Zelenogradsk
Encyclopedia
Zelenogradsk, is a town and the administrative center of Zelenogradsky District
of Kaliningrad Oblast
, Russia
, Located on the Sambia
n coastline near the Curonian Spit
on the Baltic Sea
. Population:
The town is a popular weekend resort for vacationers from Kaliningrad
, located 30 km to the south.
fishing village, in the proximity of Kaup
, a Prussian town on the coast of the Baltic Sea
in the Viking
era. The area became controlled by the Teutonic Knights
and settled with Germans
. The German name Cranz, originally Cranzkuhren, derives from the Old Prussian word krantas, meaning "the coast". For most of its history it remained a small village in East Prussia
.
During the 19th century, the village became the primary seaside resort for the Kingdom of Prussia
on the East Prussian coastline, especially after the construction of a railway line connecting the village with Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) in 1885. From 1816–1895 it was known as das königliche Bad, or "the royal bath/resort". Despite the increase of tourists, the fishing industry remained strong; smoked flounder
was a regional delicacy. Although it had over 6,000 inhabitants before the beginning of World War II
, it did not have town privileges
.
The area was overrun by the Soviet
Red Army
during World War II and annexed to Russia, although it suffered minimally through warfare. The German population fled during the evacuation of East Prussia
or was subsequently expelled
by force. The village, renamed from Cranz to Zelenogradsk or "Green City" in Russian, received a civic charter after 1945.
The tourism industry was neglected during the Cold War
and Zelenogradsk's tourism primacy was relinquished to nearby Svetlogorsk
(formerly Rauschen). This policy changed in recent years. Zelenogradsk is becoming more popular with Russian vacationers, and many rich Muscovites
own private houses in the area.
with: Braniewo
, Poland
Łeba, Poland
Borgholm
, Sweden
Zelenogradsky District
Zelenogradsky District is an administrative district , one of the 13 in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia....
of Kaliningrad Oblast
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 on the Sambia
Sambia
Sambia or Samland is a peninsula in the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia, on the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea. The Curonian Lagoon and the Vistula Lagoon demarcate the peninsula. Prior to 1945 it formed an important part of East Prussia.-Names:Sambia is named after the Sambians, an extinct...
n coastline near the Curonian Spit
Curonian Spit
The Curonian Spit is a 98 km long, thin, curved sand-dune spit that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea coast. Its southern portion lies within Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia and its northern within southwestern Lithuania...
on the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. Population:
The town is a popular weekend resort for vacationers from Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea...
, located 30 km to the south.
History
The site of today's Zelenogradsk was originally an Old PrussianOld 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...
fishing village, in the proximity of Kaup
Mokhovoye
Mokhovoye is a settlement in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located at the south-western corner of the Curonian Lagoon, near Zelenogradsk. It was important in early medieval history as a likely starting point of the Amber Route to the south...
, a Prussian town on the coast of the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
in the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
era. The area became controlled by 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...
and settled with Germans
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....
. The German name Cranz, originally Cranzkuhren, derives from the Old Prussian word krantas, meaning "the coast". For most of its history it remained a small village in East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
.
During the 19th century, the village became the primary seaside resort for 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...
on the East Prussian coastline, especially after the construction of a railway line connecting the village with Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) in 1885. From 1816–1895 it was known as das königliche Bad, or "the royal bath/resort". Despite the increase of tourists, the fishing industry remained strong; smoked flounder
Flounder
The flounder is an ocean-dwelling flatfish species that is found in coastal lagoons and estuaries of the Northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.-Taxonomy:There are a number of geographical and taxonomical species to which flounder belong.*Western Atlantic...
was a regional delicacy. Although it had over 6,000 inhabitants before the beginning of 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...
, it did not have 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...
.
The area was overrun by the Soviet
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....
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...
during World War II and annexed to Russia, although it suffered minimally through warfare. The German population fled during the evacuation of East Prussia
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 was subsequently 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...
by force. The village, renamed from Cranz to Zelenogradsk or "Green City" in Russian, received a civic charter after 1945.
The tourism industry was neglected during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and Zelenogradsk's tourism primacy was relinquished to nearby Svetlogorsk
Svetlogorsk, Kaliningrad Oblast
Svetlogorsk , prior to 1945 known by its German name Rauschen, is a coastal resort town and the administrative center of Svetlogorsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the coast of the Baltic Sea on the Sambian Peninsula. Population:...
(formerly Rauschen). This policy changed in recent years. Zelenogradsk is becoming more popular with Russian vacationers, and many rich Muscovites
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
own private houses in the area.
Notable residents
- Abel EhrlichAbel EhrlichAbel Ehrlich was an Israeli composer. In 1997, Ehrlich won the Israel Prize for Music.- Biography :...
(1915–2003), composer - Volker LechtenbrinkVolker LechtenbrinkVolker Lechtenbrink is a German television actor and singer.Lechtenbrink grew up in Hamburg and Bremen and started his career at the age of 15 acting in the anti-war movie The Bridge by Bernhard Wicki...
(born 1944), actor - Carl Steffeck (1818–1890), painter
- Beate Uhse-RotermundBeate Uhse-RotermundBeate Uhse-Rotermund was a German pilot and entrepreneur. The only female stunt pilot in Germany in the 1930s, after World War II she started the first sex shop in the world. The company she started, Beate Uhse AG, is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, and is the world leader in sales of...
(1919–2001), aviator and entrepreneur - Adolf Tortilowicz von Batocki-FriebeAdolf Tortilowicz von Batocki-FriebeMax Johann Otto Adolf Tortilowicz von Batocki-Friebe, usually known as Adolf von Batocki-Friebe was a German noble, lawyer and politician.Batocki-Friebe was born at Gut Bledau, Cranz near Königsberg, East Prussia...
(1868-1944), politician
Twin towns/sister cities
Zelenogradsk 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: Braniewo
Braniewo
Braniewo is a town in northeastern Poland, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, with a population of 18,068 . It is the capital of Braniewo County...
, 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...
Łeba, 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...
Borgholm
Borgholm
Borgholm is a city and the seat of Borgholm Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 3,093 inhabitants in 2005. It is located on the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....