Chernyakhovsk
Encyclopedia
Chernyakhovsk is a town and the administrative center of Chernyakhovsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast
, Russia
, located at the confluence
of the Instruch
and the Angrapa Rivers, forming the Pregolya. Population:
It is home to the Chernyakhovsk naval air facility
.
, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights
Dietrich von Altenburg
founded a castle called Instierburg at the site of a former Old Prussian
fortification. During their campaign against the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
, the place was devastated in 1376 and again by Polish troops in 1457. The castle had been rebuilt as the seat of a Procurator and a settlement grew up to serve it, also called Insterburg.
When Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach in 1525 securalized the monastic state of the Teutonic Knights
, Insterburg became part of the Duchy of Prussia and was granted town privileges
on 10 October 1583 by the Prussian regent Margrave George Frederick
. The town became part of the Kingdom of Prussia
in 1701. Because the area had been depopulated by plague in the early 18th century, King Frederick William I of Prussia
invited Protestant
refugees who had been expelled from the Archbishopric of Salzburg
to settle in Insterburg in 1732.
In 1818 after the Napoleonic Wars
, the town became the capital of the Insterburg District within the Gumbinnen Region
. Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly
died at Insterburg in 1818 on his way from his Livonia
n manor to Germany, where he wanted to renew his health.
Insterburg became part of the German Empire
during the 1871 unification of Germany
. On 1 May 1901 it became an independent city
separate from the Insterburg District. After World War I
, the town was separated from the rest of Weimar Germany
, as the province of East Prussia
had become an exclave
. The football club Yorck Boyen Insterburg
was formed in 1921.
During World War II
, Insterburg was heavily bombed by the British
Royal Air Force
on 27 July 1944. The town was stormed by Red Army
troops on January 21–22, 1945. As part of the northern part of East Prussia, Insterburg was transferred from Germany to the Soviet Union
after the war as previously agreed between the victorious powers
at the Potsdam Conference
. The German
population was either evacuated
or expelled
and replaced with Russians
. In 1946 Insterburg was renamed Chernyakhovsk in honor of the Soviet World War II General of the army
Ivan Chernyakhovsky
, who was killed in the Battle of Königsberg
.
After the fall of the Iron Curtain
a group of people introduced the Akhal-Teke
horse breed to the area and opened an Akhal-Teke breeding stable
.
with: Brzeg Dolny
, Poland
Grudziądz
, Poland
Kirchheimbolanden
, Germany
, since 2002 Marijampolė
, Lithuania
Węgorzewo
, Poland
, since 1996
Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia situated on the Baltic coast. It has a population of The oblast forms the westernmost part of the Russian Federation, but it has no land connection to the rest of Russia. Since its creation it has been an exclave of the Russian SFSR and then the...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, located at the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the Instruch
Instruch River
The Instruch is a river in Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast. It develops northeast of Dobrovolsk and, along with the Angrapa River, forms the Pregolya near Chernyakhovsk....
and the Angrapa Rivers, forming the Pregolya. Population:
It is home to the Chernyakhovsk naval air facility
Chernyakhovsk (air base)
Chernyakhovsk – – is a naval air base located 4 km southwest of the city of Chernyakhovsk in the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia...
.
History
In 1336, after the Prussian CrusadePrussian Crusade
The Prussian Crusade was a series of 13th-century campaigns of Roman Catholic crusaders, primarily led by the Teutonic Knights, to Christianize the pagan Old Prussians. Invited after earlier unsuccessful expeditions against the Prussians by Polish princes, the Teutonic Knights began campaigning...
, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
Dietrich von Altenburg
Dietrich von Altenburg
Dietrich von Altenburg was the 19th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1335 to 1341.He came from the Thuringian town of Altenburg in the Holy Roman Empire, where his father held the office of a burgrave of the immediate Pleissnerland, which however had long been pawned to the Saxon...
founded a castle called Instierburg at the site of a former Old Prussian
Old Prussians
The Old Prussians or Baltic Prussians were an ethnic group, autochthonous Baltic tribes that inhabited Prussia, the lands of the southeastern Baltic Sea in the area around the Vistula and Curonian Lagoons...
fortification. During their campaign against the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
, the place was devastated in 1376 and again by Polish troops in 1457. The castle had been rebuilt as the seat of a Procurator and a settlement grew up to serve it, also called Insterburg.
When Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach in 1525 securalized the monastic state of the Teutonic Knights
Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights
The State of the Teutonic Order, , also Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights or Ordensstaat , was formed in 1224 during the Northern Crusades, the Teutonic Knights' conquest of the pagan West-Baltic Old Prussians in the 13th century....
, Insterburg became part of the Duchy of Prussia and was granted town privileges
Town privileges
Town privileges or city rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium.Judicially, a town was distinguished from the surrounding land by means of a charter from the ruling monarch that defined its privileges and laws. Common privileges were related to trading...
on 10 October 1583 by the Prussian regent Margrave George Frederick
George Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
George Frederick of Brandenburg-Ansbach was Margrave of Ansbach and Bayreuth, as well as Regent of Prussia. He was the son of George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach and a member of the House of Hohenzollern...
. The town became part of the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
in 1701. Because the area had been depopulated by plague in the early 18th century, King Frederick William I of Prussia
Frederick William I of Prussia
Frederick William I of the House of Hohenzollern, was the King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death...
invited Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
refugees who had been expelled from the Archbishopric of Salzburg
Archbishopric of Salzburg
The Archbishopric of Salzburg was an ecclesiastical State of the Holy Roman Empire, its territory roughly congruent with the present-day Austrian state of Salzburg....
to settle in Insterburg in 1732.
In 1818 after the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, the town became the capital of the Insterburg District within the Gumbinnen Region
Gumbinnen (region)
Regierungsbezirk Gumbinnen was a Regierungsbezirk, or government region, of the Prussian province of East Prussia from 1815 until 1945. The regional capital was Gumbinnen .-History:...
. Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly
Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly
Prince Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly , was a Russian Field Marshal and Minister of War during Napoleon's invasion in 1812 and War of the Sixth Coalition.-Early life:...
died at Insterburg in 1818 on his way from his Livonia
Livonia
Livonia is a historic region along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
n manor to Germany, where he wanted to renew his health.
Insterburg became part of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
during the 1871 unification of Germany
Unification of Germany
The formal unification of Germany into a politically and administratively integrated nation state officially occurred on 18 January 1871 at the Versailles Palace's Hall of Mirrors in France. Princes of the German states gathered there to proclaim Wilhelm of Prussia as Emperor Wilhelm of the German...
. On 1 May 1901 it became an independent city
Independent city
An independent city is a city that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity. These type of cities should not be confused with city-states , which are fully sovereign cities that are not part of any other sovereign state.-Historical precursors:In the Holy Roman Empire,...
separate from the Insterburg District. After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the town was separated from the rest of Weimar Germany
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
, as the province of East Prussia
Province of East Prussia
The Province of East Prussia was a province of Prussia from 1773–1829 and 1878-1945. Composed of the historical region East Prussia, the province's capital was Königsberg ....
had become an exclave
Enclave and exclave
In political geography, an enclave is a territory whose geographical boundaries lie entirely within the boundaries of another territory.An exclave, on the other hand, is a territory legally or politically attached to another territory with which it is not physically contiguous.These are two...
. The football club Yorck Boyen Insterburg
Yorck Boyen Insterburg
Yorck Boyen Insterburg was a German association football club from the city of Insterburg, East Prussia .The team was founded in 1921 as Sport-Verein Yorck Insterburg and was merged in 1934 with Militär Sport-Verein von Boyen Tilsit to form the army side Militär Sport-Verein Yorck von Boyen...
was formed in 1921.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Insterburg was heavily bombed by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
on 27 July 1944. The town was stormed by Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
troops on January 21–22, 1945. As part of the northern part of East Prussia, Insterburg was transferred from Germany to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
after the war as previously agreed between the victorious powers
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
at the Potsdam Conference
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 16 July to 2 August 1945. Participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States...
. The German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
population was either evacuated
Evacuation of East Prussia
The evacuation of East Prussia refers to the evacuation of the German civilian population and military personnel in East Prussia and the Klaipėda region between 20 January, and March 1945, as part of the evacuation of German civilians towards the end of World War II...
or expelled
Expulsion of Germans after World War II
The later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
and replaced with Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
. In 1946 Insterburg was renamed Chernyakhovsk in honor of the Soviet World War II General of the army
General of the Army
General of the Army is a military rank used in some countries to denote a senior military leader, usually a General in command of a nation's Army. It may also be the title given to a General who commands an Army in the field....
Ivan Chernyakhovsky
Ivan Chernyakhovsky
Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky, also Cherniakhovsky, ; Oksanina, Uman, Russian Empire , - Mehlsack, today Pieniężno, Poland, 18 February 1945) was a Soviet General of the Army , twice Hero of the Soviet Union, commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, who died from wounds received outside...
