I found on my computer an old file with a chronology of the history of Königsberg-Kaliningrad, which was about 10 years ago. Some tweaks, but there are still a lot of gaps. So I would be grateful for any clarifications and additions.
Then I'll add hyperlinks to make it clear what I'm talking about.
1255 - the foundation of the Königsberg castle
1256 - the Steindamm Kirk is founded, the Castle Pond appeared
1263-68 - the old Allstadt church was built
1270 - a dam was built on the Katzbach stream (Cat's stream) on the site of the future Wrangelstrasse (Chernyakhovsky) street. So in Koenigsberg, after the Castle Pond (1256), a second pond appeared - the Upper
1278-1292 - the northern stone wing of the fortress was built
1286 - Altstadt received city rights from the order
1288 - Juditten church was built, the oldest building in Kaliningrad
1297-1302 - construction of the first building of the Cathedral with a dedication to St. Adalbert in the Koenigsberg Altstadt (it was dismantled shortly after construction)
1300 - Lebenicht received city rights
1300 - built Kremerbrücke (Shop Bridge), the first bridge in Königsberg (according to other sources - in 1286)
1748-1753 - Haberberg Church built
1753 - a pedestrian bridge was built on the Castle Pond by royal order
1756 - a synagogue was erected in Vorstadt, rebuilt in 1815
1757 - the building of the Altstadt City Hall was rebuilt for the last time (in the Renaissance style)
1758-1762 - Koenigsberg as part of Russia
1764 - fire destroyed Löbenicht
1767-77 - the Catholic Church was built
1769 - new Löbenicht town hall built
1776 - The new Lebenicht church was consecrated
1782 - the city has 31,368 inhabitants
1784 - the new Tragheim church was consecrated
1798 - a new stock exchange building was built on the same site (Kneiphof), burned down 2 years later
1799 - opening of a beer house in the castle, later called "Blutgericht" (according to other sources - in 1737);
1800 - the population of the city is 55 thousand people.
1800-1801 - the stock exchange was overhauled after a fire
1803 - created by Altstädtischer Kirchplatz (since 1897 - Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz)
1804 - Kant died
1806-1808 - City theater built on Paradenplatz
1807 - a square appeared on the city map, later known as Gesekus. It was named so in 1882 in honor of the Commissioner of Justice Gezekus Johann Heinrich, who left the city 74 thousand thalers in his will
1807 - Konigsberg is taken by Napoleon
1808 - urban reform. All the most important city affairs were transferred to the hands of elected bodies. A city duma and a magistrate were created.
1810 - monument to Albrecht of Brandenburg
1810 - on the foundations of the demolished north-eastern wing, the building of the Supreme Land Court was built according to the project of engineer Simon.
1811 - "street reform" took place in Koenigsberg. Street names and house numbers were streamlined and officially recognized
1811 - Bessel Observatory established
1812 - Napoleon's troops left the city
1815 - a new synagogue was opened in Vorstadt
1826 - the old Altstadt church was demolished
1830 - the first water supply appeared in Königsberg
1833 - Cathedral restored for the first time
1838-1845 - a new Altstadt church was built
1840 - 70.6 thousand inhabitants
1843 - oldest known photograph of the city taken
1843 - King's Gate laid
1843-49 - the barracks "Kronprinz" was built
1844 - Academy of Arts founded
1847-1949 - the building of the Main Post Office was built
1851 - The Monument to King Friedrich Wilhelm III on the Paradeplatz was unveiled (August Kiss, Rudolf von Printz)
1851 - the Grolman bastion was built
1852-1855 - Rossgarten Gate built
1853 - built:
1) East Station building
2) Don tower
1855-59 - a brick building of the Real School (later Realgymnasium) was built on Munchenhofplatz
1855-1860 - Sackheim Gate built
1858-1859 - built New University(architect A. Stüler)
1864-1874 - the castle observation tower was rebuilt in the Gothic style.
1864 (?) - demolished gate with a tower at Grunebrücke
1864 - a new building of the University was opened on Paradnaya Square
1865 - a monument to Kant was opened near the new building of the University
1865 - the first train went along the Koenigsberg - Pillau line
1865 - The Albertinum and part of the Old College were demolished and the Kneiphof Gymnasium was built in their place
1866 - Ausfal Gate built in brick Gothic style on the site of the 1626 gate (preserved)
1872-1881 - the building of the Royal Government was built East Prussia in Tragheim
1875 - the construction of a new neo-Renaissance trade exchange building was completed, which was moved from Knaphof to the other side of the Pregel
1879-1882 - the Honey Bridge was rebuilt, which was made a drawbridge
1880 - Steindamm Church was transferred to the German community due to a sharp decrease in the number of Polish-speaking parishioners
1881 - the first horse-drawn line was opened
1883 - High Bridge built
1885 - the monument to Kant was moved to the Paradeplatz
1886 - Kettelbrücke (gut bridge) rebuilt in stone and metal
1888 - 140,909 inhabitants
1888-89 - the building of the commandant's office of the Königsberg garrison was built (preserved)
1891, May 19 - a monument to Duke Albrecht, created by the sculptor Reusch, was opened at the Oat Tower of the Castle
1892 - the Walter-Simon-platz stadium (now the Baltika stadium) was built
1892 - the Friedrichs Collegium building was built
1893 - Kant's house was demolished
1894 - a monument was erected to Kaiser Wilhelm by the sculptor Professor Reusch
1894 - a house for swans was built on the Castle Pond
1894-1896 - the sports complex of the University - Palaestra Albertina was erected (architect F. Heitmann)
1894-1896 - a synagogue was built on Lomza
1895 - the first electric tram was launched in Königsberg
1895 - Realgymnasium building expanded (gym attached)
1896 - Königsberg Zoo opened
1897 - a 4-storey building of gymnasiums was added to the Kneiphof Gymnasium on the right, while the Bishop's Courtyard was demolished in 1542.
