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History of Kaliningrad |
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| The history of Kaliningrad doesn’t start after the finishing
of the second World War, but it starts earlier. In 1255, the
fortress Königsberg, King’s mountain,was founded north of Pregel.
Opposite the fortress, on the island, the people of "Königsberg"
began to build three cities - Alshtadt, Knaiphoff and Lebeniht,
where merchants, apprentices, craftsmen and knights lived. Every
city had its own Court and government. They were united later,
in 1724, and named Königsberg. In 1325 in Knaiphoff a church
was built and in the 17th century it became a cathedral. The
inhabitants from Germany developed the city’s economy and commerce
quickly. In 1339, Königsberg became a member of the Trade Union
of the northern cities, Ganzu. Prussia exported wood, salt and
even amber. |
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| A very important event in the city's history occurred in 1457,
when it became the residence of the Head of the Tevtonskiy
Order. In the 16th century the head of Prussia, Duke Albreht,
made this order the main religion and the city was allowed to
have its own currency. Albreht was instrumental in organizing
the University "Albertina" in 1544, teaching philosophers
and other specialists in many fields. The university had many
famous graduates. Among them was the great Emmanuel Kant. In 1701
the governor of Eastern Prussia Fredric named himself king which
increased the prestige of the country. The creation of the famous
Amber room started during his reign. From 1756 to 1763 Prussia
took part in the 7-years War and Königsberg become a Russian
city for 4 years until 1871 when Königsberg was united
with Germany. |
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In 1912, in the center of the city, the Queen Luis’s Theatre
was built. A little earlier the zoo had been opened,
having about 900 different animals. In 1930 the city built
the railway station. When Hitler became the head of Germany,
Prussia became a place where the Germans gathered an army
for the war against the Soviet Union. It was the place where
the Second World War began. In April, 1945 the Soviet Army
entered the city due to the bombing, only had 9 percent of
the buildings were standing. The others had been ruined.
After the war, Königsberg became a part of the Soviet Union
and in 1946 it was renamed Kaliningrad, in honour of a Russian
chairman. From that time on old Königsberg began to live a
new life. People from many parts of the Soviet Union moved
to Kaliningrad. They built a new city: houses, squares, parks,
schools and factories. |
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| There are several theatres for adults and the Puppet Theatre
for children. There are also some cinemas. Modern Kaliningrad,
like Königsberg, is a very green city. It has a lot
of parks, squares and alleys. Inhabitants of Kaliningrad
visit the zoo very often. Thousands of tourists visit Kaliningrad
every year to see its beauty and to relax at the Baltic seaside.
Tourists like to get, as a souvenir, a part of the Sun rock —
a piece of amber, because amber is one of the symbols of
the city. Welcome to Kaliningrad! |
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