. In 1946, at the call of the government, citizens from all Soviet republics began to move to the Kaliningrad region. This determined the multinational composition of the region. The Germans left the city and rushed to Germany.
Fight against destruction. Kaliningrad was almost completely destroyed: enterprises, transport, water supply and sewerage did not work. The settlers had to work hard to restore National economy, buildings and houses. Their work was appreciated by the award - the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.
In isolation. With the collapse of the USSR, the position of the regional center and the entire region deteriorated. With the entry of Lithuania into the European Union, Russian citizens could not enter the region without a foreign passport and visa. The Government of Russia, in order to develop an isolated territory, is carrying out a set of events related to the 750th anniversary of the city's formation and the 60th anniversary of its entry into Russia.
From support to development. In 2003-2007, the region improves the indicators of socio-economic development, becomes the second region (after St. Petersburg) in the North-Western Federal District. Receives recognition from the Council of Europe.
Industrial giant. Assembly in progress in the region cars, complex household appliances, is developing furniture manufacturing, strengthen the position of light and food industry enterprises. Further development receives shipbuilding from JSC Baltic Shipbuilding Plant Yantar. The regime of a special economic zone is introduced in the region, in which 34 thousand enterprises operate various kinds property. 67 percent of all enterprises are concentrated in Kaliningrad.

Population and climate

About 450,000 people live on an area of 220 square kilometers, according to official figures. In fact, the population of Kaliningrad has exceeded half a million citizens due to legal labor migrants from the republics of the former Soviet Union.

According to the ethnic composition in Kaliningrad live:

Russians
Ukrainians
Belarusians
Armenians
Tatars
Lithuanians
Germans
Poles.

It should be noted that the former indigenous peoples in the structure of the national composition of Kaliningrad make up half a percent - about 2 thousand people.

Kaliningrad was recognized as the best city in Russia in terms of amenities and a place where it is pleasant to live. The unemployment rate in the regional center does not exceed 0.5 percent, while in the region this figure was 1 percent of the economically active population (as of the end of 2014). More than half of the unemployed are women of working age. 38 percent of the unemployed Kaliningraders are rural residents.

There is an overabundance of certified lawyers and electronics installers in the labor market. Medical workers and construction workers remain in demand on the labor market.

Half of all pensioners in the region live in Kaliningrad - more than 120 thousand people. The average salary in Kaliningrad is 32 thousand rubles, which is 2.5 thousand rubles more than in the region as a whole. The highest salaries - up to 45 thousand rubles - are at mining enterprises.

The climatic conditions of living in the region can be called favorable. The weather is influenced by the non-freezing Baltic Sea and the warm Gulf Stream. Winter here is warmer than on the mainland, spring is early and long. The same can be said about autumn, the beginning of which coincides with the calendar. The swimming season in the Baltic begins in mid-June - the summer period is moderately cool.

Kaliningraders love the mild Baltic winter, the average temperature of which is within zero degrees. Often, the January weather is overshadowed by severe storms. Extremely low January temperatures are rather an exception. Despite the proximity of the sea, the average annual air humidity does not exceed 80 percent.

City, time, power

Three cities of Koenigsberg

It is known that in the winter of 1255 a detachment of crusaders invaded the northern part of Prussia and the Zemland peninsula. The most senior "in rank" in the detachment was the Czech king Otakar II Přemysl. The knights captured and destroyed the Prussian fortress Twangste, and a new fortification was put in its place. The fortress was named Koenigsberg, which means: Royal Mountain. Gradually, settlements arose near the fortress, which became cities.

The village between the fortress and the river Pregel was named Altstadt. On February 28, 1286, according to the charter of the Prussian Landmaster Konrad von Tierenberg, Altstadt became officially known as a city.

On May 27, 1300, the Konigsberg commander Brühaven granted city rights to the second settlement. At first it was called Neustadt, but then another name took root - Löbenicht. This city is located east of the fortress.

In April 1327, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Werner von Orseln, announced the granting of city rights to Kneiphof, which was located on an island formed by branches of the Pregel River.

Over time, nearby craft settlements, villages and settlements began to join the Koenigsberg cities. Thus, a kind of urbanized conglomerate was formed at the mouth of the Pregel. It was dominated by a fortress-castle on a mountain, which, in fact, was called Koenigsberg. It adjoined a small territory to the north and northwest, which is the property of the Teutonic Order.

Near the castle, as already mentioned, three medieval cities sheltered: Altstadt, Löbenicht and Kneiphof. They had a fairly wide range of privileges included in the concept of Kulm (Chelm) law. The system of sovereign city rights developed in Germany in the 13th century under the name Magdeburg Law. Its Prussian version was oriented towards the highest courts of appeal in the city of Kulm (Helm), and then in the city of Thorn (Torun). City rights, which guaranteed relative independence from feudal authorities, continued in a gradually declining significance until the 19th century.

Here it should be noted that, in addition to Altstadt, Löbenicht and Kneiphof, medieval settlements-communities located outside the Koenigsberg cities also had fairly wide powers. Some of them had their own office work, seal and coat of arms. These included the Königsberg suburbs: Burgfreiheit, Tragheim, Hinter-Rosgarten, Vorder-Rosgarten, Neue-Sorge; related to the Altstadt: Steindamm, Neu-Rosgarten, Laak, Lastadi, Lomse; related to Löbenicht: Anger, Sackheim; related to Kneiphof: Vorder-Vorstadt, Hinter-Vorstadt, Haberberg, Alter Garten. Expanding, the fortress and cities absorbed new territories.

How did the administrative services work in the Koenigsberg cities? The entire urban population, as a rule, was divided into several estates. A group of large burghers were merchants and brewers. Artisans and shopkeepers belonged to the category of petty burghers. Separate layers made up other groups of the population. Initially, the right to vote belonged only to the urban elite, over time, the majority of citizens received the right to vote.

In each city, a city council was elected in the amount of a little more than ten people. The City Council, in turn, elected the burgomaster and vice-burgomaster, and appointed officials responsible for the areas of work. It must be said that wages members of the Council at first did not receive, working, as we would say, on a voluntary basis. From this it follows that city officials were quite wealthy people, they served not for gold, but for conscience, however, then selfless service for the benefit of the townspeople became obsolete. At the beginning of the 18th century, the burgomaster of Altstadt, for example, received 300 thalers a year. Compare: Immanuel Kant, working around the same years as an assistant librarian, received 62 thalers a year, the highest state salary that I. Kant received as a professor did not exceed 620 thalers a year, and the philosopher’s house after his death was sold for 130 thalers .