1900 - Kremerbrücke (Shop Bridge) rebuilt in stone and metal
1900 - The Gebr department store is built on the western side of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz. Barrasch
1900 - 189483 inhabitants in Koenigsberg. The whole city was located within the defensive ring
1901 - Monument to Bismarck unveiled
1901 - The Royal University Library in Mitteltragheim was built
1901-1907 - the restoration of the Cathedral was carried out, the building was freed from plaster, the features of the 14th century were returned to the western (main) facade, which had already been noticeably changed by various restructurings by that time.
1902 - the building of the Main Post Office was expanded and the neo-Gothic telegraph building was built (on the north side of Gezekus Square)
1903-1904 - Holzbrücke (Wood bridge) rebuilt in stone
1905 - Imperial Bridge built
1905 - the systematic accession to the city of the suburbs and the nearest settlements. As a result, its area increased from 20 sq. km in 1900 to 192 sq. km in 1939. The population increased to 372,164 people.
1906 - a beautiful promenade, gardens and lighting in the form of openwork gas lamps were erected near the Castle Pond
1906 - Rosenau is included in Koenigsberg
1907 - Grünbrücke ( Green bridge) rebuilt in stone and metal
1907 - Holy Family Church built
1907-1910 - built by Kirch Luther
1908 - the sculpture "Archer" (Fritz Heinemann) was installed at the Castle Pond
1910 - 1) the Traghayim gates were demolished; 2) sculptor Stanislaus Cauer completed work on the monument to Friedrich Schiller
1910 or 1911 - the last medieval residential building was demolished in Altstadt on the street. Höckergasse
1911-1913 - Church built in memory of Duke Albrecht in Maraunenhof
1911-1914 - new Realgymnasium building in Löbenicht built
1912 - built:
1) Queen Louise Theater designed by architect Walter Kukkuk
2) Stadthalle (city concert hall) on the banks of the Lower Pond
3) the building of the Police Department (now the FSB)
1912 - the sculpture "Fighting bison" was installed at the Land Court and the fountain of the Way on Castle Square
1912 - Steindamm Gate demolished
1913-1919 - the building of the Academy of Arts was built
1915 (?) - the Gothic pediment of the southern facade of the Castle was converted into baroque
1916 - new building of the Academy of Arts
1918 - the building of the Directorate of Postal Service was built on the Ganzaring (now the headquarters of the Baltic Fleet)
1919 - Devau airport opened
1920 - the first German East Fair was opened in Königsberg, which was located on the territory of the zoo
1923 - the building of the Trade Yard (since 1927 it has housed the mayor's office) (architect Hans Gopp)
1924 - Königsberg Castle declared a museum
1924 - the Hall of Fame of the Prussia Museum was located in the Moscow Hall
1924 - New design of Kant's grave (architect Lars)
1924 - Friedrich Reusch's sculpture "German Michel" was installed near the Wrangel Tower (donated to the city in 1904)
1925 - the House of Technology was built (manufactured goods market)
1925 - an 8-storey trading house Kive was built on the Altstadt market. Then Max Wilfang and Company became the owners, which gave rise to the abbreviated form "Wilko".
1925, November 15 - the first Königsberg bus route was opened (closed already on December 7, 1927)
1926 - the stables/cavalry barracks located on the site of the old castle were demolished. Soon the Reichsbank building will be built on this site, and now the House of Soviets is there.
