Today I will tell you about a small town that found itself after the partition East Prussia on neutral territory, between the Soviet Union and the Republic of Poland. Formally, this is Russian land, but in fact, being behind barbed wire, it is no man's land.
Since I am collecting information on burials and monuments of the First World War, I had to get to the church and find and photograph the WWII monument that stood next to it. It took us a year and a half to get all the approvals, and now we are finally at the cherished gates 
we were assigned an escort who warned us that we had to follow each other, a step to the left or right was regarded as an attempt to escape to the NATO troops 
First of all, we naturally rushed to the church. everything has been overgrown for 70 years, where there was a square in front of the church, tall trees are already growing 
The church was built at the beginning of the fourteenth century. the bottom is made of boulders, and the top is made of large bricks.
altar part 
much later, in 1743, a tower with a wooden belfry was added 
entrance to the church. the arch of the tower is not vaulted, which immediately reveals its later origin. the round window is also not from the order period, but dates back, like the tower, to the eighteenth century 
behind the entrance to the tower is the vaulted entrance to the church, dating back to the 14th century. it is half filled with the collapsed walls of the tower 
to take a photo, I had to run around, since the impenetrable jungle made it impossible to shoot 
Well, finally we started looking for the monument. under the Germans he looked like this 
Since all the roads were overgrown with trees, it was very difficult to get attached to the terrain. We had to search for a long time, but eventually we found it. there is no monument itself, only a destroyed pedestal made of boulders remains, and the steps have been exposed, under a half-meter layer of shit 
After our main goal of the expedition was completed, we went for a walk through the medieval streets of Deutsch Tirau. The first thing that struck me was the number of medieval wells made of boulders; we found three of them. I have never seen anything like this in any settlement in East Prussia. The wells, as you can see in the photo, have galvanized pipes connected to them, and even before 1945, every house in this town had a central water supply 
second well. Palych stands for scale to show that the diameter of the well is about three meters. 
in 1945, the settlement of Deutsch Tirau found itself at the epicenter of the fighting of the so-called Heiligenbald cauldron. On all the streets, even after almost seventy years, echoes of that massacre are scattered right on the ground.
There are hundreds of such military rarities scattered here. on every corner there is rusty iron from World War II. interesting bottle, there was no electricity, they used different devices for lighting. you see, the neck is smoked, and inside there are remnants of a flammable mixture. 
german gas mask 
Faust, with TNT inside out 
well, let's move on from military theme, to household items. Here's a forged chest, probably from the seventeenth century 
store building 
judging by the remaining helmets, the store was defended especially diligently, because the loss of Beaujolais is a loss of losses and there is no point in fighting further 
Siemens gas stove 
in German houses, in a small provincial town, before 1945, food was already cooked on a gas stove! in Russia, half the country still does not have access to gas 
If you go to Poland through Mamonovo-Grzechotki, you will see that the border runs along a small river. the whole of Deutsch Tirau stood on both sides of this river, connected by several bridges. here is a pile of stones, this is one of the bridges. 
To date, I have visited all three large settlements that found themselves in no man's land either completely or partially.
You can get acquainted with them here.
- Velau (Znamensk) The city was taken on January 23, 1945 during the Insterburg-Koenigsberg operation.
- Gumbinnen (Gusev) Having launched the offensive on January 13, 1945, the soldiers of the 28th Army were able to overcome enemy resistance and, by the end of January 20, break into the eastern outskirts of the city. At 22:00 on January 21, by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the capture of the city was announced, gratitude was announced to the distinguished troops and a salute was given to the 12th artillery. salvos from 124 guns.
- Darkemen (Ozersk) The city was captured on January 23, 1945 during the Insterburg-Koenigsberg operation. In 1946, the city was renamed Ozyorsk. After the Second World War the city was heavily damaged, but the city center still retains its historical appearance.
- Insterburg (Chernyakhovsk) Troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front, 22.1..45. carried out an offensive along the entire front. In the Koenigsberg direction, with a decisive blow they broke the fierce resistance of the enemy on the Pregel River and stormed a powerful stronghold, a communications hub and the vital center of East Prussia, the city of Instenburg... . … Seventh: 6 The army continued its attack on Instenburg. As a result of decisive actions by the right flank and center, the resistance of the enemy's Instenburg lines was broken through. At the end of the day they were still fighting on the left flank...
- Kranz (Zelenogradsk) Krantz was busy Soviet troops February 4, 1945. There were fierce battles on the Curonian Spit, but Kranz himself was practically unharmed during the war. In 1946 Kranz was renamed Zelenogradsk.
- Labiau (Polessk) The city was captured on January 23, 1945 during the Insterburg-Koenigsberg operation. In 1946, it was renamed Polessk in honor of the historical and geographical region of Polesie.
- Neuhausen (Gurievsk) On January 28, 1945, the village of Neuhausen was taken by the 192nd Infantry Division under the command of Colonel L. G. Bosanets. On April 7 of the same year, the Königsberg district was formed with its center in Neuhausen, and on September 7, 1946, the city was renamed in honor of the Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General Stepan Savelyevich Guryev (1902-1945), who died during the assault on Pillau
- Pillau (Baltiysk) The city was captured on April 25, 1945 by the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front and the forces of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet during the Zemland operation. The 11th Guards Army under Colonel General Galitsky took part in the assault on Pillau. On November 27, 1946, Pillau received the name Baltiysk.
- Preussisch-Eylau (Bagrationovsk) The city was captured on February 10, 1945 during East Prussian operation. On September 7, 1946, the city was renamed in honor of the Russian commander hero Patriotic War 1812 by General Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration.
- Ragnit (Neman) The fortified city of Ragnit was captured by storm on January 17, 1945. After the war, Ragnit was renamed Neman in 1947.
- Raushen (Svetlogorsk) In April 1945, Rauschen and the surrounding settlements were occupied without fighting. In 1946 it was renamed Svetlogorsk.
- Tapiau (Gvardeysk) The city was captured on January 25, 1945 by troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front during the Insterburg-Koenigsberg Operation: 39 A - part of the forces of the 221st Infantry Division (Major General Kushnarenko V.N.), 94th Infantry Division (Major General Popov I.I.)
