Slavskoye, Russia
Encyclopedia
Slavskoye is a settlement in the Bagrationovsky District, Kaliningrad Oblast
, Russia
, located 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) south of Kaliningrad
.
founded a castle (Creutzburg / Kreuzburg, cross castle) in the region of Natangia at the location of an Old Prussians
settlement. In 1315 Kreuzburg received its town privileges. Throughout the Hunger War in 1414, 71 houses were destroyed and five citizens were killed by the Polish
troops. Kreuzburg also suffered heavy damages in the Thirteen Years' War of 1454-1466 and the Polish-Teutonic War
of 1519–1521.
After the secularization of the Teutonic Knights in 1525, Kreuzburg became part of the Duchy of Prussia and the Kingdom of Prussia
in 1701. It was badly affected by the Napoleonic Battle of Eylau
in February 1807 and almost totally destroyed by a fire catastrophe on May 10, 1818, when 152 buildings burned down. Only the church, the vicarage, and the schoolhouse were not affected. Due to that disaster the regional administration was transferred to Preußisch Eylau
.
Kreuzburg was connected to the railway-system in 1908.
Throughout the Soviet East Prussian Offensive
in February 1945 Kreuzburg was again largely destroyed and transferred from Germany
to the Soviet Union
according to the 1945 Potsdam Conference
. Its German population was expelled
, and the name was changed from Kreuzburg to Slavskoye.
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 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) south of Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea...
.
History
In 1240, the Teutonic KnightsTeutonic 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...
founded a castle (Creutzburg / Kreuzburg, cross castle) in the region of Natangia at the location of an Old Prussians
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...
settlement. In 1315 Kreuzburg received its town privileges. Throughout the Hunger War in 1414, 71 houses were destroyed and five citizens were killed by the Polish
Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)
The Kingdom of Poland of the Jagiellons was the Polish state created by the accession of Jogaila , Grand Duke of Lithuania, to the Polish throne in 1386. The Union of Krewo or Krėva Act, united Poland and Lithuania under the rule of a single monarch...
troops. Kreuzburg also suffered heavy damages in the Thirteen Years' War of 1454-1466 and the Polish-Teutonic War
Polish–Teutonic War (1519–1521)
Polish–Teutonic War of 1519–1521 was the war between the Kingdom of Poland and the Teutonic Knights, fought from 1519 to 1521. The war ended with the armistice in 1521. Four years later, with the Treaty of Kraków, part of the Catholic Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights became secularized as...
of 1519–1521.
After the secularization of the Teutonic Knights in 1525, Kreuzburg became part of the Duchy of Prussia and 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. It was badly affected by the Napoleonic Battle of Eylau
Battle of Eylau
The Battle of Eylau or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, 7 and 8 February 1807, was a bloody and inconclusive battle between Napoléon's Grande Armée and a Russian Empire army under Levin August, Count von Bennigsen near the town of Preußisch Eylau in East Prussia. Late in the battle, the Russians...
in February 1807 and almost totally destroyed by a fire catastrophe on May 10, 1818, when 152 buildings burned down. Only the church, the vicarage, and the schoolhouse were not affected. Due to that disaster the regional administration was transferred to Preußisch Eylau
Bagrationovsk
Bagrationovsk is a town and the administrative center of Bagrationovsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located south of Kaliningrad. Population: -History:...
.
Kreuzburg was connected to the railway-system in 1908.
Throughout the Soviet East Prussian Offensive
East Prussian Offensive
The East Prussian Offensive was a strategic offensive by the Red Army against the German Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front . It lasted from 13 January to 25 April 1945, though some German units did not surrender until 9 May...
in February 1945 Kreuzburg was again largely destroyed and transferred from 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...
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....
according to the 1945 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...
. Its German population was 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 the name was changed from Kreuzburg to Slavskoye.
Population
- 1740: 986
- 1816: 1,700
- 1823: 1,352
- 1843: 1,809
- 1875: 2,004
- 1885: 1,976, including 17 Catholics, 11 Jews
- 1910: 1,726
- 1939: 2,005
Notable residents
- Hermann von BoyenHermann von BoyenLeopold Hermann Ludwig von Boyen was a Prussian army officer who helped to reform the Prussian Army in the early 19th century...
(1771–1848), Prussian fieldmarshal - Michael KongehlMichael KongehlMichael Kongehl was a German baroque poet.-Life:Kongehl was born in Kreuzburg to the brewer Michael Kongehl and his wife Barbara Marquart. He visited the school in Kreuzburg and Königsberg and started to study Lutheran divinity at the University of Königsberg in 1661. Afterwards Kongehl travelled...
(1646–1710), baroque poet - Reinhart RecheReinhart RecheReinhart Reche was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.-Awards:* Iron Cross ** 2nd Class...
(1915-1993), U-boat commander