1926 - the square in the courtyard of the Castle was destroyed
1927 - the city magistrate was located in the building of the Trade Yard
1928 - the Financial Administration of the Province of East Prussia was built, now the building of the regional administration
1928 - the Parkhotel was built (architect Hans Gopp)
1928 - The Polish street was renamed Steinhaupt Strasse (Steinhaupt Strabe) - in honor of Georg Steinhaupt, who died of the plague in 1465
1928 - restoration work is carried out in the castle, a building for the Reichsbank in the new classical style was built on the site of the cuirassier barracks
1929 - opening of the Main railway station of Königsberg
1930 - construction of the building of the North Station was completed (architect M. Shtallman)
1930 - a vocational school for girls (House of Officers) was built
1930 - the construction of the building was completed, which housed the Koenigsberg state archive(architect R. Liebental)
1930-33 - Kreuzkirche built
1933-34 - the building of the Königsberg Radio (branch of the Shirshov Institute)
1935 - the monument to Duke Albrecht was moved from the Oat Tower to the northwestern tower of the Castle
1938 - burned down the synagogue
1942 - the Amber Room, taken from the city of Pushkin, was assembled in the castle
1943-1945 - Königsberg trolleybus
April 7, 1946 - The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a decree on the formation of the Koenigsberg region as part of the RSFSR
August 1, 1946 - according to the order of the city administration for civil affairs, Steindamm Street received a new name - "Zhytomyr". By the same order, several small streets going in the direction of the main railway station - Kneiphefishe and Forntedtische Langasse, Kantstrasse, Posenerstrasse - were merged into a single street, called "ul. Mayakovsky (now Leninsky Prospekt)
1947, June - the population of Kaliningrad amounted to 211,000 people, including 37,000 Germans
1947 - the Pedagogical Institute was founded, the first university in the region
1948 - the deportation of the German population ended
August 3, 1950 - the executive committee of the Kaliningrad city council adopted decision No. 407 "On the protection of the bronze monument that stood on the University Square in the Leningrad region" (after which the monument disappeared without a trace)
1953 - approved the General Plan for the development of the city
1953 - a monument to Stalin was erected on the square. victories
1956 - Lars' book "Königsberg Castle" was published
1957 (?) - the Altstadt Church was demolished
1958, November - the monument to Stalin was moved from the square. Victory in the square on Teatralnaya Street, a monument to Lenin was erected instead
1960 - The cathedral received the status of a cultural monument of republican significance, but no measures were taken to preserve the building
1961, August 14 - The Lebenicht Catholic Church was excluded from the list of "monuments of architecture of national importance."
1962 - the monument to Stalin was dismantled
1963 - Leninsky Prospekt appeared on the map as a result of the merger of Zhitomirskaya and Mayakovsky streets
1963-64 - the remains of the central telegraph building were demolished
1967 - the Stock Exchange building was restored as the Seafarers' House of Culture, the Kaliningrad State Institute was created. university
September 1968 - the city authorities turned to the command of the Higher Engineering School with a request to "perform drilling and blasting to destroy the remains of the Castle and large blocks."
1970 - the final destruction of the Lebenicht Catholic Church
1970 - Duke Albrecht Memorial Church in Maraunenhof was blown up
November 5, 1972 - a trestle bridge across the island was opened. Kneiphof (Kant Island), while the Kremerbrücke (Shop Bridge) and Grunbrücke (Green Bridge) were demolished
1972 - the restoration of the former Stock Exchange is completed (as a sailors' recreation center)
1973 - former German town hall on Sq. Pobeda became the House of Soviets (city executive committee, now city hall)
1974 - the southern part of the basement of the Castle is covered with gray tuff facing, the hotel "Kaliningrad" is built
1974 - the sculpture "Mother Russia" was placed on the pedestal of the former monument to Stalin
1975 - Kaliningrad trolleybus launched
There was a Prussian fortress Tuwangste (Twangste, Twangste). History has not left reliable information about the foundation of Twangste and descriptions of the fortress itself. According to legend, Twangste Fortress was founded by Prince Zamo in the middle of the 6th century. There is information about an attempt to found a settlement near the mouth of the Pregel, undertaken at the end of the 10th century by Khovkin, son Danish king Harald I Blue-lipped. The German chronicles for 1242 contain information about the negotiations between the deputies of the city of Lübeck and the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Gerhard von Malberg on the foundation of a free trading city on a mountain on the banks of the Pregel.
In the middle of the 13th century, the toponym Twangste extended to the Prussian fortified settlement, the mountain on which it was located, and the surrounding forest.
The Twangste fortress was taken and burned at the beginning of 1255 during the campaign of the combined army of the knights of the Order and the Bohemian king Přemysl Otakar II. There is a legend according to which King Otakar II advised Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Poppo von Osterne to build an order fortress on the site of Twangste. The laying of the Koenigsberg fortress took place in early September 1255. Burkhard von Hornhausen became the first commander of Koenigsberg.
There are several versions of the origin of the name Koenigsberg. The most common version associates the name of the Königsberg fortress, Korolevskaya Gora, with King Otakar II. According to her, the fortress and the future city were named after the king of Bohemia. Other versions of the origin of the toponym associate it with the Vikings or Prussians. Perhaps "Kenigsberg" is a form from "Konungoberg", where "king", "kunnigs" - "prince", "leader", "head of the clan", and the word "berg" can mean both "mountain" and "precipitous, Highland". In Russian chronicles and maps until the end of the 17th century, instead of the name Koenigsberg, the toponym Korolevets was used.
The first two wooden blockhouses were built in 1255 on the mountain on the right bank of the Pregel. Koenigsberg was first mentioned in a document dated June 29, 1256. In 1257, to the west of the blockhouses, the construction of stone fortifications began. In 1260, 1263 and 1273 the castle was besieged by the rebellious Prussians, but was not taken. Since 1309, Konigsberg Castle has been the residence of the Marshal of the Teutonic Order.