- Tilsit (Sovetsk) The troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front, decisively developing the offensive, defeated the enemy’s Tilsit group and cut all the roads connecting Tilsit with Insterburg. Subsequently, with a swift strike by units of the 39th and 43rd armies at 10 p.m. 30m. On January 19, 1945, they captured the powerful German defense center in East Prussia, the city of Tilsit.
- Fischhausen (Primorsk) The city was captured on April 17, 1945 during the Zemland operation.
- Friedland (Pravdinsk) The city was captured on January 31, 1945 by the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front during the East Prussian Operation: 28 A - part of the forces of the 20 Infantry Division (Major General Myshkin A.A.), 20 Infantry Division (Major General Shvarev N.A.)
- Haselberg (Krasnoznamensk) On January 18, 1945, the city was taken by troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front during the Insterburg-Koenigsberg operation. In 1946 it was renamed Krasnoznamensk.
- Heiligenbeil (Mamonovo) The city was captured on March 25, 1945 during the destruction of the Heilsberg enemy group.
- Stallupenen (Nesterov) The city was captured on October 25, 1944 by troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front during the Gumbinnen operation.
One of the most significant operations carried out by the Red Army in 1945 was the storming of Königsberg and the liberation of East Prussia.
Fortifications of the Grolman upper front, Oberteich bastion after capitulation/
Fortifications of the Grolman upper front, Oberteich bastion. Courtyard.
Troops of the 10th Tank Corps of the 5th Guards Tank Army of the 2nd Belorussian Front occupy the city of Mühlhausen (now the Polish city of Mlynar) during the Mlawa-Elbing operation.
German soldiers and officers captured during the assault on Konigsberg.
A column of German prisoners walks along Hindenburg Strasse in the city of Insterburg (East Prussia), towards the Lutheran Church (now the city of Chernyakhovsk, Lenin Street).
Soviet soldiers carry the weapons of fallen comrades after a battle in East Prussia.
Soviet soldiers learn to overcome barbed wire barriers.
Soviet officers inspect one of the forts in occupied Konigsberg.
An MG-42 machine gun crew fires in the area railway station the city of Goldap in battles with Soviet troops. 
Ships in the frozen harbor of Pillau (now Baltiysk, Kaliningrad region of Russia), late January 1945.
Königsberg, Tragheim district after the assault, damaged building.
German grenadiers are moving towards the last Soviet positions in the area of the railway station in the city of Goldap.
Koenigsberg. Kronprinz Barracks, tower.
Koenigsberg, one of the inter-fort fortifications.
The air support ship Hans Albrecht Wedel receives refugees in Pillau harbor.
Advanced German troops enter the East Prussian town of Goldap, which was previously occupied by Soviet troops.
Koenigsberg, panorama of the ruins of the city.
The corpse of a German woman killed by an explosion in Metgethen in East Prussia.
Belonging to 5th tank division tank Pz.Kpfw. V Ausf. G "Panther" on the street of the city of Goldap.
A German soldier hanged on the outskirts of Königsberg for looting. The inscription in German “Plündern wird mit-dem Tode bestraft!” translated as “Whoever robs will be executed!”
A Soviet soldier in a German Sdkfz 250 armored personnel carrier on one of the streets of Koenigsberg.
Units of the German 5th Panzer Division move forward for a counterattack against Soviet forces. Kattenau region, East Prussia. Ahead is a Pz.Kpfw tank. V "Panther".
Koenigsberg, barricade on the street.
A battery of 88 mm anti-aircraft guns is preparing to repel a Soviet tank attack. East Prussia, mid-February 1945.
German positions on the approaches to Koenigsberg. The inscription reads: “We will defend Koenigsberg.” Propaganda photo.
The Soviet self-propelled gun ISU-122S is fighting in Koenigsberg. 3rd Belorussian Front, April 1945.
A German sentry on a bridge in the center of Königsberg.
A Soviet motorcyclist passes by German StuG IV self-propelled guns and a 105 mm howitzer abandoned on the road.
A German landing ship evacuating troops from the Heiligenbeil pocket enters Pillau harbor.
Koenigsberg, blown up by a pillbox.
Damaged German self-propelled gun StuG III Ausf. G in front of the Kronprinz Tower, Königsberg.
Koenigsberg, panorama from the Don Tower.
Koenisberg, April 1945. View of the Royal Castle
A German StuG III assault gun destroyed in Königsberg. In the foreground is a killed German soldier.
German equipment on Mitteltragheim street in Königsberg after the assault. To the right and left are StuG III assault guns, in the background is a JgdPz IV tank destroyer.
Grolman upper front, Grolman bastion. Before the capitulation of the fortress, it housed the headquarters of the 367th Wehrmacht Infantry Division.
On the street of Pillau port. Evacuated German soldiers throw their weapons and equipment before loading onto ships.
A German 88-mm FlaK 36/37 anti-aircraft gun abandoned on the outskirts of Königsberg.
Koenigsberg, panorama. Don Tower, Rossgarten Gate.
Koenigsberg, German bunker in the Horst Wessel Park area.
Unfinished barricade on Herzog Albrecht Alley in Königsberg (now Thälmann Street).
Koenigsberg, destroyed German artillery battery.
German prisoners at the Sackheim Gate in Königsberg.
Koenigsberg, German trenches.
German machine gun crew in position in Koenigsberg near the Don Tower.
German refugees on Pillau Street pass by a column of Soviet SU-76M self-propelled guns.
Koenigsberg, Friedrichsburg Gate after the assault.
Koenigsberg, Wrangel Tower, fortress moat.
View from the Don Tower on Oberteich (Upper Pond), Königsberg.
On the street of Koenigsberg after the assault.
Koenigsberg, Wrangel Tower after the surrender.
Corporal I.A. Gureev at his post at the border marker in East Prussia.
A Soviet unit in a street battle in Koenigsberg.
Traffic police officer Sergeant Anya Karavaeva on the way to Konigsberg.
Soviet soldiers in the city of Allenstein (currently the city of Olsztyn in Poland) in East Prussia.
Artillerymen of the guard of Lieutenant Sofronov are fighting on Avider Alley in Konigsberg (now Alley of the Brave).
The result of an airstrike on German positions in East Prussia.