Of course, there was no division into districts in the medieval Koenigsberg cities. There were communities of citizens, usually coinciding in territory with church communities. Elected elders were at the head of the civil communities. The opinion of the elders often played a decisive role in the discussion of tax policy issues at the City Council. Representatives of the three city halls and all urban and suburban communities gathered together to consider cases relating to the life of the three cities of Koenigsberg.

Lack of space does not allow me to describe in detail the administrative structure of each city and community, especially since the system of interactions and relationships between authorities at all levels was quite complex. Democratic freedoms were combined with the dictates of a centralized system. Therefore, I will not delve into the wilds, especially since all this refers to the affairs of bygone days. For interest, I will only note that in 1700 in the Altstadt City Council, among other elective positions, there was one lifelong position of a clerk who, not being a member of the Council, nevertheless worked in its composition.

Consolidation of cities

On June 13, 1724, the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm I signed a decree on the unification of the three cities and suburban communities into a single city of Königsberg. At the turn of the 19th-20th years, a certain management system developed in Koenigsberg.

About a hundred elected deputies, elected by the three estates for a period of six years, sat in the city municipality. The order of elections was organized in such a way that every two years a third of the composition was re-elected. The members of the municipality elected the 21-member City Council. The chairman of the Council was called the chief burgomaster, his deputy - the burgomaster. Appointed councilors in charge of city services.

District division, as already mentioned, in our understanding of the word, in Koenigsberg was not. In terms of police, Koenigsberg was divided into 12 sections. At some sites there were additional posts and departments. In parallel with the police, seven criminal commissariats and two criminal instances functioned in the city.

The church divided the territory of the city in its own way. The most influential Evangelical Church had more than 30 parishes, the Catholic Church - 6 parishes, the New Apostolic Church - 5 associations, and so on. There was a small Orthodox community in Koenigsberg. Separate parts of Koenigsberg bore traditional historical names that made it easier to navigate in the city.

After all the introductory words, you can go directly to the Königsberg mayors. It should only be borne in mind that the position of Oberburgomaster was officially introduced in 1809, before that the head of the city was called the burgomaster. I will tell my story about the mayors from 1724, since I did not study the personal composition of the burgomasters of the cities of Altstadt, Löbenicht and Kneiphof.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to remind you that in 1994 it will be 270 years since the founding of the united city of Koenigsberg.

Königsberg mayors

1. In 1724, Mayor of Altstadt 3. Hesse, Doctor of Law, became the first mayor of the newly formed city of Koenigsberg. In this position 3. Hesse stayed for six years until his death in 1730.

It must be assumed that a lot of all sorts of worries related to the establishment of a single urban mechanism fell on his shoulders. The population of Koenigsberg was more than 40,000 people, which at that time was quite large. The consequences of the terrible plague of 1709-1710 were not completely eliminated in the city, when about 18,000 people died from the epidemic.

A few months before the unification, in April 1724, Immanuel Kant was born in the Kneiphof suburb of Vorstadt. It is a pity that the burgomaster 3. Hesse was not destined to learn about the great fate of the ingenious contemporary of the glorious city of Koenigsberg.

2. Royal commissioner I. Fokkeradt replaced the deceased 3. Hesse. He stayed in office for two years. The inhabitants of Koenigsberg should have been very grateful to him for the fact that oil lamps were installed in the city under him. After all, before that, late walks around the city at night turned into a nightmare. Wealthy people hired torchbearers. And when in 1704 it was forbidden to use flammable torches, they went with small lanterns, or no lights at all.

3. In 1732, the post of mayor went to J. Grube. For seven years of work in the post, he had to deal with the arrival of settlers from distant Salzburg to Koenigsberg. The Lutheran refugees, unable to bear the oppression of the Catholic environment, were forced to leave their homes and go to the shores of the cold, as it seemed to them, the Baltic. The Salzburgers played a positive role in the industrial development of Koenigsberg, as there were many business people, skilled artisans and skilled craftsmen among them.

4. Ernst von Müllenheim was in office for a short time, only a few months at the turn of 1739 and 1740. He got a very severe winter. Even the normally non-freezing Baltic Sea was covered with ice, and on May 7 it snowed. The fuel reserves of the inhabitants were rapidly melting, they were freezing and needed help.

5. In 1740, I. Schroeder was chosen as the head of Koenigsberg, who ruled the city for five years. The beginning of his activities in the honorary post coincided with the beginning of the reign of King Frederick the Great. The Prussian king did not like Koenigsberg very much. The stingy monarch very modestly held a traditional coronation in Konigsberg, although he donated a thousand thalers for the poor. After the coronation, the king ordered that a large park be created in the city to the north of the castle on the site of the old royal garden.

6. The next mayor in 1746 was I. Kizevetter (until 1751). On the one hand, this burgomaster contributed to the development of the printed word: under him, a large newspaper and printing business of Hartung was founded in Königsberg. But on the other hand, there was no proper supervision of city bridges. As a result of negligence, the rotten pillars at the Green Bridge collapsed, and he collapsed into the river along with four bystanders. But this loss did not significantly affect the urban population - it reached 50,000 people.

7. In 1752, Daniel Ginderzin took over as mayor. He stayed in office for 28 years, breaking the record for the duration of all the mayors of Koenigsberg and Kaliningrad. But these years were not the most peaceful in the life of the city.

In 1758-1762, during the unsuccessful Seven Years' War for Prussia, Koenigsberg became part of the Russian Empire. German self-government bodies needed to establish contacts with the Russian administration. Although the city privileges of Koenigsberg remained inviolable, the Prussian eagles on the coats of arms installed on the facades of some buildings were replaced by a double-headed Russian eagle. Only on the tower of the Orphan's House in Sackheim is the Prussian eagle preserved.

On January 24, 1756 - the birthday of the Prussian King Frederick the Great - the ceremony of taking the oath of allegiance to the Russian Empress Elizabeth was held in Koenigsberg. King Frederick did not like this turn of events very much, he was terribly offended by Koenigsberg and never again came to East Prussia.

The Russian governor of Korf, who replaced the governor of Fermor, favorably treated the city and even completed the eastern wing of the Royal Castle. In July 1762, the power in the city again passed completely to the German administration and the Russian troops began to leave Koenigsberg. The Russian commandants of Koenigsberg during this period were General Rezanov and Brigadier Treiden.