On February 28, 1286, the Landmaster of Prussia Konrad von Thierberg granted the settlement, which arose near the castle walls, the status of a city on the basis of Kulm law. Most likely, the settlement was originally named after the name of the castle - Koenigsberg. However, later, with the emergence of neighboring settlements, it received the name Altstadt, translated from German language meaning " Old city". The settlement that arose east of the castle was called Neustadt ( New town). Later, Neustadt was renamed Löbenicht, and on May 27, 1300, Löbenicht received city rights from the commander of Koenigsberg, Berthold von Brühaven. On an island south of Altstadt, a settlement was formed, originally called Vogtswerder. In 1327, the settlement on the island received city rights. In the charter granting city rights, it is called Knipav, which most likely corresponds to the original Prussian toponym. Since 1333, the city was called Pregelmünde, but the original name in the Germanized form, Kneiphof, was gradually fixed.
The cities of Altstadt, Löbenicht and Kneiphof had their own coats of arms, city councils, burgomasters, and from the 14th century were members of the Hanseatic Trade Union.
In 1325, under the leadership of Bishop Johannes Clare, the construction of the Cathedral began on the island of Kneiphof. In a document dated September 13, 1333, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Luther von Braunschweig agreed to continue the construction of the cathedral, this date is considered the official start date for construction. The construction of the Cathedral was completed in 1380. In the winter of 1390-1391, an English detachment under the command of the Earl of Derby, the future King of England Henry IV Lancaster, stopped in Koenigsberg.
After the loss of Marienburg (Malbork, Poland) during the Thirteen Years' War in 1457, Grand Master Ludwig von Erlichshausen moved the capital of the Teutonic Order to Königsberg. In 1523, Hans Weinreich, with the assistance of Grand Master Albrecht, opened the first printing house in Königsberg in Löbenicht, in which the first book was printed in 1524. On April 8, 1525, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Albrecht of Brandenburg-Ansbach, concluded the Peace of Krakow with the King of Poland, Sigismund I, as a result of which the Teutonic Order was secularized and the Duchy of Prussia was formed. Königsberg became the capital of Prussia. In 1544, a university was opened in Königsberg, which later received the name Albertina in honor of Duke Albrecht. Since 1660, a city newspaper began to be published in Koenigsberg. In May 1697, as part of the Grand Embassy, under the name of the nobleman Peter Mikhailov, the Russian Tsar Peter I visited Koenigsberg, having lived in the city for about a month. Later, Peter I visited the city in November 1711, June 1712, February and April 1716.
On January 27, 1744, Sophia Augusta Frederick von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, the future Russian Empress Catherine II, passed from Stettin to St. Petersburg through Koenigsberg. On January 11, 1758, during the Seven Years' War, Russian troops entered Koenigsberg, after which, on January 24, in the Cathedral, representatives of all city classes took an oath of allegiance to the Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. Until 1762 the city was part of Russian Empire. In 1782 the city's population was 31,368. In 1793, the first obstetric and gynecological institution was opened in the city. On August 8, 1803, an earthquake occurred in Königsberg.
After the battles near Preussisch-Eylau in January and Friedland in June, on June 15, 1807, Koenigsberg was occupied by the French army. On July 10-13, 1807 and June 12-16, 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte stayed in the city. On the night of January 4-5, 1813 french army left Koenigsberg, and around noon on January 5, troops of the Russian corps under the command of Peter Khristianovich Wittgenstein entered the city.
In 1813, an astronomical observatory was opened in Königsberg, with the eminent mathematician and astronomer Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel as its director. In 1830, the first (local) water pipe appeared in the city. In 1834 Moritz Hermann Jacobi demonstrated the world's first electric motor in the Königsberg laboratory. On July 28, 1851, the astronomer of the Königsberg Observatory August Ludwig Busch took a photograph for the first time in history. solar eclipse. On October 18, 1861, Wilhelm I, the future Kaiser of Germany, was crowned in Königsberg. In 1872-1874, the first city water supply network was built, in 1880 work began on laying the city sewer. In May 1881, the first horse tram route was opened in Königsberg, in 1888 the population of the city was 140.9 thousand people, in December 1890 - 161.7 thousand people. To protect the city along its perimeter, a defensive ring of 15 forts was built by the mid-1880s. In May 1895, the first trams ran along the streets of Königsberg. In 1896, the Königsberg Zoo was opened, with Hermann Klaas (1841-1914) becoming its director.
The population of Koenigsberg in 1910 was 249.6 thousand inhabitants. In 1919, Germany's first airport, Devau Airport, was opened in Königsberg. On September 28, 1920, German President Friedrich Ebert opened the first East Prussian fair in Königsberg, which was located on the territory of the zoo, and later in special pavilions. In 1939, the city had 373,464 inhabitants.
During the Second World War, Koenigsberg was repeatedly bombed from the air. The first raid on the city was made by Soviet aviation on September 1, 1941. The raid involved 11 Pe-8 bombers, none of which were shot down. The bombing produced a certain psychological effect, but no significant casualties or destruction were caused. On April 29, 1943, a Pe-8 bomber from the USSR Long-Range Aviation first dropped a 5-ton bomb on Koenigsberg. On the night of August 27, 1944, the 5th group of the Royal Air force Great Britain, as part of 174 Lancaster bombers, raided the city, during which the eastern outskirts were bombed, and the Royal Air Force lost 4 aircraft. The most massive and terrible raid on Koenigsberg was carried out by the British Air Force on the night of August 30, 1944. 189 Lancasters dropped 480 tons of bombs, as a result of which 4.2 thousand people died, 20% of industrial facilities and 41% of all buildings of the city were destroyed, the historical center of the city was wiped off the face of the earth. During the raid, napalm bombs were used for the first time. RAF losses were 15 bombers.