, who was killed in the Battle of Königsberg
Battle of Königsberg
The Battle of Königsberg , was one of the last operations of the East Prussian Offensive during World War II. In four days of violent urban warfare, Soviet forces of the 1st Baltic Front and the 3rd Belorussian Front captured the city of Königsberg...
.
After the fall of the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
a group of people introduced the Akhal-Teke
Akhal-Teke
The Akhal-Teke is a horse breed from Turkmenistan, where they are a national emblem. They are noted for their speed and for endurance on long marches. These "golden-horses" are adapted to severe climatic conditions and are thought to be one of the oldest surviving horse breeds...
horse breed to the area and opened an Akhal-Teke breeding stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
.
Notable residents
- Martin GrünbergMartin GrünbergMartin Grünberg was a German architect and master builder.- Life :He was active in Berlin from 1687 onwards, after several trips to France and Italy...
(1665-18th century), architect - Eduard Heinrich von Flottwell (1786–1865), politician
- Carl Friedrich Wilhelm JordanCarl Friedrich Wilhelm JordanCarl Friedrich Wilhelm Jordan, sometimes shortened to Wilhelm Jordan, was a German writer and politician.- Life :...
(1819–1904), writer and politician - Ernst WichertErnst WichertErnst Alexander August George Wichert was a German author and jurist.-Biography:Wichert was born in Insterburg, Prussia and visited school in Pillau and Königsberg....
(1831–1902), author - Therese MaltenTherese MaltenTherese Malten was the stage name of Therese Müller , a noted German dramatic soprano.She was born at Insterburg, East Prussia, studied with Gustav Engel in Berlin, and made her début in 1873 in Dresden as Pamina in The Magic Flute. In 1882 Richard Wagner selected her as the original Kundry in...
(1855–1930), opera singer - Gerhard NeumannGerhard NeumannGerhard Neumann was a German-American aviation engineer and executive for General Electric's aircraft engine division .-Childhood and education:...
(1911–1996), physical oceanographer - Kurt KuhlmeyKurt KuhlmeyKurt Kuhlmey was one of the most famous Stuka pilots of World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in July 1942....
(1913–1993), Bundeswehr major general - Kurt PlenzatKurt PlenzatKurt Plenzat was a German Hauptmann and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.-Early...
(1914–1998), military officer - Traugott BuhreTraugott BuhreTraugott Buhre was a German actor.Buhre was born at Insterburg, East Prussia, Germany the son of a Lutheran Pastor. His parents divorced in his childhood and after World War II he started his actor's education at the stage school of Hanover.Buhre appeared at the Frankonian Theater of Wetzhausen...
(1929–2009), actor - Harry BoldtHarry BoldtHarry Boldt , is a German equestrian and Olympic champion.He won a gold medal in team dressage at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and again at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal....
(born 1930), Olympic champion in dressage - Wolfgang Brix (1930–2006), politician
- Jürgen SchmudeJürgen SchmudeJürgen Dieter Paul Schmude is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. He was born in Insterburg East Prussia, Germany, ....
(born 1936), politician (SPD)
Twin towns/sister cities
Chernyakhovsk is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Brzeg Dolny
Brzeg Dolny
Brzeg Dolny is a town in Wołów County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is located north-west of Wrocław on the Oder River, and is the site of a large chemical complex, PCC Rokita SA...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Grudziądz
Grudziadz
Grudziądz is a city in northern Poland on the Vistula River, with 96 042 inhabitants . Situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship , the city was previously in the Toruń Voivodeship .- History :-Early history:...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Kirchheimbolanden
Kirchheimbolanden
Kirchheimbolanden, the capital of Donnersbergkreis, is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, south-western Germany. It is situated approx. 25 km west of Worms, and 30 km north-east of Kaiserslautern. The first part of the name, Kirchheim, dates back to 774. It became a town in 1368, and the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, since 2002 Marijampolė
Marijampole
Marijampolė is an industrial city and the capital of the Marijampolė County in the south of Lithuania, bordering Poland and Russian Kaliningrad oblast, and Lake Vištytis. The population of Marijampolė is 48,700...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
Węgorzewo
Wegorzewo
Węgorzewo is a tourist town in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, not far from the border with Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast. It is the seat of Węgorzewo County. Lake Mamry is close to the town.-Etymology:...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, since 1996
External links