But not only the concerns of relations with the Russians disturbed the burgomaster. Strong fires in 1756, 1764, 1769, 1775 led to great disasters. The cold winter of 1761 created certain problems. The unfavorable economic situation led to some decrease in the industrial production of Koenigsberg. But in contrast to this, there has been a revival of cultural life in the city.

8. In 1780, Theodor Gottlieb von Gippel was appointed to the post of burgomaster of Königsberg. He was born in 1744 in Gerdauen (now the village of Zheleznodorozhny) and made a career as a prosperous official. His hobby is literature, where he has achieved notable success. A close acquaintance with I. Kant makes T. Gippel a great honor. His fine collection of paintings later became the property of Koenigsberg.

Theodor Gippel served as mayor until his death in 1796. His name was given to one of the streets of the city. Now this street is called Omskaya.

After a series of large fires under the previous burgomaster, the city gradually established a normal life. Already in 1781, there were 224 breweries in Koenigsberg with excellently tasty beer. The trouble approached from the other side: overcrowding of the population, insufficient sanitation - led in 1794 to an epidemic of cholera. With the onset of winter, cholera began to wane, but very severe colds came again.

The next coronation in Konigsberg took place on September 17-23, 1786. The new king Friedrich Wilhelm II, paying great attention to East Prussia, did not bypass Koenigsberg. True, the city did not receive any special generosity from him. But Koenigsberg very reasonably and skillfully began to use the important privilege granted to him by the previous king Frederick II. This is the right of "marriage", that is, the ability to determine the quality of goods passing through the city, which brought great benefits, given the presence of port facilities in Koenigsberg and the transit of goods.

9. Bernhard Gervais, who replaced T. Gippel, served as burgomaster until 1808. It is possible that the French sound of his surname had some positive impact on the state of the city during the confrontation with the French Emperor Napoleon. After all, it is known that in 1807, after a short battle, French troops entered Koenigsberg. Emperor Napoleon himself honored the city with his visit.

Natural disasters were added to military troubles. In the autumn of 1801, severe hurricanes led to flooding that flooded the Kneiphof. In 1803 there was a big fire, and in December 1806 a terrible hurricane hit the city again. In 1807, the travelers of the war - epidemics of typhus and dysentery - claimed the lives of 10,000 people from the city. But still, despite the misfortunes, the population constantly grew and by 1800 amounted to about 55,000 people.

Royal persons often visited Koenigsberg, although, admittedly, many visits were forced. The coronation of Friedrich Wilhelm III took place at the Royal Castle from 3 to 9 June 1798. And then, from December 1806 to January 1807, the royal couple, forced to leave Berlin, lived in Konigsberg. The military situation in the fight against France was clearly not in favor of Prussia. Therefore, from January 1808 to December 15, 1809, Queen Louise had to live most of the time in Königsberg, and here on October 4, 1809 her son Albrecht was born.

10. Martin Deetz, who took office in March 1808, from 1809 became officially called Oberburgomaster. But it is not the place that makes the man, but the man the place. M. Deetz saw that, even with a new title, he could not cope with an avalanche of difficult cases, and had the courage to resign the following year.

11. August Heidemann took up the management of the city with great energy during the difficult time of the actual French occupation of Königsberg. In the summer of 1812, Napoleon again arrived in Konigsberg, and from here he set off on his inglorious Russian campaign.

The defeat of Napoleon in Russia caused a panicked retreat of the French through Koenigsberg and brought a lot of trouble to the city. In this difficult situation, A. Heidemann showed patriotism and statesmanship, trying to save the city. Fortunately, in January 1813, Russian troops, pursuing the French, entered Koenigsberg. Parts of the Prussian liberation army also entered Koenigsberg.

Military spending was a heavy burden on the inhabitants of Koenigsberg. To pay indemnity to the French conquerors, they transferred 1,784,450 thalers to the city treasury. The Prussian government then paid this huge debt to its people to the Königsberg citizens until 1901!

Nevertheless, public life in Koenigsberg did not stop. In 1809, the construction of the city opera house was completed on the territory of the Royal Garden. In 1810, the astronomer F. Bessel arrived in Koenigsberg and headed the observatory, built by 1813. In 1811, the University Botanical Garden was created. But the strongest fire of 1811 destroyed 144 houses and entered the history of the city as one of the largest disasters.

In 1811, the streets of Koenigsberg received official names, and all houses were numbered according to a single system.

August Heidemann died on December 15, 1813. A small street in Sackheim, now Tile Street, is named after him.

A curious report flashed through the press that for a short period from the beginning of 1813, the Russian mayor of Koenigsberg, Major Pyotr Semenovich Stepanov, was appointed. But confirming. documents have not yet been found. But it is absolutely known that the Russian Lieutenant General Karl Karlovich Sievers was appointed commandant of the Königsberg fortress at that time. However, the stay of the Russians in Konigsberg was short-lived this time.

12. Karl Horn became Mayor of Koenigsberg on March 23, 1814 at the age of 35. He had work experience: for three years he held the position of burgomaster, the second most important. His patriotic sentiments during the period of the French invasion were widely known and respected. Karl Horn served as mayor until 1826 and died five years later. His name was given to the street, which is now called Sergeant Koloskov Street.

Oberburgomaster Horn paid much attention to the organization of city government and streamlining the work of city services. And of course, it was not his fault that in January 1825 the city was hit by a severe flood caused by a hurricane westerly wind.

13. Under this number in June 1826, Oberburgomaster. Koenigsberg was Johann List, who ruled the city until 1838. Natural disasters did not leave Koenigsberg. A flood in April 1829 inundated the western part of Kneiphof, and a cholera epidemic in 1831 killed 1,327 people. A cholera riot broke out in the city, as a result of which more than 30 people died. In July 1832, frosts occurred that destroyed part of the crop, but in the summer of 1838 it was so hot that the plants bloomed twice.

Koenigsberg gradually changed its medieval appearance. The first attempts are being made to replace the old city wells with water supply. The first steamboat passed along the Pregel River.

14. Rudolf von Auerswald was the mayor of Koenigsberg for four years (1838-1842). The city continued to grow, absorbing the suburbs outside the fortress wall. Its population reached 70,000 people.

But the fires continued to plague residents. In 1839 there was a strong fire in Altstadt, which brought great losses.

The coronation in Konigsberg of Friedrich Wilhelm IV took place on September 10, 1840 in the usual manner.