As a result of the East Prussian offensive operation The Red Army by January 26, 1945 Koenigsberg was in the blockade. However, already on January 30, the Great Germany Panzer Division and one infantry division from Brandenburg (now the village of Ushakovo) and the 5th Panzer Division and one infantry division from Königsberg pushed back the troops of the 11th guards army 5 kilometers from the Frisches Huff Bay, releasing Koenigsberg from the southwest. On February 19, counter strikes along the northern coast of the Frisches-Haff Bay from Fischhausen (now the city of Primorsk) and Koenigsberg broke through the defenses of the 39th Army and restored communication between Koenigsberg and the Zemland Peninsula.
From April 2 to April 5, 1945, Koenigsberg was subjected to massive artillery strikes and air raids. On April 6, the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front launched an assault on the fortress city. Non-flying weather did not allow the full use of aviation, by the end of the day, assault detachments and groups reached the outskirts of the city. On April 7, the weather improved, and Königsberg was subjected to a massive bombardment. On April 8, the Red Army troops advancing from the north and south divided the enemy grouping into two parts. 4th german army General Muller tried to strike from the Zemland Peninsula to help the Koenigsberg garrison, but these attempts were thwarted by Soviet aviation. By evening, the defending units of the Wehrmacht were squeezed in the city center under the continuous attacks of Soviet artillery. On April 9, 1945, the commandant of the city and fortress of Koenigsberg, General Otto von Lyash, ordered the garrison to lay down their arms, for which Hitler was sentenced in absentia to death penalty. The last pockets of resistance were eliminated on April 10, and the Red Banner was hoisted on the tower of the Don. More than 93 thousand German soldiers and officers were captured, about 42 thousand died during the assault. The irretrievable losses of the Red Army directly during the assault on Koenigsberg amounted to 3.7 thousand people.
The capture of Koenigsberg was celebrated in Moscow with 24 artillery salvos from 324 guns, the medal "For the Capture of Koenigsberg" was established - the only Soviet medal established for the capture of a city that was not the capital of the state. After the end of World War II, according to the decisions of the Potsdam Conference, the city of Koenigsberg was transferred to the Soviet Union.
On June 27, 1945, the Königsberg Zoo, in which only five animals remained after the April assault: a badger, a donkey, a fallow deer, an elephant calf and a wounded hippopotamus Hans, received its first post-war visitors.
By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on July 4, 1946, Koenigsberg was renamed Kaliningrad. The city was settled by immigrants from other regions Soviet Union, the German population by 1948 was deported to Germany. Due to an important strategic position and a large concentration of troops, Kaliningrad was closed to the public foreign citizens. IN post-war years special attention was paid to the restoration of production, the issues of preserving historical and cultural values were of secondary importance, and often completely ignored. In 1967, by the decision of the first secretary of the Kaliningrad regional committee of the CPSU, N.S. Konovalov The Koenigsberg castle, seriously damaged during the British air raid in August 1944 and the assault on the city in April 1945, was blown up. The demolition of the ruins and a significant part of the surviving buildings continued until the mid-1970s, which caused irreparable damage to the architectural appearance of the city.
Since 1991 Kaliningrad has been open for international cooperation.
After in the XIII century, at the request Polish prince Konrad of Mazovia and with the blessing of the Pope of Rome, the crusaders led by the Teutonic Order completely destroyed the pagan Lithuanian tribe of the Prussians (due to the fact that they did not want to accept Christianity), the city of Koenigsberg was founded on the site of their settlement Twangste - the Sudeten king Ottokar II.
In 1410, after the defeat of the Teutonic Order by the Commonwealth, Koenigsberg could become a Polish city. But then the Polish kings limited themselves to the fact that the order became their vassal. When the Commonwealth began to weaken, on the lands of the Teutonic Order arose first the Electorate, then the Duchy of Prussia.
At the beginning of the XVI century. Albrecht from the Hohenzollern dynasty, which established itself in Brandenburg in 1415, was elected grand master of the Teutonic Order, which became its vassal after the Thirteen Years' War with Poland (1454–66) (Prussia's fief dependence on Poland remained until the 60s of the 17th century).
The Duchy of Prussia united with Brandenburg in 1618, which created the core of the future German Empire. In 1701, Elector Frederick III received the title of king from the emperor of the "Holy Roman Empire" (in exchange for a contingent of troops for the upcoming War of the Spanish Succession). The Brandenburg-Prussian state became a kingdom. After Berlin became its capital instead of Koenigsberg, the whole of Germany began new story- imperial.
