"We will win after all. When and how is the Fuhrer's business."
I. Goebbels
The Duchy of Prussia arose in 1525 on part of the lands of the Teutonic Order, which conquered the Prussians in the 13th century - a group of Baltic tribes that inhabited part of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. In 1618 Brandenburg united with the Duchy of Prussia, and in 1701 Brandenburg-P Russian state became the kingdom of Prussia (capital Berlin). History of origin and development Prussian state was constantly associated with the seizure of foreign lands. The dominance of the military in Prussia has always been its characteristic feature. The leading role in the economic and political life of Prussia was played by the Junkers - large German landowners with a stronghold in East Prussia. The Prussian kings from the Hohenzollern dynasty (Frederick II and others) in the 18th - first half of the 19th centuries significantly expanded the territory of the state. In 1871, the Prussian Junkers, led by Bismarck, completed the unification of Germany with iron and blood. Prussian king become German Emperor. As a result of the November Revolution of 1918 in Germany, the monarchy in Prussia was abolished. Since 1945, Germany has been divided into separate lands. In 1947, the Control Council passed a law on the liquidation of the Prussian state as a stronghold of militarism and reaction.
political, economic and strategic importance The leaders of the Wehrmacht understood East Prussia well. Therefore, extensive work was carried out here to improve the system of field and long-term fortifications. Numerous hills, lakes, swamps, rivers, canals and woodlands. Of particular importance was the presence in the central part of East Prussia of the Masurian Lakes, which divided the Soviet troops advancing from the east into two groups - northern and southern, complicating the interaction between them. The construction of defensive structures in East Prussia began to be carried out long before the start of the war. All of them were covered by ditches, wooden, metal and reinforced concrete gouges for a considerable distance. The basis of only one Heilsberg fortified area was 911 long-term defensive structures.
On the territory of East Prussia, in the region of Rastenburg, under the cover of the Masurian Lakes from the moment of the attack on the USSR and until 1944, Hitler's Headquarters "Wolfschanze" was located in a deep underground, located 1 km east of the city of Rostenburg (Kentishn). It was built with the strictest secrecy by the Todt military construction organization in the winter and spring of 1941. It was a piece of land surrounded by barbed wire, fields and ditches, on which carefully disguised reinforced concrete bunkers were located, half going into the ground. The bunkers were equipped with apartments, offices of German leaders. Hitler's bunker was located in the northern part of the Wolfschanze, had walls 6 meters thick, was surrounded by barbed wire, which was under high voltage. The camp was guarded by the "SS battalion of the Fuhrer's personal guard". It also housed the headquarters of the High Command of the Wehrmacht (OKW) and a large underground communications center. Nearby was the headquarters of the ground forces and air force(Luftwaffe).
Defeats on Soviet-German front forced the command of the Wehrmacht to take additional measures to defend the Headquarters. In the autumn of 1944, the General Staff of the Ground Forces approved a plan for the construction of structures throughout Eastern Front, including in East Prussia. In accordance with this plan, old fortifications were hastily modernized on its territory and in Northern Poland and field defenses were created, which included the Ilmenhorst, Letzen, Allenstein, Heilsberg, Mława and Torun fortified areas, as well as 13 ancient fortresses. During the construction of fortifications, advantageous natural boundaries, solid stone structures of numerous farms and large settlements, interconnected by a well-developed network of highways and railways, were used. Between the defensive strips there were a large number of cut-off positions and separate defense units. As a result, a fortified defensive system was created, the depth of which reached 150-200 km. It was the most developed in terms of engineering to the north of the Masurian Lakes, where there were nine fortified lanes in the direction of Gumbinnen, Koenigsberg.
The defense of East Prussia and Northern Poland was entrusted to Army Group Center under the command of General G. Reinhardt. It occupied the line from the mouth of the Neman to the mouth of the Western Bug and consisted of the 3rd tank, 4th and 2nd armies. In total, by the beginning of the offensive of the Soviet troops, the enemy grouping consisted of 35 infantry, 4 tank and 4 motorized divisions, a scooter brigade and 2 separate groups.
The greatest density of forces and assets was created in the Insterburg and Mlava directions. In reserve high command and armies there were two infantry, four tank and three motorized divisions, a separate group and a scooter brigade, which accounted for almost a fourth of total all connections. They were mainly located in the region of the Masurian Lakes, and partly in the Ilmenhorst and Mlavsky fortified regions. Such a grouping of reserves allowed the enemy to carry out maneuvers to launch counterattacks against the Soviet troops advancing north and south of the Masurian Lakes.