Soviet soldiers are fighting in the streets on the outskirts of Koenigsberg. 3rd Belorussian Front.
Soviet armored boat No. 214 in the Koenigsberg Canal after a battle with a German tank.
German collection point for faulty captured armored vehicles in the Königsberg area.
Evacuation of the remnants of the division " Greater Germany» to the Pillau area.
German equipment abandoned in Konigsberg. In the foreground is a 150 mm sFH 18 howitzer.
Koenigsberg. Bridge over the moat to the Rossgarten Gate. Don Tower in the background
An abandoned German 105-mm howitzer le.F.H.18/40 at a position in Konigsberg.
A German soldier lights a cigarette near a StuG IV self-propelled gun.
A damaged German Pz.Kpfw tank is on fire. V Ausf. G "Panther". 3rd Belorussian Front.
Soldiers of the Grossdeutschland division are loaded onto homemade rafts to cross the Frisches Huff Bay (now Kaliningrad Bay). Balga Peninsula, Cape Kalholz.
Soldiers of the Grossdeutschland division in positions on the Balga Peninsula.
Meeting of Soviet soldiers on the border with East Prussia. 3rd Belorussian Front.
The bow of a German transport sinking as a result of an attack by Baltic Fleet aircraft off the coast of East Prussia.
The observer pilot of the Henschel Hs.126 reconnaissance aircraft takes pictures of the area during a training flight.
A damaged German StuG IV assault gun. East Prussia, February 1945.
Seeing off Soviet soldiers from Koenigsberg.
The Germans inspect a damaged Soviet T-34-85 tank in the village of Nemmersdorf.
Tank "Panther" from the 5th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht in Gołdap.
German soldiers armed with Panzerfaust grenade launchers next to an MG 151/20 aircraft cannon in the infantry version.
A column of German Panther tanks is moving towards the front in East Prussia.
Broken cars on the street of Königsberg, which was taken by storm. Soviet soldiers in the background.
Troops of the Soviet 10th Tank Corps and bodies German soldiers on Mühlhausen street.
Soviet sappers walk down the street of burning Insterburg in East Prussia.
Column Soviet tanks IS-2 on the road in East Prussia. 1st Belorussian Front.
A Soviet officer inspects the German Jagdpanther self-propelled gun that was knocked out in East Prussia.
Soviet soldiers sleep, resting after the fighting, right on the street of Königsberg, which was taken by storm.
Koenigsberg, anti-tank barriers.
German refugees with a baby in Konigsberg.
A short rally in the 8th company after reaching the state border of the USSR.
A group of pilots of the Normandie-Niemen air regiment near a Yak-3 fighter in East Prussia.
A sixteen-year-old Volkssturm fighter armed with an MP 40 submachine gun. East Prussia.
Construction defensive structures, East Prussia, mid-July 1944.
Refugees from Königsberg moving towards Pillau, mid-February 1945.
German soldiers at a rest stop near Pillau.
German quad anti-aircraft gun FlaK 38 mounted on a tractor. Fischhausen (now Primorsk), East Prussia.
Civilians and a captured German soldier on Pillau Street during garbage collection after the end of the fighting for the city.
Boats of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet undergoing repairs in Pillau (currently the city of Baltiysk in the Kaliningrad region of Russia).
German auxiliary ship "Franken" after an attack by Il-2 attack aircraft of the Baltic Fleet Air Force.
Bomb explosion on the German ship Franken as a result of an attack by Il-2 attack aircraft of the Baltic Baltic Fleet Air Force
A gap from a heavy shell in the wall of the Oberteich bastion fortifications of the Grolman upper front of Koenigsberg.
The bodies of two German women and three children allegedly killed by Soviet soldiers in the town of Metgethen in East Prussia in January-February 1945. German propaganda photo.
Transportation of the Soviet 280-mm mortar Br-5 in East Prussia.
Distribution of food to Soviet soldiers in Pillau after the end of the fighting for the city.
Soviet soldiers pass through a German settlement on the outskirts of Konigsberg.
A broken German StuG IV assault gun on the streets of Allenstein (now Olsztyn, Poland.)
Soviet infantry, supported by the SU-76 self-propelled gun, attacks German positions in the Konigsberg area.
A column of self-propelled guns SU-85 on the march in East Prussia.
Sign "Motorway to Berlin" on one of the roads in East Prussia.
Explosion on the tanker Sassnitz. The tanker with a cargo of fuel was sunk on March 26, 1945, 30 miles from Liepaja by aircraft of the 51st mine-torpedo air regiment and the 11th attack air division of the Baltic Fleet Air Force.
Bombing of German transport and port facilities of Pillau by Red Banner Baltic Fleet Air Force aircraft.
The German hydroaviation mother ship Boelcke, attacked by an Il-2 squadron of the 7th Guards Attack Aviation Regiment of the Baltic Fleet Air Force, 7.5 km southeast of Cape Hel.
"January 24, 1945. Gumbinnen - We passed through the entire city, which was relatively undamaged during the battle. Some buildings were completely destroyed, others were still burning. They say that our soldiers set them on fire.
In this rather large town, furniture and other household utensils are strewn on the streets. On the walls of houses everywhere you can see inscriptions: “Death to Bolshevism.” In this way, the Krauts tried to conduct propaganda among their soldiers.
In the evening we talked with the prisoners in Gumbinnen. It turned out to be four Fritz and two Poles. Apparently, the mood is German troops oh, not very good, they themselves surrendered and now they say: “We don’t care where to work - in Germany or in Russia.”
We quickly reached Insterburg. From the car window you can see a landscape typical of East Prussia: roads lined with trees, villages in which all the houses are covered with tiles, fields surrounded by barbed wire fences to protect them from livestock.
Insterburg turned out to be larger than Gumbinnen. The whole city is still in smoke. Houses are burning to the ground. Endless columns of soldiers and trucks pass through the city: such a joyful picture for us, but so menacing for the enemy. This is retribution for everything that the Germans have done to us. Now being destroyed German cities, and their population will finally know what it is: war!
We drive further along the highway in a passenger car from the headquarters of the 11th Army towards Königsberg to find the 5th Artillery Corps there. The highway is completely clogged with heavy trucks.