Under King Frederick II (reigned 1740-86), about 2/3 of the annual regular budget was spent on military needs; The Prussian army became the largest in Western Europe. In Prussia, the militaristic police-bureaucratic regime (the so-called Prussianism) was being strengthened. Any manifestation of free thought was mercilessly suppressed. In order to expand its territory, Prussia waged numerous wars. During the War of the Austrian Succession of 1740-48, Prussia captured most of Silesia. In the Seven Years' War of 1756-63, Prussia intended to seize Saxony, which had not yet been captured by part of Pomerania, Courland and strengthen its influence on the small German states, accordingly weakening Austria's influence on them, but suffered a major defeat from Russian troops at Gross-Egersdorf (1757) and in Battle of Kunersdorf 1759.
Koenigsberg in 1758 for the first time became a Russian city. Even the issue of coins of the "Prussian province" was launched. In 1760, Russian troops occupied Berlin, the capital of Prussia. Only disagreements between the main opponents of Prussia (Austria, Russia, France) and the accession to the Russian throne after the death of Elizabeth Petrovna (1761) of Holsteingottorp Duke Peter III saved Prussia from disaster. Peter III made peace and an alliance with Frederick II, and in 1762 he withdrew Russian troops from East Prussia, and returned the city to Friedrich. Consequently long years Prussia remained an ally of the Russian tsars, as well as a commercial and technological bridge between Russia and Europe.
PROVINCE OF RUSSIA
Seven Years' War began in 1756 with several battles of the armies of Austria and France against the Prussian troops. The Russian army under the command of Field Marshal Apraksin set out on a campaign against Prussia in the spring of 1757 from Riga in two directions: through Memel and Kovno. She entered the territory of Prussia, advanced beyond Insterburg (Chernyakhovsk). Near the village of Gross-Egersdorf (now defunct, Chernyakhovsky district) on August 30 in a fierce battle Russian army defeated the Prussian troops under the command of Field Marshal Lewald. The way to Koenigsberg was open!
However, the troops unexpectedly turned back and left Prussia through Tilsit. Only the town of Memel remained in Russian hands. The reason for the retreat of the Russian army is still a topic of controversy. But it is believed that the real reasons were the lack of food and loss of people. That summer, the Russian troops had two opponents: the Prussian army and the weather.
In the second campaign against Prussia in the autumn of 1757, General-in-chief Willim Vilimovich Fermor (1702-1771) became the head of the army. The task was the same - at the first opportunity to occupy Prussia. At three o'clock in the morning on January 22, 1758, Russian infantry set out from Kaimen and by eleven o'clock occupied the suburbs of Koenigsberg, which actually ended up in the hands of the Russians. By four o'clock in the afternoon, Fermor at the head of the detachment drove into the city. The route of its movement was as follows: from the side of present-day Polessk, Frunze Street leads to the city center (the former Koenigstrasse, and during the period of the events described - Breitstrasse, in Russian documents of that time this street was translated literally as “Broad Street”). On it, Fermor with his retinue, following through a crowd of curious spectators, drove into the castle. There he was met by representatives of the Prussian authorities, led by Lesving, and presented with the "keys to the city" (rather, of course, a symbol that marks a historical event).
By the way, in Konigsberg, when Russian troops entered it, there were eighteen churches, of which 14 were Lutheran, 3 were Calvinist and one was Roman Catholic. There were no Orthodox, which was a problem for the Russian residents who appeared. Found a way out. The Russian clergy chose the building, later known as the Steindamm Church. It was one of the oldest Königsberg churches, founded in 1256. Since 1526, Polish and Lithuanian parishioners have used it. And on September 15, 1760, the consecration of the church was solemnly held.
It should be noted that the victors behaved peacefully in Prussia. They provided the inhabitants with freedom of belief and trade and gave them access to the Russian service. Double-headed eagles replaced the Prussian ones everywhere. An Orthodox monastery was built in Koenigsberg. They began to mint a coin with the image of Elizabeth and the signature: Elisabeth rex Prussiae. The Russians intended to settle firmly in East Prussia.
But in Russia there is a change of power. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna dies and Peter III ascends the Russian throne, as you know, an ardent supporter of Frederick II. In a treatise dated May 5, 1762, Peter III unconditionally gave Frederick II all the territories previously occupied by the Russians. On July 5, the Königsberg city newspaper was already published, crowned with the Prussian coat of arms. The transfer of power in the provinces began. On July 9, a coup takes place in Russia and Catherine II ascends the royal throne, but still Russian rule ended in Prussia. Already on August 5, 1762, the last Russian governor Prussia Voeikov F.M. (1703-1778) received an order to finally proceed with the transfer of the province, from now on not to interfere in the internal affairs of Prussia, to allow the Prussian garrisons to occupy fortresses.
September 3, 1762 - the beginning of the withdrawal of Russian troops from Prussia. And on February 15, 1763, the Seven Years' War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Hubertusburg. Frederick II died of a cold on August 17, 1786 in Potsdam, leaving no direct heir. He was therefore succeeded by his nephew Friedrich Wilhelm II, who was born on September 25, 1744, at the time of his coronation he was 42 years old. Under this king, the Friedrich system of government began to collapse and the decline of Prussia began. Under him, Prussia lost its importance as the leading power within Germany. This inglorious king died on November 16, 1797. Friedrich Wilhelm III ascended the throne.