15. In March 1843, the City Council of Koenigsberg was headed by August Kra. His concern for the good of the city extended to the founding of the "City Resources" society, where donations from private individuals were concentrated. He tried to get the townspeople to participate in the financial support of the city. Unfortunately, A.Kra died of cholera on October 9, 1848, not having time to complete all his plans.

Under him, a new building for the university was laid on the Parade Square. But the fires continued to rage: in 1845, 14 warehouses burned down. During the reign of A. Kra, the construction of a modernized ring of fortifications around the city with new gates began.

16. The case started by August Kra was continued by Karl Sperling. At first, he acted as the head of the city, and was officially elected on February 7, 1853. He held office until 1864. The city began to quickly join the benefits of civilization. In 1853, the first bright gas lamps were installed, replacing the dull and smoky oil lamps. With the glare of gas lamps in August of the same year, the first train to Berlin left the brand new East Station. Telegraphs were installed to communicate with the stations.

The winter of 1849 was cold, on January 11 the temperature dropped to minus 35 degrees. In 1857, cholera again visited Koenigsberg. For a more successful fight against fires in 1858, a professional fire brigade was created in the city.

In 1855, the city authorities intended to splendidly celebrate the 600th anniversary of the founding of the Königsberg fortress. But due to crop failure and illness of the king, the church liturgy and a festive dinner for a limited circle of invited guests had to be limited.

The new Prussian constitution did not allow the next Prussian king, Wilhelm I, to be officially crowned in Königsberg. However, paying tribute to tradition, the royal couple visited the city in October 1861 and held a solemn ceremony at the Royal Castle. Later, in 1864, the construction of a new castle tower with a height of 97.87 meters above sea level was started, which was finally completed in 1866.

17. After the death of Karl Shperling, which followed on July 8, 1864, the duties of the head of the city were performed by the burgomaster Bigork (until August 8, 1865). Due to the short duration of his tenure, it is difficult to assess the results of his activities. I will only note that in 1865 the railway connection between Koenigsberg and Pillau (Baltiysk) was opened.

18. Then the duties of the Oberburgomaster were assigned to the Commissioner of the Landrat Ernst von Ernsthausen, who remained in office until June 30, 1866.

19. And this short-term leapfrog of the authorities was completed by E. Retzenstein, who acted as Oberburgomaster until April 1, 1867. During his reign, cholera again reminded of itself: in 1866, 2671 people died from it. By the same time, the construction of a new city gate was completed in Koenigsberg.

20. Commissar of the Landrat F. Kischke (from 1867 to 1872) became the next Oberburgomaster. The population of Koenigsberg by this time reached the number of 110,000 people. But the epidemics did not stop: in 1871, 771 people were infected with smallpox, and 1,790 people died of cholera.

In 1869, King Wilhelm honored Koenigsberg with a visit. During the high visit, a great misfortune occurred: the railing of the bridge on the Castle Pond collapsed, 33 people died. And in the same year there was a significant flood.

Meanwhile, in 1871, the state of Prussia ceased to exist, and Koenigsberg became part of Germany, retaining the importance of the capital of the Prussian province. King Wilhelm received the title of Emperor of Germany.

21. After the voluntary resignation of Friedrich Kischke in February 1872, the duties of the mayor were performed by Karl Szepański. He was formally elected to office on November 5, 1872. He headed the City Council for two years and did many good deeds. Only cholera did not want to retreat and in 1873 again visited Koenigsberg. And the following year, the first line of water supply networks was put into operation, which contributed to a significant improvement in the sanitary situation in the city.

22. After the voluntary resignation of K. Shepanski from October 1, 1874 to April 6, 1875, Brown headed the City Council.

23. In 1875, I. Zelke, who had previously been Mayor of Elblag, was approved as the head of Koenigsberg. He was born in 1836, participated in the war with France in 1870/71. Having become the mayor of Koenigsberg, Johann Selke actively contributed to the development of the city. Under him, great work was carried out on sewerage and gasification.

In 1875, the construction of a trading exchange was completed, and in 1881, a horse-drawn carriage was opened in Konigsberg - the carriage of passengers along rails in wagons driven by horses. This was the first sign of the beginning of democratic public transport.

Railway construction continued: in 1885, Koenigsberg was connected by a line with Kranz (Zelenogradsk), in 1891 - with Tilsit (Sovetsk). Built in 1892 playground Walter-Simon-Platz (now the Baltika stadium) and the first 544 telephone sets were delivered. In 1890, the city's first industrial power plant was built.

The population of Koenigsberg grew rapidly. If in 1880 there were 140,000 inhabitants in the city, then in 1890 - 160,000 people.

I. Zelke died on June 29, 1893, and a street was named after him in the city, now - Small Lane.

24. Herman Theodor Hoffmann was born in 1836 in the family of a Königsberg merchant. From the beginning of the seventies, he worked as a treasurer in the municipality, after 10 years he became mayor, and in 1893 - chief mayor. He died in 1902 and a small street in Koenigsberg was named after him, now it is part of Epronovskaya and Krasnooktyabrskaya streets.

The activity of this mayor was quite intense, as a simple enumeration of events can tell, 1895 - a pulp factory was founded in the Liep region and a meat processing plant in the Rosenau region. In the same year, an electric tram route was put into operation. Königsberg became the first city in Germany where the tram was city property. 1896 - opening of the zoo. 1897 - a construction school was opened on Schönstraße. 1898 - a large student house was built - "Palestra Albertina". 1900 - the construction of the small railway Koenigsberg - Neuhausen (Guryeven) - Curonian Lagoon was completed. In the same year, trains went on the lines of Koenigsberg - Neikuren (Pionersky) - Raushen (Svetlogorsk). 1902 - a new gas plant is built in Kosei and construction of a modern harbor begins. Much of what was built then is still in use today.

True, the elements did not give up. On February 12, 1894, a strong storm was accompanied by a large surge of water. Then there was a small outbreak of cholera, but it seems that this disease visited Koenigsberg for the last time. The heavy snowfall of 1899/1900 put a lot of work into the cleaning service of the city.

The population of Koenigsberg at the beginning of 1900 was 190,000 people, the area of the city was 2,000 hectares.

Koenigsberg is getting big shopping mall. More than 2,100 thousand tons of cargo pass through it annually. The revenue part of the city budget is expressed in the amount of 5900 thousand marks per year.