The villages we meet along the way are partially heavily destroyed. It is striking that we come across very few destroyed Soviet tanks, not at all like it was in the first days of the offensive.
Along the way we meet columns of civilians who, guarded by our machine gunners, are heading to the rear, away from the front. Some Germans travel in large covered wagons. Teenagers, men, women and girls walk. Everyone is wearing good clothes. It would be interesting to talk with them about the future.
Soon we stop for the night. Finally we got to rich country! Herds of livestock can be seen everywhere, roaming the fields. Yesterday and today we boiled and fried two chickens a day.
Everything in the house is very well equipped. The Germans left almost all their household belongings. I am forced to think once again about what great grief this war brings with it.
It passes like a fiery tornado through cities and villages, leaving behind smoking ruins, trucks and tanks mangled by explosions, and mountains of corpses of soldiers and civilians.
Let the Germans now see and feel what war is! How much grief there is still in this world! I hope that Adolf Hitler does not have long to wait for the noose prepared for him.
January 26, 1945. Petersdorf near Wehlau. - Here, on this section of the front, our troops were four kilometers from Königsberg. The 2nd Belorussian Front reached the sea near Danzig.
Thus East Prussia is completely cut off. As a matter of fact, it is almost in our hands. We are driving through Velau. The city is still burning, it is completely destroyed. There is smoke and German corpses everywhere. On the streets you can see many guns abandoned by the Germans and corpses of German soldiers in the gutters.
These are signs of the brutal defeat of the German troops. Everyone celebrates the victory. Soldiers cook food over a fire. The Fritz abandoned everything. Entire herds of livestock roam the fields. The surviving houses are full of excellent furniture and dishes. On the walls you can see paintings, mirrors, photographs.
Many houses were set on fire by our infantry. Everything happens as the Russian proverb says: “As it comes around, so it will respond!” The Germans did this in Russia in 1941 and 1942, and now in 1945 it is echoed here in East Prussia.
I see a weapon being transported past, covered with a knitted blanket. Not a bad disguise! On another gun lies a mattress, and on the mattress, wrapped in a blanket, a Red Army soldier sleeps.
To the left of the highway you can see an interesting picture: two camels are being led there. A captive Fritz with a bandaged head is led past us. Angry soldiers shout in his face: “Well, have you conquered Russia?” They use their fists and the butts of their machine guns to urge him on, pushing him in the back.
January 27, 1945. Village of Starkenberg. - The village looks very peaceful. The room in the house where we are staying is light and cozy. From a distance the sound of cannonade can be heard. This is a battle going on in Königsberg. The position of the Germans is hopeless.
And now the time comes when we can pay for everything. Ours treated East Prussia no worse than the Germans treated Smolensk region. We hate Germans and Germany with all our hearts.
For example, in one of the village houses, our guys saw a murdered woman with two children. And you can often see killed civilians on the street. The Germans themselves deserved this from us, because they were the first to behave this way towards the civilian population of the occupied regions.
It is enough only to remember Majdanek and the theory of the superman to understand why our soldiers take East Prussia to such a state with such satisfaction. But German composure at Majdanek was a hundred times worse. Moreover, the Germans glorified the war!
January 28, 1945. - We played cards until two o'clock in the morning. The houses were abandoned by the Germans in a chaotic state. The Germans had a lot of all kinds of property. But now everything is in complete disarray. The furniture in the houses is simply excellent. Every home is full of a wide variety of dishes. Most Germans lived quite well.
War, war - when will you end? This destruction of human lives, the results of human labor and monuments has been going on for three years and seven months now. cultural heritage.
Cities and villages are burning, treasures of thousands of years of labor are disappearing. And the nobodies in Berlin are trying their best to continue this unique battle in the history of mankind for as long as possible. That is why the hatred that is poured out on Germany is born.
February 1, 1945. - In the village we saw a long column of modern slaves whom the Germans had driven to Germany from all corners of Europe. Our troops invaded Germany on a broad front. The allies are also advancing. Yes, Hitler wanted to destroy the whole world. Instead, he crushed Germany.
February 2, 1945. - We arrived in Fuchsberg. Finally we reached our destination - the headquarters of the 33rd Tank Brigade. I learned from a Red Army soldier from the 24th Tank Brigade that thirteen people from our brigade, including several officers, had poisoned themselves. They drank denatured alcohol. This is what a love of alcohol can lead to!
On the way we met several columns of German civilians. Mostly women and children. Many carried their children in their arms. They looked pale and scared. When asked if they were Germans, they hastened to answer “Yes.”
There was an obvious stamp of fear on their faces. They had no reason to be glad that they were Germans. At the same time, one could notice quite nice faces among them.
Last night the soldiers of the division told me about some things that cannot be approved at all. In the house where the division headquarters was located, evacuated women and children were housed at night.
Drunken soldiers began to come there one after another. They chose women, took them aside and raped them. For every woman there were several men.
This behavior cannot be condoned in any way. Of course, it is necessary to take revenge, but not like that, but with weapons. Somehow you can understand those whose loved ones were killed by the Germans. But the rape of young girls - no, it cannot be approved!
In my opinion, the command must soon put an end to such crimes, as well as the unnecessary destruction of material assets. For example, soldiers spend the night in a house, in the morning they leave and set fire to the house or recklessly break mirrors and break furniture.
After all, it is clear that all these things will one day be transported to the Soviet Union. But for now we live here and, while serving as soldiers, we will continue to live. Such crimes only undermine the morale of soldiers and weaken discipline, which leads to a decrease in combat effectiveness."
I think that many residents of the Kaliningrad region, as well as many Poles, have repeatedly asked themselves the question - why is the border between Poland and Kaliningrad region Is it happening this way and not otherwise? In this article we will try to understand how the border between Poland and the Soviet Union was formed on the territory of the former East Prussia.
Those who are at least a little knowledgeable in history know and remember that before the outbreak of the First World War, the Russian and German empires had, and partly it ran approximately the same as the current border of the Russian Federation with the Republic of Lithuania.
Then, as a result of events associated with the Bolsheviks coming to power in 1917 and a separate peace with Germany in 1918, the Russian Empire collapsed, its borders changed significantly, and individual territories that were once part of it received their own statehood. This is exactly what happened, in particular, with Poland, which regained independence in 1918. In the same year, 1918, the Lithuanians founded their own state.