DIE HARD SURRENDED WITHOUT A FIGHT
In the second half of the 18th century, the Pillau fortress was one of the most powerful Prussian fortresses. It had five bastions, was reinforced with ravelins, surrounded by a moat with water and an auxiliary rampart - a counterguard. Inside the fortress, powder magazines, a grain warehouse, an arsenal, a commandant's house, a church, rooms for soldiers were equipped. In general, the fortress was an exceptionally tough nut to crack. It was not by chance that the symbolic keys to it (as well as from the Friedrichsburg Gate in Koenigsberg) were presented on January 21, 1758 to the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops, General Fermor, in the Royal Castle: the Seven Years' War was going on ...
Russian troops entered Pillau on January 24 without encountering armed resistance. The burgomaster and members of the magistrate, with swords, went out to meet a small detachment of Major Wigant ... The bell ringing was heard in the city. And soon all the citizens already swore allegiance to the Russian Empress Elizabeth, daughter. It is interesting that in Russia only nobles swore allegiance to emperors, while in Prussia this right was granted to everyone. And history has not recorded cases of evasion of the oath.
The first Russian commandant of Pillau was Major Engineer Rodion Gerbel, a well-known builder fortifications. His father, Nicholas Gerbel, came to Russia from Switzerland in the times of Peter the Great and participated in the construction of St. Petersburg. Russified as much as it was possible. He baptized his son according to the Orthodox custom.
Rodion Nikolaevich Gerbel studied for two years (1731-1732) in Koenigsberg, at an engineering school, then - in 1744 - visited East Prussia as part of the Russian embassy, heading in a roundabout way to Stockholm. By the way, together with his classmate at the engineering school Larion, the father of the future field marshal. Rodion Gerbel participated in all key battles Seven Years' War: at Gross-Egersdorf, Zondorf, Kunersdorf, the siege and capture of Memel and Koenigsberg.
Subsequently, the name Gerbel will be inscribed in the history of Russia more than once: the grandson of Rodion Nikolaevich, Karl Gustavovich Gerbel, the Knight of St. George, will distinguish himself in 1807 in the battle of Preussisch-Eylau, and in December 1812 - January 1813 he will triumphantly pass through Tilsit and Koenigsberg to Hamburg. And the great-grandson - Nikolai Gerbel - will become a famous Russian writer.
Gerbel commanded at Pillau for a year. He managed to organize a customs service and control over navigation through the strait. Then - departed with the troops for the Vistula, to solve the next military task. He was replaced as commandant by Colonel Freiman, after whom Major Wigant was appointed. Wigant was replaced by Colonel Khomutov, and from 1760 to 1762 this duty was performed by Colonel Girshgend. At this time, thanks to the Governor-General of Corfu, a Russian dam appeared in Pillau. It was a very important project. The harbor that existed in Pillau was small for Russian ships. Therefore, a new, wider one was built on the site, which was called Maulshillen (i.e. "slap in the face"). A number of icebreakers stood here, and the coast was fortified with 10,000 fascines, i.e. special bundles of brushwood. The length of the dam was 450 meters (today this place is called the Russian Embankment). Prussian peasants were involved in the construction, but they were released during the harvest. By the way, the Russian army was provided with food through supplies from Russia. Such was the strange occupation. Not at all burdensome for the occupied territories. However, local residents still made attempts to resist.
King Frederick the Great, being outside of East Prussia, incited people loyal to him to fight the "occupiers". Communication was maintained through Pillau's postmaster Ludwig Wagner. Using his postal channels, Wagner passed on news and money collected by like-minded people to the king. He was sure that he was beyond suspicion: according to some reports, the Russian governor of Prussia, von Korf, was very interested in his, Ludwig, sister Maria. In addition, Wagner himself made friends with a couple of Russian officers.
But... at the beginning of 1759, several residents of Pillau (in particular, the inspector for construction and licenses Lange and Captain von Hambeau, under whose command the prisoners were in the fortress) drew up a plan on how to free the fortress from Russian "usurpation". The plan was ridiculous - if only because fifty people knew about it. Both in Pillau and in Koenigsberg. Naturally, someone reported on the "Pillau conspiracy" of the Russian administration.
That same evening, Wagner learned that Lange and Hambeau had also been arrested. All the conspirators were sent to Koenigsberg. June 28, 1759 Ludwig Wagner was sentenced to death by quartering. But Empress Elizabeth pardoned Wagner, and he was "only" exiled to Siberia. Having passed through Moscow, Solikamsk, Tomsk, Yeniseisk and other cities, Wagner ended up in Tobolsk - exactly at the time when, after the death of Elizabeth Petrovna, her nephew Peter III, an ardent admirer of Frederick the Great, inherited the Russian throne.
Peter III immediately made peace with the adored Prussian king, returned Prussia to him - and Wagner, no longer considered an exiled conspirator, set off on his return journey. He did not find his sister alive. The cause of her death remained unknown. But it was rumored that the beautiful Maria, in her turn, not indifferent to the governor-general of Corfu, withered away after she turned into the "sister of the conspirator."
Wagner sent a "Memorandum" to the king. Having listed in detail everything that he had lost, he presented Frederick with a bill of 6,000 thalers. The king received Wagner in Potsdam, lined up a guard of honor, drew his sword, solemnly said "Welcome from Siberia!", But did not give money. But he again appointed Wagner postmaster at Pillau.