In addition, various auxiliary and special units and subunits (fortress, reserve, training, police, naval, transport, security) were deployed on the territory of East Prussia, as well as parts of the Volkssturm and Hitler Youth detachments, which then took part in the conduct of defensive operations. The ground forces supported the aircraft of the 6th Air Fleet. The ships of the Wehrmacht Navy, based in the Baltic Sea, were intended for the defense of sea lanes, artillery support for troops in coastal areas, and also for their evacuation from isolated sections of the coast.
According to the plan developed by January 1945, Army Group Center had the task, relying on fortified defenses, to stop the advance of Soviet troops deep into East Prussia and tie them down for a long time. The General Staff of the German Ground Forces also prepared an active version of the combat operations of the Army Group Center: "delivering a counterattack from East Prussia to the flank and rear of the central grouping of Soviet troops operating in the Berlin direction." It was to take effect successful solution army group "Center" of defensive tasks and its possible strengthening at the expense of the Courland grouping. It was also planned to release a number of divisions as the front line was leveled by eliminating the ledges in the defense and withdrawing the troops of the 4th Army behind the line of the Masurian Lakes.
German statesmen and military leaders, natives of East Prussia, who had extensive possessions there (G. Goering, E. Koch, V. Weiss, G. Guderian and others), insisted on strengthening Army Group Center even at the expense of weakening defenses in other areas front. In his appeal to the Volkssturm, E. Koch called for defending this area, arguing that with the loss of it, all of Germany would perish. Trying to strengthen the morale of the troops and the population, fascist command unleashed widespread chauvinist propaganda. The entry of Soviet troops into East Prussia was used to intimidate the Germans, who, allegedly, from young to old, were expected to die imminently.
In essence, everyone capable of carrying weapons was enrolled in the Volkssturm. Fascist ideologists continued to stubbornly assert that if the Germans showed high stamina, the Soviet troops would not be able to overcome the "impregnable fortifications of East Prussia", and thanks to the new weapons, the victory would be for the Germans. With the help of social demagogy, repression and other measures, the Nazis tried to force the population of Germany to fight until last person. “Every bunker, every quarter of a German city and every German village,” emphasized Hitler’s order, “must turn into a fortress, in which the enemy will either bleed to death, or the garrison of this fortress will hand-to-hand combat perish under its ruins ... In this severe struggle for the existence of the German people, even monuments of art and other cultural values. It must be carried through to the end."
Ideological indoctrination was accompanied by repressions of the military command. An order was announced in the troops on receipt, which demanded that East Prussia be held by all means. In order to strengthen discipline and instill general fear in the army and in the rear, Hitler's directive on death penalty"with the immediate execution of death sentences before the ranks."
P erway World War inflicted enormous damage on East Prussia, since the province was the only German territory in which hostilities took place.
The total damage amounted to 1.5 billion marks. destruction varying degrees 39 cities and 1900 rural areas were affected. The eastern regions of the province were especially affected (Eidtkunen, Darkemen, Shirvindt were completely destroyed here, and Stallupenen was badly damaged). Local authorities immediately began to eliminate the consequences of the war. The provinces helped cities from the hinterland of Germany with labor, building materials and food.
AT The Treaty of Versailles turned out to be just as difficult for East Prussia as for the rest of Germany. The winners decided to reduce its territory. The Memel region and the city of Memel itself were transferred to the control of the League of Nations and from 1920 to 1923 were occupied by French troops.
But at the end of January 1923, an uprising broke out in Memel demanding reunification with Lithuania. The Lithuanian government officially supported the rebels. On February 16, the Conference of Ambassadors to the League of Nations, placed in a difficult situation, adopted positive decision, on the basis of which a convention was signed in Paris on May 8, 1924, establishing a broad autonomy for the region within Lithuania.
In addition, the Soldau region (Dzyaldovo) separated from East Prussia.
AT Altogether, East Prussia lost about 315,000 hectares and 166,000 of its former citizens. The province was cut off from the rest of Germany. Her new "island" position led to isolation from the lands with which she had close economic ties. East Prussia found itself in a difficult situation, she faced big economic difficulties. The transit Russian transport and commodity communication, the most important source of income, was cut off.
Inside and around the lands cut off from the empire, a rather tense political situation arose, associated with serious territorial claims from Poland. Then the political and military elite of East and West Prussia in the second half of 1919 put forward a project of an independent eastern state to respond militarily to the ambitions of a neighboring country.
The implementation of these plans ran into sharp objections from the high military command, as it did not meet the goals of the foreign policy of the Reich, according to which East Prussia should remain German territory under any circumstances. But resolving the dispute with Poland (and Lithuania) through military force in conditions Weimar Republic was impossible in view of the disarmament of Germany envisaged by Versailles.
