Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast (Russian: Калининградская область), informally called Yantarny kray (Russian:Янтарный Край – meaning Amber land) is an administrative division (oblast) of Russia on the Baltic coast, with no land connection to the rest of Russia: an exclave. It is the westernmost parcel of land belonging to Russia, separated from the rest of Russia by Lithuania, Belarus and Latvia. Its largest city is Kaliningrad (formerly Königsberg), which has historical significance as both a major city of Prussia and the capital of the former German province East Prussia, of which the region remains the core remnant.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 the oblast has been an exclave, being surrounded by other countries: Poland to the south and Lithuania to the east. Since 2004 this isolation is exacerbated by the fact that, unlike Russia, these two countries are members of the European Union and NATO.
- Population: 968,200 (2004)
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Administrative division
Districts
Kaliningrad Oblast consists of the following districts (Russian: районы):
- Bagrationovsky (Багратионовский)
- Chernyakhovsky (Черняховский)
- Guryevsky (Гурьевский)
- Gusevsky (Гусевский)
- Gvardeysky (Гвардейский)
- Krasnoznamensky (Краснознаменский)
- Nemansky (Неманский)
- Nesterovsky (Нестеровский)
- Ozersky (Озерский)
- Polessky (Полесский)
- Pravdinsky (Правдинский)
- Slavsky (Славский)
- Zelenogradsky (Зеленоградский)
Cities and towns
Main article: List of cities of Kaliningrad Oblast
The territory also includes the following towns (old names in italics in German, Polish, and Lithuanian):
- Baltiysk (Pillau, Piława, Piliava)
- Gvardeisk (Tapiau, Tapiawa, Tepliava)
- Znamensk (Wehlau, Welawa, Vėluva)
- Slavsk (Heinrichswalde, Jedrzychowo, Gastos)
- Chernyakhovsk (Insterburg, Wystruć, Įsrutis)
- Gusev (Gumbinnen, Gąbin, Gumbinė)
- Sovetsk (Tilsit, Tylża, Tilžė)
- Mamonovo (Heiligenbeil, Święta Siekierka, Šventapilis)
- Bagrationovsk (Preußisch Eylau, Iława Pruska, Yluva/Prūsų Ylava)
- Druzhba (Allenburg, Alembork, Alna/Alenburgas)
- Zheleznodorozhny (Gerdauen, Gierdawy, Girdava )
- Primorsk (Fischhausen, Rybaki, Žuvininkai/Skanavikas)
- Ozyorsk (Darkehmen/Angerapp, Darkiejmy, Darkiemis)
- Krasnolesye (Groß Rominten/Hardteck, Rominty, Raminta)
- Yasnaya Polyana (Trakehnen, Trakenach, Trakėnai)
- Krasnoznamensk (Lasdehnen/Haselberg, Lazdėnai)
- Kalinino (Mehlkehmen/Birkenmühle, Mehlkehmen, Mielkiemis)
- Chekhovo (Uderwangen, Udravangis)
- Dobrovolsk (Pillkallen/Schloßberg, Pilkalnis)
- Kamenskoe (Saalau, Żuława, elvai)
- Krylovo (Nordenburg, Nordenburg, Nordenburgas/Avėnai)
- Mayovka (Georgenburg, Sparge, Jurbarkas/Spargė)
- Neman (Ragnit, Ragneta, Ragainė)
- Nesterov (Stallupönen/Ebenrode, Stołupiany, Stalupėnai)
- Polessk (Labiau, Labiawa, Labguva)
- Pravdinsk (Friedland, Frydląd, Frydlandas/Romuva)
- Ushakovo (Brandenburg, Pokarmin, Pokarviai)
External links
- Official site
- Recent photos taken by Joost Lemmens of the Netherlands shows examples of small towns neglected under the Soviet Union around Kaliningrad Oblast. This site gives the Prussian German town names and the corresponding Russian names after 1945/49. It starts out with the gate of the horse breeding stables in Trakehnen, and hopeful signs of new beginnings for this devastated land.
- Kaliningrad oblast Town of Tilsit (now Sovetsk) website in English
Categories: Exclaves | Oblasts of Russia