Map fragment administrative division Russian Empire. 1914.
The results of the First World War, including Germany's territorial losses, were consolidated by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. In particular, significant territorial changes occurred in Pomerania and West Prussia (the formation of the so-called “Polish corridor” and Danzig and its surrounding areas receiving the status of a “free city”) and East Prussia (the transfer of the Memel region (Memelland) to the control of the League of Nations).
Territorial losses of Germany after the end of the First World War. Source: Wikipedia. The following (very minor) border changes in the southern part of East Prussia were associated with the results of the war carried out in Warmia and Mazury in July 1921. At its end, the population of most of the territories that Poland, counting on the fact that a significant number of ethnic Poles live there, would not mind annexing into the young Polish Republic. In 1923, the borders in the East Prussian region changed again: in the Memel region, the Union of Lithuanian Riflemen raised an armed uprising, the result of which was the entry of Memelland into Lithuania with autonomy rights and the renaming of Memel to Klaipeda. 15 years later, at the end of 1938, elections to the city council were held in Klaipeda, as a result of which the pro-German parties (acting as a single list) won with an overwhelming advantage. After on March 22, 1939, Lithuania was forced to accept Germany’s ultimatum on the return of Memelland to the Third Reich, on March 23, Hitler arrived in Klaipeda-Memel on the cruiser Deutschland, who then addressed the residents from the balcony of the local theater and received a parade of Wehrmacht units. Thus, the last peaceful territorial acquisition of Germany before the outbreak of World War II was formalized.
The redistribution of borders in 1939 did not end with the annexation of the Memel region to Germany. September 1st began Polish campaign Wehrmacht (the same date is considered by many historians to be the date of the beginning of World War II), and two and a half weeks later, on September 17, units of the Red Army entered the territory of Poland. By the end of September 1939, the Polish government in exile was formed, and Poland, as an independent territorial entity, ceased to exist again.
Fragment of a map of the administrative divisions of the Soviet Union. 1933. The borders in East Prussia again underwent significant changes. Germany, represented by the Third Reich, having occupied a significant part of the territory of the Second Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, again received a common border with the heir of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union.
The next, but not the last, change in borders in the region we are considering occurred after the end of World War II. It was based on decisions made by Allied leaders in Tehran in 1943 and then at the Yalta Conference in 1945. In accordance with these decisions, first of all, the future borders of Poland in the east, common with the USSR, were determined. Later, the Potsdam Agreement of 1945 finally determined that defeated Germany would lose the entire territory of East Prussia, part of which (about a third) would become Soviet, and most of will become part of Poland.
By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated April 7, 1946, the Koenigsberg Region was formed on the territory of the Koenigsberg Special Military District, created after the victory over Germany, which became part of the RSFSR. Just three months later, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated July 4, 1946, Koenigsberg was renamed Kaliningrad, and the Koenigsberg region was renamed Kaliningrad.
Below we offer the reader a translation of the article (with slight abbreviations) by Wieslaw Kaliszuk, author and owner of the website “History of the Elbląg Upland” (Historija Wysoczyzny Elbląskiej), about how the process of border formation took placebetween Poland and the USSR in the territory former East Prussia.
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The current Polish-Russian border begins near the town of Wiżajny ( Wiżajny) in the Suwałki region at the junction of three borders (Poland, Lithuania and Russia) and ends in the west, at the town of Nowa Karczma on the Vistula (Baltic) Spit. The border was formed by a Polish-Soviet agreement signed in Moscow on August 16, 1945 by the Chairman of the Provisional Government of National Unity of the Polish Republic, Edward Osubka-Morawski, and the USSR Foreign Minister, Vyacheslav Molotov. The length of this section of the border is 210 km, which is approximately 5.8% total length borders of Poland.
The decision on the post-war border of Poland was made by the Allies already in 1943 at a conference in Tehran (11/28/1943 – 12/01/1943). It was confirmed in 1945 by the Potsdam Agreement (07/17/1945 - 08/02/1945). In accordance with them, East Prussia was to be divided into the southern Polish part (Warmia and Mazury), and the northern Soviet part (about a third of the former territory of East Prussia), which on June 10, 1945 received the name “Königsberg Special Military District” (KOVO). From 07/09/1945 to 02/04/1946, the leadership of KOVO was entrusted to Colonel General K.N. Galitsky. Prior to this, the leadership of this part of East Prussia captured by Soviet troops was carried out by the Military Council of the 3rd Belorussian Front. The military commandant of this territory, Major General M.A. Pronin, appointed to this position on 06/13/1945, already on 07/09/1945 transferred all administrative, economic and military powers to General Galitsky. Major General B.P. was appointed Commissioner of the NKVD-NKGB of the USSR for East Prussia from 03.11.1945 to 04.01.1946. Trofimov, who from May 24, 1946 to July 5, 1947 served as head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Koenigsberg/Kaliningrad region. Before this, the post of NKVD Commissioner for the 3rd Belorussian Front was Colonel General V.S. Abakumov.
At the end of 1945, the Soviet part of East Prussia was divided into 15 administrative regions. Formally, the Königsberg region was formed on April 7, 1946 as part of the RSFSR, and on July 4, 1946, with the renaming of Königsberg to Kaliningrad, the region was also renamed Kaliningrad. On September 7, 1946, a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was issued on the administrative-territorial structure of the Kaliningrad region.
"Curzon Line" and the borders of Poland after the end of World War II. Source: Wikipedia. The decision to move the eastern border to the west (approximately to the “Curzon Line”) and “territorial compensation” (Poland was losing 175,667 square kilometers of its territory in the east as of September 1, 1939) was made without the participation of the Poles by the leaders of the “Big Three” - Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin during the conference in Tehran from November 28 to December 1, 1943. Churchill had to convey to the Polish government in exile all the “advantages” of this decision. During the Potsdam Conference (July 17 - August 2, 1945), Joseph Stalin made a proposal to establish Poland's western border along the Oder-Neisse line. Poland’s “friend” Winston Churchill refused to recognize Poland’s new western borders, believing that “under Soviet rule” it would become too strong due to the weakening of Germany, while not objecting to Poland’s loss of eastern territories.