Disputes were settled diplomatically.
But in 1922, diplomatic relations between Germany and the USSR were restored in Rappalo, and East Prussia had an important economic partner in the east.
Deruluft airline business card
AT In 1922, the Moscow-Königsberg airline was opened. By the way, Sergei Yesenin and Isadora Duncan were among the "Renovators" of this international airline. Their plane landed on May 10, 1922 at 20:00. at the Königsberg Devau airfield.
In the same year, Soviet Russia for the first time took part in the German Eastern Fair established in Königsberg (back in 1920), presenting expositions of Russian export goods in the House of Technology.
In 1924, a city radio station began operating in Königsberg.
Gradually, East Prussia was moving away from the post-war shock.
H The National Socialist movement at the very beginning of its development did not receive a significant resonance and distribution in East Prussia. In the leadership of the NSRPG there was not a single native of this province of Germany.
Plan
Introduction
1. History
1.1 V-XIII centuries
1.2 1232-1525: Warband
1.3 1525-1701: Duchy of Prussia
1.4 1701-1772: Kingdom of Prussia
1.5 1772-1945: Province of East Prussia
1.5.1 1919-1945
1.6 After 1945
East Prussia
Introduction
East Prussia (German) Ostpreussen, Polish Prusy Wschodnie, lit. Rytų Prūsija is a province of Prussia. former member North German Confederation, which was considered granary(German Kornkammer) of the German Empire. The core of Prussia with its capital city of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) now includes the Kaliningrad region (Russia). Peripheral territories constituting more than two thirds of the former German province, liquidated in accordance with the decision of the Potsdam Conference, is governed by Lithuania and Poland.
1. History
1.1. V-XIII centuries
Until the 13th century, the territory of East Prussia was inhabited by the Prussians. Their appearance is attributed to the V-VI centuries. The first settlements of the Prussians arose on the coast of the current Kaliningrad Bay. In the era of the "migration of peoples", up to the 9th century, the Prussians migrated to the west, to the lower reaches of the Vistula.
In the XIII century, this territory was captured by the Teutonic Order.
1.2. 1232-1525: Teutonic Order
In 1225, the Polish prince Konrad I of Mazovia asked the Teutonic Knights for help in the fight against the Prussians, promising them the possession of the cities of Kulm and Dobryn, as well as the preservation of the occupied territories for them. In 1232 the Teutonic Knights arrived in Poland.
As they moved east, the crusaders immediately consolidated their success by building a fortress or castle. In 1239, the first castle on the territory of the future East Prussia, Balga, was founded.
On July 4, 1255, Königsberg was founded by Master of the Teutonic Order Peppo Ostern von Wertgaint.
The XIV-XV centuries are the period of the rise of the Order, its treasury was considered the richest in the world. At this time, he populated the sparsely populated territory of Prussia with Germans, creating cities and villages here.
AT XV-XVI centuries The order participated in several wars with the Polish-Lithuanian alliance that arose in 1386. In 1410, during the so-called "Great War" of 1409-1411, the order's army suffered a major defeat in the battle of Tannenberg. In February 1412, a peace treaty was signed in Thorn (Torun), according to which the parties decided to return to the pre-war situation in territorial terms. However, after the Second Peace of Thorn in 1466, the Order lost what was later called West Prussia and Ermland. The third war (1519-1521) was never over, but it finally weakened the order state.
1.3. 1525-1701: Duchy of Prussia
In 1525, the Grand Master of Prussia, Albrecht Margrave von Brandenburg-Ansbach, who converted to the Protestant faith, secularized the territories of the former order state with their capital in Königsberg. Albrecht proclaimed himself the first Duke of Prussia.
Albrecht also reformed the entire state system. New government agencies were created. In 1544, a university was formed in Königsberg, modeled after other German universities.
Albrecht's reforms played a significant role in the development of Prussia, contributed to its economic and cultural development.
Albrecht died on March 20, 1568 at the age of 78 in the Tapiau Castle (Gvardeysk) and was buried in the Königsberg Cathedral.
After his death, the situation in Prussia became more complicated again. His son, Albrecht Friedrich, practically did not take part in the administration of the duchy. Since 1575, regents from the German Hohenzollern dynasty began to rule Prussia. In 1657, thanks to the policy of the Great Elector Friedrich Wilhelm, Königsberg and East Prussia were legally freed from Polish dependence and it was united with the ruined Thirty Years' War Brandenburg. So the Brandenburg-Prussian state was created with its capital in the city of Berlin.