25. Hermann Hoffmann died on June 30, from September 5, his deputy Paul Kunkel (1848-1925) began to perform the duties of Oberburgomaster. When, on February 3, 1903, 3rd Kerte was elected mayor, Paul Kunkel remained his deputy until 1913 and provided great assistance in the improvement of Koenigsberg. Quite deservedly, in 1933, a street was named after him - Kunkelshtrasse, now it is a segment of Karl Marx Street from Cosmonaut Leonov Street to Georgy Dimitrov Street.

26. The fate of Oberburgomaster Siegfried Körte was tragic. He was born in 1861 in Berlin in the family of a doctor, studied finance and law, then moved to Königsberg. In 1903 he was elected mayor of the city.

The beginning of his administration was successful. Although strong westerly winds brought floods to the city seven times in 1905, they did not cause significant troubles. A snowy winter in 1908 forced the municipality to mobilize all the forces to remove the snow. A harsh winter occurred in 1911/1912, followed by a very hot summer. In 1913, as a result of a storm, the water in Pregel rose 163 centimeters above normal.

Koenigsberg continued to modernize. In 1905, the Kaiserbrücke bridge was built across the Pregel arm, connecting the island of Lomse with a densely populated area south of the island of Kneiphof. The following year, the bridge on the Castle Pond was reconstructed. In 1907, a powerful power plant was put into operation in the Kosee region, which gave a new impetus to the development of the industrial potential of Koenigsberg. Since 1910, new suburbs began to join the city, which continued until 1939. Therefore, the population of Koenigsberg immediately increased sharply and amounted to about 250,000 people.

The war that began in 1914 disrupted the peaceful course of events. The front approached Koenigsberg. Russian troops approached Tapiau (Gvardeysk). Although they were soon forced to retreat, however, the battles thundered very close to the city.

Then came the days of the revolutions. On November 10, 1918, Mayor 3. Körte held the last meeting of the magistrate. After that, power in the city passed into the hands of the Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies.

Suspension from work, followed by a difficult operation, the death of his beloved daughter - undermined the strength of 3. Körte. He died on March 4, 1919, the day after the cessation of Soviet power in Konigsberg. In the city, one of the beautiful streets in the Amalinau district, which is now called Kutuzov Street, was named after him.

We are indebted to Oberburgomeister Körte for the abundant green spaces that have been preserved in our city to this day. It was under him that the economy of urban gardening was laid, green areas were created and the landscaping of the ramparts was carried out.

27. In the period from November 10, 1918 to January 1919, Albert Borovski (1876-1945), manager of the Königsberg branch of the Social Democratic Party, took over the leadership of the City Council. Albert Borovski was one of the organizers of the consumer cooperation of the city and its environs, and worked as a city councilor for a long time. In 1934 he retired and lived in Rudau (Melnikov) and, apparently, died during the hostilities.

The difficult situation that developed in Konigsberg during the revolutionary events demanded the maximum effort from the city authorities in order to prevent anarchy. To their credit, it should be noted that relative order and tranquility were ensured in the city, there were no robberies and violence.

28. For some time, from January to October 27, 1919, Erdmann, the city treasurer, performed the post of Oberburgomaster of Koenigsberg. At this time, the government troops of General Winning entered the city, and Soviet power in Konigsberg was eliminated.

29. In the same 1919, G. Lomeiter, who was born in 1881, became Mayor of Koenigsberg from July 23. This was the last mayor elected in Koenigsberg by democratic means. He did everything in his power not only to preserve the appearance and well-being of the city, but also to bring it to a higher level of development in the conditions of the severe post-war crisis. In Königsberg, intensive urban construction, begun at the end of the 19th century, continued. The Koenigsberg - Moscow airline opens, the city radio station begins to work, the East Prussian Fair began to be held regularly. In 1927, the city magistrate moved to a new building on Hansa Platz (now Victory Square).

The area of Koenigsberg in 1927 was 8474 hectares, the population was about 280,000 people. The revenue part of the city budget in 1925 amounted to 31.560 thousand Reichsmarks.

With the coming to power of the Nazis, G. Lomeiter was removed from office in 1933. He survived the Nazi regime, the destruction of Königsberg during World War II, and died in Berlin in 1968.

30. Helmut Bill was nominated to the post of Mayor of Königsberg by the Nazi Party in 1933 and remained in office until April 9, 1945, that is, until the surrender of the city to the Red Army. After the capitulation, G.Ville was taken into Russian captivity, where he stayed for about ten years.

At first, life in the city continued to develop in peacetime. The population of Koenigsberg in 1939, according to various estimates, ranged from 340,000 to 370,000 people, the latter figure, apparently, is more true. In 1941, about 380,000 people lived in the city, the area of Königsberg was 193 square kilometers.

In 1939 the Second World War began. The following January was a very severe winter. In June 1941, Germany attacked the Soviet Union.

Koenigsberg knew troubles from an air raid. At the end of August 1944, two massive air raids on the city turned its central part into ruins. The furious assault on Koenigsberg in April 1945 added to the destruction. The civilian population has endured tremendous upheaval and hardship.

The surrender of the garrison of Koenigsberg opened another page in the history of the city.

Military administration

After the capture of Koenigsberg by the Red Army in April 1945, the city smoked with fires and gaped with destruction. All power in Koenigsberg was transferred to the military commandant. On April 10, Major General M.V. Smirnov is appointed commandant of the city and fortress of Koenigsberg. In June 1945, he was replaced by Major General M.A. Pronin.

On May 10, 1945, under the military commandant, the Provisional City Administration for Civil Affairs was established. It had seven divisions. Four days earlier, the German population was allowed to walk the streets from 7 o'clock to 19 o'clock.

The Department of Civil Affairs was headed by the Deputy Commandant. The city was divided into eight district commandant's offices, and a Provisional Civil Administration was also created at each district commandant's office.

This is the first period from martial law to peaceful life. It was necessary to put out the fires, clear the streets, register the local population and provide them with food. It was necessary to establish the supply of water and electricity. Quite quickly, they managed to put into operation a pulp and paper mill, open school No. 1, and create the first urban construction organization UNR-230. In September 1945, the grand opening of the monument to the fallen soldiers took place on Gvardeysky Prospekt.

On November 12, 1945, the Provisional City Administration for Civil Affairs compiled a certificate on the size of the German population of Koenigsberg. There were 60,642 Germans in the city, of which 18,515 were men. 29,681 people were considered able-bodied, children - 12,276.