Options for the border between Poland and the Kaliningrad region. Even before the conquest of East Prussia, the Moscow authorities (read “Stalin”) determined the political borders in this region. Already on July 27, 1944, the future Polish border was discussed at a secret meeting with the Polish Committee of People's Liberation (PKNO). The first draft borders on the territory of East Prussia was presented to the PKNO State Defense Committee of the USSR (GKO USSR) on February 20, 1945. In Tehran, Stalin outlined the future borders in East Prussia for his allies. The border with Poland was to run from west to east immediately south of Königsberg along the Pregel and Pissa rivers (about 30 km north of the current Polish border). The project was much more profitable for Poland. She would receive the entire territory of the Vistula (Baltic) Spit and the cities of Heiligenbeil (now Mamonovo), Ludwigsort (now Ladushkin), Preußisch Eylau (now Bagrationovsk), Friedland (now Pravdinsk), Darkemen (Darkehmen, after 1938 - Angerapp, now Ozersk), Gerdauen (now Zheleznodorozhny), Nordenburg (now Krylovo). However, all cities, regardless of which bank of the Pregel or Pissa they are located on, will then be included in the USSR. Despite the fact that Königsberg was supposed to go to the USSR, its location near the future border would not prevent Poland from using the exit from the Frisches Half Bay (now the Vistula/Kaliningrad Bay) to the Baltic Sea together with the USSR. Stalin wrote to Churchill in a letter dated February 4, 1944, that the Soviet Union planned to annex the northeastern part of East Prussia, including Königsberg, since the USSR would like to have an ice-free port on the Baltic Sea. In the same year, Stalin mentioned this more than once in his communications with both Churchill and British Foreign Minister Anthony Eden, as well as during a Moscow meeting (10/12/1944) with the Prime Minister of the Polish government in exile Stanislaw Mikolajczyk. The same issue was raised during meetings (from September 28 to October 3, 1944) with the delegation of the Krajowa Rada Narodowa (KRN, Krajowa Rada Narodowa - a political organization created during the Second World War from various Polish parties and which was planned to be subsequently transformed into parliament. — admin) and PCNO, organizations in opposition to the London-based Polish government in exile. The Polish government in exile reacted negatively to Stalin's claims, pointing out the possible negative consequences of the inclusion of Königsberg into the USSR. On November 22, 1944 in London, at a meeting of the Coordination Committee, consisting of representatives of the four parties included in the government in exile, it was decided not to accept the dictates of the Allies, including the recognition of borders along the “Curzon Line”.
Map showing variations of the Curzon Line drawn up for the 1943 Tehran Allied Conference. The draft borders proposed in February 1945 were known only to the State Defense Committee of the USSR and the Provisional Government of the Polish Republic (VPPR), transformed from the PKNO, which ceased its activities on December 31, 1944. At the Potsdam Conference, it was decided that East Prussia would be divided between Poland and the Soviet Union, but the final demarcation of the border was postponed until the next conference, already in peacetime. Was only in general outline a future border was agreed upon, which was to begin at the junction of Poland, the Lithuanian SSR and East Prussia, and pass 4 km north of Goldap, 7 km north of Brausberg, now Braniewo and end at the Vistula (Baltic) ) spit about 3 km north of the current village of Nova Karchma. The position of the future border on the same terms was also discussed at a meeting in Moscow on August 16, 1945. There were no other agreements on the passage of the future border in the same way as it is laid now.
By the way, Poland has historical rights to the entire territory of the former East Prussia. Royal Prussia and Warmia went to Prussia as a result of the First Partition of Poland (1772), and the Polish crown lost fief rights to the Duchy of Prussia due to the Welau-Bydgoszcz treaties (and the political shortsightedness of King John Casimir), agreed upon in Welau on September 19, 1657, and ratified in Bydgoszcz November 5-6. In accordance with them, Elector Frederick William I (1620 - 1688) and all his descendants in the male line received sovereignty from Poland. In the event that the male line of the Brandenburg Hohenzollerns was interrupted, the Duchy was again to fall under the Polish crown.
The Soviet Union, supporting the interests of Poland in the west (east of the Oder-Neisse line), created a new Polish satellite state. It should be noted that Stalin acted primarily in his own interests. The desire to push the borders of Poland under his control as far west as possible was the result of a simple calculation: Poland’s western border would simultaneously be the border of the USSR’s sphere of influence, at least until the fate of Germany became clear. Nevertheless, violations of agreements on the future border between Poland and the USSR were a consequence of the subordinate position of the Polish People's Republic.
The agreement on the Polish-Soviet state border was signed in Moscow on August 16, 1945. The change in preliminary agreements on the border on the territory of the former East Prussia in favor of the USSR and the consent of Great Britain and the United States to these actions undoubtedly indicate their reluctance to strengthen the territorial strength of Poland, doomed to Sovietization.
After adjustment, the border between Poland and the USSR was supposed to pass along the northern borders of the former administrative regions of East Prussia (Kreiss. - admin) Heiligenbeil, Preussisch-Eylau, Bartenstein (now Bartoszyce), Gerdauen, Darkemen and Goldap, about 20 km north of the current border. But already in September-October 1945 the situation changed dramatically. In some sections, the border was moved without permission by the decision of the commanders of individual units of the Soviet Army. Allegedly, Stalin himself controlled the passage of the border in this region. For the Polish side, the eviction of the local Polish administration and population from towns and villages already settled and taken under Polish control came as a complete surprise. Since many settlements were already populated by Polish settlers, it got to the point that a Pole, leaving for work in the morning, could upon returning find out that his home was already on the territory of the USSR.
Władysław Gomułka, at that time the Polish Minister for the Returned Lands (Recovered Lands (Ziemie Odzyskane) - common name for territories that belonged to the Third Reich until 1939 and were transferred after the end of World War II to Poland according to the decisions of the Yalta and Potsdam conferences, as well as as a result of bilateral agreements between Poland and the USSR. — admin), noted:
“In the first days of September (1945), facts of unauthorized violation of the northern border of the Masurian district by Soviet army authorities were recorded in the territories of the Gerdauen, Bartenstein and Darkemen regions. The border line, defined at that time, was moved deeper into Polish territory to a distance of 12-14 km.”