Subsequently, Wagner will write a book of memoirs about his Siberian misadventures, and a street in Pillau will be named after him (now it is a lane named after A.S. Pushkin). And in memory of the time when East Prussia belonged to Russia, a monument to Empress Elizabeth was erected in Baltiysk. For some reason - an equestrian statue ...
Interestingly, the fortress of Pillau, which surrendered to the Russians without firing a shot, in 1807 became one of the three Prussian fortresses that fiercely resisted Napoleon's troops. The commandant of the fortress was then 76-year-old Colonel von Herrmann, a most curious personality: for example, he spent his everyday sleep ... in a coffin. Explaining his quirk by the fact that at his venerable age it is time to get used to the "wooden box". When the French demanded that Pillau be handed over to them, Herrmann gathered a garrison in the courtyard of the fortress, ordered the coffin to be brought, and declared to the audience: “Friends! As long as I'm alive, I won't give up the fortress. Here is my coffin. Which of you will survive me, I hope, will put me, your boss and commander, in this coffin. Here, in the presence of all of you, I will once again repeat the oath that I took a long time ago when I entered into military service, my monarch, my state. All those in whom military honor lives, I ask you to repeat: "Prussia or death!"
And the garrison held out heroically. The French lost 122 killed and wounded. One cannonball, fired by the defenders of Pillau, fell directly into the mouth of the French cannon, which shattered into pieces, which pretty much cut the Napoleonic artillerymen ... The fortress did not give up for eight days. It is not known how this whole story would have ended, but on June 26, 1807, a truce was concluded in Tilsit.
The Seven Years' War began in 1756 with several battles between the armies of Austria and France against the Prussian troops. The Russian army under the command of Field Marshal Apraksin set out on a campaign against Prussia in the spring of 1757 from Riga in two directions: through Memel and Kovno. She entered the territory of Prussia, advanced beyond Insterburg (Chernyakhovsk). Near the village of Gross-Egersdorf (now defunct, Chernyakhovsky district) on August 30, in a fierce battle, the Russian army defeated the Prussian troops under the command of Field Marshal Lewald. The way to Koenigsberg was open!
However, the troops unexpectedly turned back and left Prussia through Tilsit. Only the town of Memel remained in Russian hands. The reason for the retreat of the Russian army is still a topic of controversy. But it is believed that the real reasons were the lack of food and loss of people. That summer, the Russian troops had two opponents: the Prussian army and the weather.
In the second campaign against Prussia in the autumn of 1757, General-in-chief Willim Vilimovich Fermor (1702-1771) became the head of the army. The task was the same - at the first opportunity to occupy Prussia. At three o'clock in the morning on January 22, 1758, Russian infantry set out from Kaimen and by eleven o'clock occupied the suburbs of Koenigsberg, which actually ended up in the hands of the Russians. By four o'clock in the afternoon, Fermor at the head of the detachment drove into the city. The route of its movement was as follows: from the side of present-day Polessk, Frunze Street leads to the city center (the former Koenigstrasse, and during the period of the events described - Breitstrasse, in Russian documents of that time this street was translated literally as “Broad Street”). On it, Fermor with his retinue, following through a crowd of curious spectators, drove into the castle. There he was met by representatives of the Prussian authorities, led by Lesving, and presented with the "keys to the city" (rather, of course, a symbol that marks a historical event).
By the way, in Konigsberg, when Russian troops entered it, there were eighteen churches, of which 14 were Lutheran, 3 were Calvinist and one was Roman Catholic. There were no Orthodox, which was a problem for the Russian residents who appeared. Found a way out. The Russian clergy chose the building, later known as the Steindamm Church. It was one of the oldest Königsberg churches, founded in 1256. Since 1526, Polish and Lithuanian parishioners have used it. And on September 15, 1760, the consecration of the church was solemnly held.
It should be noted that the victors behaved peacefully in Prussia. They provided the inhabitants with freedom of belief and trade and gave them access to the Russian service. Double-headed eagles replaced the Prussian ones everywhere. An Orthodox monastery was built in Koenigsberg. They began to mint a coin with the image of Elizabeth and the signature: Elisabeth rex Prussiae. The Russians intended to settle firmly in East Prussia.
But in Russia there is a change of power. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna dies and Peter III ascends the Russian throne, as you know, an ardent supporter of Frederick II. In a treatise dated May 5, 1762, Peter III unconditionally gave Frederick II all the territories previously occupied by the Russians. On July 5, the Königsberg city newspaper was already published, crowned with the Prussian coat of arms. The transfer of power in the provinces began. On July 9, a coup took place in Russia and Catherine II ascended the royal throne, but nevertheless Russian rule in Prussia was ending. Already on August 5, 1762, the last Russian governor of Prussia Voeikov F.M. (1703-1778) received an order to finally proceed with the transfer of the province, from now on not to interfere in the internal affairs of Prussia, to allow the Prussian garrisons to occupy fortresses.
September 3, 1762 - the beginning of the withdrawal of Russian troops from Prussia. And on February 15, 1763, the Seven Years' War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Hubertusburg. Frederick II died of a cold on August 17, 1786 in Potsdam, leaving no direct heir.