On November 19, 1945, the Provisional Civil Administration was established under the Military Council of the Special Military District, commanded by Guards Colonel General K. N. Galitsky. Major General of the Technical Troops V. G. Guziy was appointed head of the Provisional Civil Administration.

civil administration

On April 7, 1946, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a Decree on the renaming of Koenigsberg to Kaliningrad. At the same time, the Council of Ministers of the USSR creates a Department for Civil Affairs in Kaliningrad, subordinate to the regional Department for Civil Affairs.

On May 22, 1946, P. I. Kolosov was appointed head of the Kaliningrad Department for Civil Affairs. Management services are located on Svyazistov Street (now Kommunalnaya Street).

In April 1947, Vladimir Mikhailovich Dolgushin, who had previously been deputy chief, was appointed acting head of the Kaliningrad Department for Civil Affairs.

The city gradually passed to a peaceful life. In August 1946, the first settlers from Russia and Belarus began to arrive in Kaliningrad in an organized manner. The cinema "Victory" was opened, the newspaper "Kaliningradskaya Pravda" began to appear. German street names have been renamed. An important milestone in the life of Kaliningrad was the launch of the tram route number 1.

Kaliningrad mayors

1. May 28, 1947 Presidium of the Supreme; The Council of the RSFSR abolished the Office of Civil Affairs and appointed the Executive Committee of Kaliningrad. V. M. Dolgushin (born in 1905) became the acting chairman of the city executive committee. He worked in the position until July 1947, and then became the head of the public utilities department.

From the certificate compiled by V. Dolgushin, it can be seen that the population of Kaliningrad in June 1947 amounted to 211,000 people, including 37,000 Germans, of which 1,700 were able-bodied people. By this time, Kaliningrad was divided into six districts by numbers.

2. On July 26, 1947, Pyotr Kharitonovich Murashko, who was born in 1899, was approved as the chairman of the city executive committee. After the December 1947 elections to local Soviets, the session of the City Council of Working People's Deputies confirmed the appointment of P. Murashko as chairman of the city executive committee. He remained in office until December 22, 1949 and was relieved of work at the suggestion of the city committee of the CPSU (b) for the unsatisfactory state of affairs.

On July 25, 1947, four districts were formed in Kaliningrad: Baltiysky, Leningradsky, Moskovsky and Stalingradsky. The Tsentralny District was later created, and the Stalingradsky District was renamed Oktyabrsky.

The Council of Ministers of the USSR in 1946-1947 adopted a number of resolutions on the development of the Kaliningrad region. Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers A. N. Kosygin came to Kaliningrad to implement government decrees.

Peaceful life was established in the city. The Kaliningrad theater showed its first performance, the Kaliningrad radio started talking. In 1948, a fishing expedition headed to the North Atlantic, Kaliningrad began to acquire the importance of an important fish supply point. Classes began at the Pedagogical Institute.

In 1947-1948. Germans were resettled from Kaliningrad to Germany.

The year 1949 was filled with many events, among them: the opening of a power engineering school (later a polytechnic school), the commissioning of the restored South Station.

3. In the period from December 22, 1949 to March 1950, the duties of the chairman of the city executive committee were assigned to N. S. Serov.

4. In March 1950, Sergei Alexandrovich Veselov was elected the next mayor, who was sent to Kaliningrad by decision of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. He worked in this post until February 1951, after which he was elected chairman of the regional Council of Trade Unions.

The development of the fishing industry continued in the city. In May 1950, the Ship Transfer Agency was established.

5. On February 22, 1951, Vladimir Evgrafovich Pavlov was elected chairman of the Kaliningrad city executive committee (until March 1955).

The population of Kaliningrad stabilized for some time and fluctuated around 200,000 people. This may have been facilitated by some uncertainty about the future of the Baltic city, although the media persistently campaigned to prove that the lands of East Prussia belonged to the Slavic territories. In 1953, the first plan for the reconstruction of Kaliningrad was adopted. It should be noted that many central districts of the city still continued to lie in ruins, so Kaliningrad in those years made a rather gloomy impression, significantly lagging behind other Russian cities that suffered from the war in the pace of restoration work.

6. Alexander Nikitovich Nekipelov was nominated to the post of mayor on March 11, 1955 and stayed in office for two years.

In April 1956, on their way to England and on their return, Kaliningrad was visited by Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR N. A. Bulganin and Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU N. S. Khrushchev. Apparently, this visit served as a kind of impetus for the intensification of restoration work, although the consequences did not appear immediately.

7. On March 19, 1957, the City Council session elected Nikolai Fedorovich Korovkin as chairman of the executive committee, who headed the executive committee until 1963.

The number of inhabitants of Kaliningrad, finally, has exceeded the two hundred thousandth mark and has been steadily growing. In 1961, 230,000 people lived in the city, in 1963 - about 240,000 people.

Finally, they began to systematically clear the city from the ruins of the war. Under the hot hand, unfortunately, demolished buildings suitable for restoration. But here the aim was to decisively eradicate elements of Gothic architecture in Kaliningrad.

In September 1960, on the way to New York, Kaliningrad was again visited by the Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, N. S. Khrushchev. The leaders of the countries of Eastern Europe also visited here: E Ya. Kadar (Hungary), G. Georgiou-Dej (Romania), as well as the heads of delegations of the Union republics: K. T. Mazurov (Belarus) and N. P. Podgorny (Ukraine) .

8. On May 9, 1963, Nikolai Petrovich Loshkarev became chairman of the Kaliningrad city executive committee. On March 2, 1966, he was removed from his post for the wrong distribution of apartments.

Khrushchev again visited Kaliningrad on his way to Denmark and Norway. During this visit of the Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the city looked incomparably better than during previous visits. The Rossiya cinema was built in the center, and the pavilion of the Northern Station was built. The destroyed urban areas were intensively built up.

In July 1965, the Day of the Fisherman was celebrated for the first time in Kaliningrad. The city was visited by cosmonauts Alexei Leonov and Pavel Blinov, who were awarded the title of honorary citizens of the city.

But the struggle against German Gothic architecture also spread to urban landscapes. For example, in the green zone behind the Litovskiy Val, the construction of a large car park was allowed. Due to the backlog, the construction of sewer networks gave the go-ahead for the withdrawal of feces into urban water bodies. The same can be reproached and some subsequent mayors.

9. Dmitry Vasilyevich Romanin headed the executive committee in March 1966. He was born on June 22, 1929 in the Bryansk region, graduated from a mechanical college and a technical institute. Before being elected mayor of the city, he worked as the second secretary of the Kaliningrad city committee of the CPSU. He left the place of the mayor on August 17, 1972 in connection with the election of the first secretary of the Kaliningrad city committee of the CPSU.

