Kaliningrad
City in modern Russia, Kaliningrad is situated in the Kaliningrad Oblast, a small isolated piece of Russian territory between Poland and Lithuania with access to the Baltic Sea. Originally called Königsberg (in Polish - Królewiec), it was part of Germany from 1871 until the end of the Second World War, when it was annexed to the U.S.S.R.. As Königsberg, it was the home of the philosopher Immanuel Kant.
In 1736, the mathematician Leonhard Euler used the arrangement of bridges and islands at Königsberg as the basis for a problem, the Seven Bridges of Königsberg Problem which led to the mathematical branch of topology.
Early History -- Kaliningrad as Königsberg - Królewiec
Beginnings in the Middle Ages
The city of Königsberg, situated in Samland,Prussia was named after the king Ottocar II, who came to the area with the Baltic or Northern Crusaders. Ottocar II, who also tried to claim Austria, was later killed in battle.
Königsberg - Królewiec was the capital city of the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights, later, after secularisation of the Order, it was the capital of Ducal Prussia, Polsh fief, ruled by the Hohenzollern dynasty. The Teutonic Knights, who secured their authority directly from the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, held the administration of Prussia beginning in 13th century. By 1440 the merchant leaders of the Hanse cities of Prussia, clergy and nobles founded the Prussian Confederation ( Ger. Preussischer Bund; Pol. "Związek Pruski") against the Teutonic Knights, whose authority they found restrictive.
The Prussian Confederation, with leading Hanse cities Elbing, Danzig and Thorn, had to appear before the emperor Frederick III in their case against the Teutonic Knights. When emperor refused to listen to their arguments, they instead asked Polish king for help and incorporating Prussia into Poland. After Thirteen Years War however only part of Prussia was incorporated directly into Poland, and the rest became Polish fief, with Kaliningrad finding itself in the latter.
The Teutonic Knights moved out of Marienburg and moved their headquarters to Königsberg - Królewiec.
Königsberg in the Early Modern Period
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Modern Königsberg
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Königsberg Becomes Kaliningrad
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Famous People from Königsberg
For more info after 1945 see: Kaliningrad Oblast and Trakehnen.
Outside link to J. Lemmens photos from current East Prussia and Koenigsberg territory: http://www.euronet.nl/~jlemmens/trakehnen.html