A striking example of a unilateral and unauthorized change of the border (12-14 km south of the agreed line) by the Soviet army authorities is the Gerdauen region, where the border was changed after the delimitation act signed by the two parties on July 15, 1945. Commissioner for the Masurian District (Colonel Jakub Prawin, 1901-1957 - member of the Communist Party of Poland, brigadier general of the Polish Army, statesman; was the plenipotentiary representative of the Polish government at the headquarters of the 3rd Belorussian Front, then the government representative in the Warmia-Masurian district, the head of the administration of this district, and from May 23 to November 1945 the first governor of the Olsztyn voivodeship. — admin) was informed in writing on September 4 that Soviet authorities The Gerdauen mayor, Jan Kaszynski, was ordered to immediately leave the local administration and resettle the Polish civilian population. The next day (September 5), representatives of J. Pravin (Zygmunt Walewicz, Tadeusz Smolik and Tadeusz Lewandowski) expressed an oral protest against such orders to the representatives of the Soviet military administration in Gerdauen, Lieutenant Colonel Shadrin and Captain Zakroev. In response, they were told that the Polish side would be notified in advance of any changes to the border. In this area, the Soviet military leadership began to evict the German civilian population, while prohibiting Polish settlers from entering these territories. In this regard, on September 11, a protest was sent from Nordenburg to the District Prosecutor's Office in Olsztyn (Allenstein). This indicates that back in September 1945 this territory was Polish.
A similar situation was in the Bartenstein (Bartoszyce) district, the headman of which received all the acceptance documents on July 7, 1945, and already on September 14, the Soviet military authorities gave the order to free the areas around the villages of Schönbruch and Klingenberg from the Polish population. Klingenberg). Despite protests from the Polish side (09/16/1945), both territories were transferred to the USSR.
In the Preussisch-Eylau area, the military commandant Major Malakhov transferred all powers to the headman Pyotr Gagatko on June 27, 1945, but already on October 16, the head of the Soviet border troops in the area, Colonel Golovkin, informed the headman about the transfer of the border one kilometer south of Preussisch-Eylau. Despite protests from the Poles (10/17/1945), the border was moved back. On December 12, 1945, on behalf of Pravin's deputy Jerzy Burski, the mayor of Preussisch-Eylau vacated the city administration and handed it over to the Soviet authorities.
In connection with the unauthorized actions of the Soviet side to move the border, Yakub Pravin repeatedly (September 13, October 7, 17, 30, November 6, 1945) appealed to central authorities to Warsaw with a request to influence the leadership of the Northern Group of Forces of the Soviet Army. The protest was also sent to the representative of the Server Group of Forces in the Masurian District, Major Yolkin. But all Pravin's appeals had no effect.
The result of arbitrary border adjustments not in favor of the Polish side in the northern part of the Masurian district was that the borders of almost all northern powiats (powiat - district. - admin) were changed.
Bronislaw Saluda, a researcher on this problem from Olsztyn, noted:
“...subsequent adjustments to the border line could lead to the fact that some of the villages already occupied by the population could end up on Soviet territory and the work of the settlers to improve it would be in vain. In addition, it happened that the border separated a residential building from the outbuildings or land plot assigned to it. In Shchurkovo it so happened that the border passed through a cattle barn. The Soviet military administration responded to complaints from the population that the loss of land here would be compensated by lands on the Polish-German border.”
The exit to the Baltic Sea from the Vistula Lagoon was blocked by the Soviet Union, and the final demarcation of the border on the Vistula (Baltic) Spit was carried out only in 1958.
According to some historians, in exchange for the agreement of the Allied leaders (Roosevelt and Churchill) to include the northern part of East Prussia with Königsberg into the Soviet Union, Stalin offered to transfer Bialystok, Podlasie, Chelm and Przemysl to Poland.
In April 1946, the official demarcation of the Polish-Soviet border on the territory of the former East Prussia took place. But she did not put an end to changing the border in this region. Until February 15, 1956, 16 more border adjustments took place in favor of the Kaliningrad region. From the initial draft of the border, presented in Moscow by the State Defense Committee of the USSR for consideration by the PKNO, in reality the borders were moved 30 km to the south. Even in 1956, when the influence of Stalinism on Poland weakened, the Soviet side “threatened” the Poles with “adjusting” the borders.
On April 29, 1956, the USSR proposed to the Polish People's Republic (PPR) to resolve the issue of the temporary state of the border within the Kaliningrad region, which had persisted since 1945. The border agreement was concluded in Moscow on March 5, 1957. The PPR ratified this treaty on April 18, 1957, and on May 4 of the same year, an exchange of ratified documents took place. After a few more minor adjustments, in 1958 the border was defined on the ground and with the installation of boundary pillars.
The Vistula (Kaliningrad) Lagoon (838 sq. km) was divided between Poland (328 sq. km) and the Soviet Union. Poland, contrary to initial plans, found itself cut off from the exit from the bay to the Baltic Sea, which led to the disruption of the once established shipping routes: the Polish part of the Vistula Lagoon became the “dead sea”. The “naval blockade” of Elblag, Tolkmicko, Frombork and Braniewo also affected the development of these cities. Despite the fact that an additional protocol was attached to the agreement of July 27, 1944, which stated that peaceful ships would be allowed free access through the Pilau Strait to the Baltic Sea.
The final border passed through the iron and car roads, canals, settlements and even farmsteads. For centuries, the emerging single geographical, political and economic territory was arbitrarily dismembered. The border passed through the territory of six former regions.
Polish-Soviet border in East Prussia. Yellow indicates the version of the border as of February 1945; blue indicates August 1945; red indicates the actual border between Poland and the Kaliningrad region. It is believed that as a result of numerous border adjustments, Poland lost about 1,125 square meters in this region relative to the original border design. km of territory. The border drawn “along the line” led to numerous negative consequences. For example, between Braniewo and Gołdap, out of 13 roads that once existed, 10 turned out to be cut by the border; between Sempopol and Kaliningrad, 30 out of 32 roads were broken. The unfinished Masurian Canal was also cut almost in half. Numerous power and telephone lines were also cut. All this could not but lead to worsening economic situation in settlements adjacent to the border: who would want to live in a settlement whose affiliation is not defined? There was a fear that the Soviet side might once again move the border to the south. Some more or less serious settlement of these places by settlers began only in the summer of 1947, during the forced resettlement of thousands of Ukrainians to these areas during Operation Vistula.