In 1967, the General Plan for the Reconstruction, Construction and Development of Kaliningrad was approved. This plan, to some extent, sought to diversify the monotonous block and panel construction. Some of the facilities included in this plan were built, but in general it was not implemented.

In 1968, they began to actively demolish the ruins of the Royal Castle, the following year they blew up the remains of the towers and began to build a multi-storey House of Soviets, which has not yet been completed.

The population of Kaliningrad was constantly increasing. In 1970 there were 300,000 people in the city, by 1972 there were already about 315,000 people. In 1971 Kaliningrad was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.

The elements continued to rage under any authorities. In 1967, during a strong storm, the water in Pregol rose 160 cm above the ordinary. And in the 1970s, the city suffered a planned disaster: all fences and fences near houses, squares and front gardens were removed. As a result, all yards have turned into walk-through, trampled and littered territories.

10. August 17, 1972 Viktor Vasilyevich Denisov is elected chairman of the city executive committee. Of the mayors of the Soviet period, he stayed in office for the longest time - 12 years. Under him, at the end of 1973, the city executive committee moved to the building on Victory Square, in the same place where the German municipality was located.

Intensive development continued in the microdistricts of the city: along Gorky, Oktyabrskaya, Batalnaya streets. The dominant influence was acquired by large-panel housing construction.

Improvement of the territory around the Lower (Castle) Pond and a number of other improvement measures appearance cities made a favorable impression. In some places, they again began to restore fences near houses and squares, although in general this work has not been completed to this day.

During this period, the construction of a new large trestle bridge was completed, linking the central regions of Kaliningrad with the main railway and bus stations. In the restored church of Queen Louise, the Puppet Theater was opened in 1976, and the city concert hall began to work in the former Catholic church in 1980.

The length of the tram tracks (in single-track terms) was about one hundred kilometers, the number of tram cars was 210. In the same year, a trolley bus was launched in the city.

As for natural disasters, as a result of a strong hurricane on the night of January 5-6, 1975, water flooded the low-lying areas of the city. In January - February 1983, three hurricanes hit Kaliningrad, on January 18 the water in Pregol rose to a record high of 183 cm above the ordinary.

The area of Kaliningrad in 1983 was 198 square kilometers, the population was 374,000 people.

11. Boris Andreevich Fomichev, who worked at the Yantar plant, was elected to the post of head of the city on December 26, 1984, worked in this post for four years, after which he returned to the Yantar plant again.

By this time, the population of Kaliningrad approached 400,000 people, and they had to freeze a bit in January 1987, since such a cold winter had not been in the city for the past forty years.

Thus, gradually sorting through the mayors, we approached our days. The winds of perestroika have blown. Changes took place in the echelons of power: they were divided into legislative and executive. According to the new laws, the legislative power in Kaliningrad is concentrated in the City Council, which must elect the chairman by secret ballot. Executive power is transferred to the head of the city administration, who must be elected to office by direct universal suffrage. But at the time of writing, he was appointed by Decree of the President of Russia.

12. October 14, 1988 Nikolai Grigorievich Khromenko is elected chairman of the Kaliningrad city executive committee. At the end of March 1990, when the authorities were divided into two parts, N. Khromenko was elected chairman of the city council, continuing to simultaneously act as head of the city administration until April 1990. In April 1990, Georgy Nikolaevich Isaev was appointed head of the administration.

A year later, on April 5, 1991, N. Khromenko voluntarily left the post of chairman of the City Council.

I will not talk about the life of Kaliningrad in this transitional time, it is in full view of all of us. It seems that the division of powers, at first, did not bring much benefit to the city. I will only report that the revenue part of the city budget in 1990 was equal to 90,290,000 rubles. But since the division also affected the financial authorities, it makes no sense to get into the area of monetary issues here.

13. On April 29, 1991, Vitaly Valentinovich Shipov was elected chairman of the Kaliningrad City Council. June 6, 1991, in connection with the departure of G. Isaev, - V. Shipov simultaneously holds the post of head of the city administration.

14. In January 1992, the situation with the two authorities was somewhat determined. Nadezhda Ivanovna Lazareva, who worked as an assistant professor in the department of physics at the Technical Institute, was chosen as chairman. And a little earlier, by the Decree of the President of Russia of December 24, 1992, Vitaly Valentinovich Shipov, a captain of the second rank of the Navy, was appointed head of the administration of Kaliningrad.

So, the city authorities sat down in their chairs. Now let's wait for positive results. The next elections to local self-government, if the laws do not change, should be held in 1995. Time flies inexorably...

The article uses the documents of the Kaliningrad regional archive of the reference book "Lexicon of Koenigsberg" by Robert Albinus (1988), materials from the author's archive.

List
mayors of Koenigsberg and Kaliningrad

Königsberg 1724-1945

1.	Zacharias Hesse	1724-1730
2.	I. G. Fokkeradt	1730-1732
3.	Jacob Grube	1732-1739
4.	Ernst von Müllenheim	1739-1740
5.	Johann Schroeder	1740-1745
6.	Johann Heinrich Kiesewetter	1746-1751
7.	Daniel Friedrich Ginderzien	1752-1780
8.	Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel	1780-1796
9.	Bernhard Conrad Ludwig Gervais	1796-1808
10.	Martin Gottlieb Deetz	1808-1810
11.	August Wilhelm Heidemann	1810-1813
12.	Carl Friedrich Horn	1814-1826
13.	Johann Friedrich List	1826-1838
14.	Rudolf von Auerswald	1838-1842
15.	August Friedrich Kra	1843-1848
16.	Carl Gottfried Sperling	1848-1864
17.	Bigork	1864-1865
18.	Ernst von Ernsthausen	1865-1866
19.	E. von Retzenstein	1866-1867
20.	Friedrich Kischke	1867-1872
21.	Carl Johann Eduard Shepański	1872-1874
22.	Brown	1874-1875
23.	Johann Karl Adolf Selke	1875-1893
24.	Herman Theodor Hoffmann	1893-1902
25.	Paul Kunkel	1902-1903
26.	Siegfried Körte	1903-1918
27.	Albert Franz Borowski	1918-1919
28.	Erdmann	5. On October 29, 1993, the Kaliningrad City Council ceased to exist. Thus, civil power in Kaliningrad was concentrated in the apparatus of the head of the city administration, Vitaly Valentinovich Shipov. Structure local government for the future has not yet been determined.

At the beginning of the Middle Ages, the Prussians lived on the present Kaliningrad land. The culture of this people is similar to the culture of Letto-Lithuanians and ancient Slavs, related to them in language. The Prussians were engaged in crafts, agriculture, fishing, trade. There was the so-called Amber Road, connecting the land of the Prussians with the Adriatic, the cities of the Roman Empire, where raw materials and numerous amber products from it were delivered.

In the history of European states, the Baltic Sea played important role. Thanks to him, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Russia and Finland were connected by close ties. But often it was also the scene of wars. Its southern coast was once inhabited by Prussian tribes. For six decades, they, the original owners of these lands, had to withstand the onslaught of the Teutonic conquerors in the 111th century. In 1231, with the blessing of the Pope, the Teutonic Knights undertook a charitable undertaking, participation in which contributed to spiritual salvation: a campaign against the lands of the pagans. As a result of the crusade, during the unification of three cities (Alstadt, Lebenicht, Kneiphof), a "city for the glory of Christ and for the protection of those who had just converted to Christianity" was founded, called Koenigsberg, which means "Royal Mountain". With fire and sword, the crusaders conquered the Prussians, established themselves here and became a constant threat to neighboring peoples. More than one fierce battle has scorched this region.

In 1225, the Polish appanage prince, the Duke of Mazovia, was forced, under pressure from Prussian raids, to turn to the Teutonic Order for help against the Prussians. This was the reason for the subjugation of the pagans and the seizure of new lands. In the same year, the Teutonic Knights captured the Prussian fortress of Twangste on a high mountain above Pregel. On Mount Twangste, there probably existed a Prussian sanctuary and a fortress guarding the passage to the Prussian lands along the Preigare (Lipce) River. Near Twangste, the crusaders erected a wooden fortress-castle, named after the Czech king - Royal Mountain, that is, Koenigsberg. Then the fortress was moved a little to the west. Years later, it turned into a formidable castle with a high tower. The walls of the castle have seen a lot in their lifetime: ceremonies for the election of grand masters and the coronation of kings, overseas princes and tsars, Russian and French soldiers. Under the protection of its walls, three cities arise.

The first coat of arms of Koenigsberg.

Altstadt, Neustadt, Kneiphof.

In 1270, the construction of the city of Alstadt began, the first of the three cities that later formed the city of Koenigsberg, in the same place, in 1300, a wooden cathedral was built. It was a rather large settlement, and it was built in a very good place - at the intersection of the borders of river and sea navigation. 1286 February 28

Landmeister Konrad von Thierberg, after twenty years of construction, handed over to the Altstadt people in the fortress a charter on the foundation of the city, in which the rights of citizens were enshrined and which was the city Constitution.

Flag of Königsberg from 1380

In 1300, a second city, Löbenicht, was founded. Its creation is connected with the activities of the Bishop of Zemland. The bishop himself was in Allstadt, where the church owned two-thirds of the hill. It was a craft city, whose inhabitants were malt workers, artisans and farmers. The fortifications were modest, so Löbenicht remained a small town in the shadow of the mighty Allstadt.

In 1327, in the western part of the island of Kneiphof, a new city arose, the third city of Königsberg, on both sides of the street of which merchants settled. It became known as Pregelmünde, or Neustadt, but the old Prussian name Knipav in its Germanized form Kneiphof took over. There was no city church in the city. But soon the construction of the Cathedral began on the island. Its founder was Bishop Johannes Clare. Around 1380, that is, after about 50 years, the building was ready. The time is not so long, considering how much it took other, richer and larger cities in the western part of Germany to build their churches. If you do not take into account the rebuilding of the spitz roof after the fire and minor renovation work, then the cathedral stood unscathed until the disaster of 1944. He was dedicated to St. Adalbert and the Virgin Mary. Around the cathedral, a small town of clergy arose: a school, residential buildings of the abbots of the cathedral, a house for the bishop, in which he lived during his stay in Koenigsberg, in addition, a granary and outbuildings.

Consolidation of cities. Koenigsberg.

Long time three cities developed separately: each of them had its own governing bodies, religious institutions, trade developed independently, but, over time, relations between the cities strengthened and it only remained to legislate their unification.

1454 14 February. Three days after Danzig and two days after Elbing, the knights of the Order surrendered Koenigsberg to the insurgent "Prussian Union" without resistance. The garrison was allowed to retreat to Lochstedt, and the townspeople collected 200 marks for the journey. As in Thorn, Danzig and Elbing, the townspeople began to demolish the castle. As a new supreme ruler, the rebellious estates wished to have the King of Poland. The King accepted the offer and signed the Incorporation Act on March 6.

1466 The Order lost the territory, which was later called West Prussia and Ermland, to the Polish-Lithuanian Union. 1657 Prussia gained independence according to the Velau Treaty of the Great Elector. His heir, Elector Frederick III., was crowned on January 18, 1701 in Königsberg as "King Frederick I of Prussia" and thus connected the name of Prussia with the Brandenburg State. After the inclusion of Ermland in its composition in 1772, the old Prussian land was called the province of East Prussia.

In 1724, officially all three cities: Alstadt, Löbenicht and Kneiphof were merged into one, which was named Koenigsberg. On this occasion, a bronze medal was issued - on the obverse of the medal are depicted: a young man with a sword in his hands, symbolizing the city of Alstadt with its power, a woman with beads - the city of Kneiphof, speaking of its splendor and luxury, a bearded old man with a carrot - the city of Löbenicht, telling about its beautiful arable land and a little boy, throwing a stone, symbolizing the outskirts of Königsberg - Sackheim, where drunkards and hooligans lived. On the other side of the medal was the following text: "In 1724, all three cities - Alstadt, Kneiphof, Löbenicht merged into the city of Königsberg ...".

Coat of arms of the city at the beginning of the 20th century.

The fact that the Koenigsberg cities were located in the coastal zone and on the banks of the river left an imprint on their development; trade relations with England, the Scandinavian countries and Holland are developing. Prussia exports timber, resin, hops, bacon, smoked meats, amber and salt. Animal skins are supplied in large quantities: deer, roe deer, bear and Russian-made goods.

In 1945, the Kaliningrad Castle was significantly damaged, and by 1968 it was completely destroyed. Where the castle stood, now there is the Central Square of Kaliningrad and a wide panorama of the southern part of the city opens from it.

On the shores of the Kaliningrad Bay, there is the Balga Castle, which was founded in 1239 and has survived.