The border, practically drawn from west to east along the latitude, led to the fact that throughout the entire territory from Gołdap to Elbląg the economic situation never improved, although at one time Elbing, which became part of Poland, was the largest and most economically developed city (after Königsberg ) in East Prussia. Olsztyn became the new capital of the region, although until the end of the 1960s it was less populated and less economically developed than Elblag. The negative role of the final partition of East Prussia also affected the indigenous population of this region - the Masurians. All this significantly delayed economic development this entire region.
Fragment of a map of the administrative divisions of Poland. 1945 Source: Elbląska Biblioteka Cyfrowa. 
Legend to the above map. The dotted line is the border between Poland and the Kaliningrad region according to the agreement of August 16, 1945; solid line—voivodeship boundaries; dot-dotted line - borders of powiats. Option for drawing a border using a ruler ( rare case for Europe) was subsequently often used for African countries gaining independence.
The current length of the border between Poland and the Kaliningrad region (since 1991 the border with Russian Federation) is 232.4 km. This includes 9.5 km of water border and 835 m of land border on the Baltic Spit.
Two voivodeships have a common border with the Kaliningrad region: Pomeranian and Warmian-Masurian, and six poviats: Nowodworski (on the Vistula Spit), Braniewski, Bartoszycki, Kieszynski, Węgorzewski and Gołdapski.
There are border crossings at the border: 6 land crossings (road Gronowo - Mamonovo, Grzechotki - Mamonovo II, Bezledy - Bagrationovsk, Goldap - Gusev; railway Braniewo - Mamonovo, Skandava - Zheleznodorozhny) and 2 sea.
On July 17, 1985, an agreement was signed in Moscow between Poland and the Soviet Union on the delimitation of territorial waters, economic zones, marine fishing zones and the continental shelf of the Baltic Sea.
The western border of Poland was recognized by the German Democratic Republic by the treaty of July 6, 1950, the Federal Republic of Germany recognized the border of Poland by the treaty of December 7, 1970 (clause 3 of Article I of this treaty states that the parties do not have any territorial claims to each other, and renounce any claims in the future. However, before the unification of Germany and the signing of the Polish-German border treaty on November 14, 1990, the Federal Republic of Germany officially stated that German lands, transferred to Poland after the Second World War, are in the “temporary possession of the Polish administration.”
The Russian enclave on the territory of the former East Prussia - the Kaliningrad region - still does not have international legal status. After World War II, the victorious powers agreed to transfer Königsberg to the jurisdiction of the Soviet Union, but only until an agreement was signed in accordance with international law, which would ultimately determine the status of this territory. An international treaty with Germany was signed only in 1990. I was in the way of signing him before cold war and Germany divided into two states. And although Germany has officially renounced its claims to the Kaliningrad region, formal sovereignty over this territory has not been formalized by Russia.
Already in November 1939, the Polish government in exile was considering the inclusion of all of East Prussia into Poland after the end of the war. Also in November 1943, the Polish ambassador Edward Raczynski, in a memorandum handed over to the British authorities, among other things mentioned the desire to include all of East Prussia in Poland.
Schönbruch (now Szczurkowo/Shchurkovo) is a Polish settlement located near the border with the Kaliningrad region. During the formation of the border, part of Schönbruch ended up on Soviet territory, part on Polish territory. The settlement was designated on Soviet maps as Shirokoe (now does not exist). It was not possible to find out whether Shirokoe was inhabited.
Klingenberg (now Ostre Bardo/Ostre Bardo) is a Polish settlement a few kilometers east of Szczurkovo. It is located near the border with the Kaliningrad region. ( admin)
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It seems to us that it would be appropriate to cite the texts of some official documents that formed the basis for the process of dividing East Prussia and delimiting the territories ceded Soviet Union and Poland, and which were mentioned in the above article by V. Kaliszuk.
Excerpts from the Materials of the Crimean (Yalta) Conference of the leaders of three allied powers– USSR, USA and Great Britain
We have gathered at the Crimean Conference to resolve our differences on the Polish issue. We have fully discussed all aspects of the Polish question. We reaffirmed our common desire to see the establishment of a strong, free, independent and democratic Poland, and as a result of our negotiations we agreed on the terms on which a new Provisional Polish Government of National Unity would be formed in such a way as to gain recognition from the three major powers.
The following agreement has been reached:
“A new situation was created in Poland as a result of its complete liberation by the Red Army. This requires the creation of a Provisional Polish Government, which would have a broader base than was previously possible before the recent liberation of Western Poland. The Provisional Government currently operating in Poland must therefore be reorganized on a broader democratic basis, with the inclusion of democratic figures from Poland itself and Poles from abroad. This new government should then be called the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity.
V. M. Molotov, Mr. W. A. Harriman and Sir Archibald K. Kerr are authorized to consult at Moscow as a Commission primarily with the members of the present Provisional Government and with other Polish democratic leaders both from Poland itself and from abroad. borders, having in mind the reorganization of the present Government on the above principles. This Polish Provisional Government of National Unity must commit itself to holding free and unobstructed elections as soon as possible on the basis of universal suffrage by secret ballot. In these elections, all anti-Nazi and democratic parties must have the right to participate and nominate candidates.
When the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity has been duly formed in accordance with (270) the above, the Government of the USSR, which at present maintains diplomatic relations with the present Provisional Government of Poland, the Government of the United Kingdom and the Government of the United States will establish diplomatic relations with the new Polish Provisional Government of National Unity and exchange ambassadors, from whose reports the respective governments will be informed of the situation in Poland.
The Heads of the Three Governments believe that Eastern border Poland must go along the Curzon Line with deviations from it in some areas of five to eight kilometers in favor of Poland. The Heads of the Three Governments recognize that Poland must receive significant increases in territory in the North and West. They believe that on the question of the size of these increments the opinion of the new Polish Government of National Unity will be sought in due course and that thereafter the final determination of the Western border of Poland will be postponed until the peace conference."
Winston S. Churchill
Franklin D. Roosevelt