The son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg, was crowned King of Prussia in Königsberg on January 18, 1701.
1.4. 1701-1772: Kingdom of Prussia
After the coronation, Frederick III became known as King Frederick I of Prussia, and the name Prussia was given to the entire Brandenburg-Prussian state.
Thus, there was a kingdom of Prussia with its capital in Berlin and a province with the same name with its center in Königsberg. The Prussian province was separated from the main territory of the kingdom by Polish lands.
During the Seven Years' War, Russian troops occupied East Prussia, whose citizens (including I. Kant) took an oath of allegiance to the Russian crown. Until the conclusion by Peter III of the world with Prussia in Königsberg, on behalf of the Russian Empress, governor-generals ruled:
Count W. W. Fermor (1758-1758)
Baron N. A. Korf (1758-1760)
V. I. Suvorov (1760-1761)
Count P. I. Panin (1761-1762)
F. M. Voeikov (1762)
1.5. 1772-1945: Province of East Prussia
In 1773 the Prussian province became known as East Prussia. Later, during the partitions of Poland, the province was divided into West and East Prussia. In 1824, both provinces were merged and for 50 years the administrative system of the merged province did not change. In January 1871, the unification of Germany and the formation of the German Empire took place. In 1878 East and West Prussia were separated and East Prussia became an independent province of the German Empire.
With the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, East Prussia became the scene of hostilities. In August 1914, Russian troops crossed its border and within a short time occupied a significant part of the territory, including the cities of Tilsit, Gumbinnen, Insterburg, Friedland. However East Prussian operation ended unsuccessfully for the Russians. The Germans rallied their forces and pushed the Russian troops back, and in 1915 they managed to move forward into the territory of Russia (for more details, see: Campania 1915).
1919-1945
After the defeat of Germany in the First World War, under pressure from the victorious countries (USA, France, Great Britain), the country was forced to cede a number of its territories in the lower reaches of the Vistula River plus a 71-kilometer stretch of the Baltic Sea coast to Poland, which thus received access to the Baltic the sea and, accordingly, isolated (according to at least overland) the territory of East Prussia, which turned into a German semi-exclave. The area was transferred to Poland after the First World War under the Versailles Peace Treaty and formed the Pomeranian Voivodeship (1919-1939). The territories transferred to Poland, however, were predominantly populated by Poles (80.9% of the population) and, in the terminology of those years, were called the Polish Corridor, which was of extremely important strategic importance for both countries. From East Prussia, a special administrative unit was also allocated - a subject of international law under the control of the League of Nations - the Free City of Danzig, then 95% German-speaking (modern Polish Gdansk). On the other hand - north of the Neman River - East Prussia lost the city of Memel (modern Klaipeda, Lithuania), also predominantly German-speaking. These losses served as a pretext for the growth of revisionism and revanchism in Germany itself and were one of the reasons for the outbreak of World War II.
1.6. After 1945
By decision of the Potsdam Conference, Prussia was liquidated as a state entity. East Prussia was divided between the Soviet Union and Poland. The Soviet Union, together with the capital Königsberg (which was renamed Kaliningrad), included one third of East Prussia, on whose territory the Kaliningrad region was created. Not most of, which included part of the Curonian Spit and the city of Klaipeda ( former city Memel, German Memel, "Klaipeda region"), was transferred to the Lithuanian SSR.
All localities and many geographic features(rivers, bays of the Baltic Sea) b. East Prussia were renamed, changing the German names to Russian.
Provinces of Prussia
long time: East Prussia | West Prussia | Province of Brandenburg | Pomerania | Province of Posen | Province of Saxony | Province of Silesia | Province of Westphalia | Rhine Province | Lands of the Hohenzollerns | Province of Schleswig-Holstein, Province of Hanover, Hesse-Nassau (1866/68)
disbanded: District Netze, South Prussia, New East Prussia, New Silesia (1807) | Province Grand Duchy of Bas-Rhin, United Duchies of Jülich-Cleve-Berg (1822) | Province of Prussia (1878)
created: Lower Silesia, Upper Silesia (1919) | Border stamp Posen-West Prussia (1922) | Halle-Merseburg, Province of Kurhessen, Province of Magdeburg, Province of Nassau (1944)
The meaning of WESTERN PRUSSIA in the Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron
PRUSSIA WESTERN
(Westpreussen) ? Prussian province, bordered in the west by Brandenburg and Pomerania, in the north by by the Baltic Sea, in the south with Poznan and Russia (Vistula provinces) and in the east? with Eastern Poland, with which until 1878 it was one province of Prussia. Space 25521 sq. km. Western P. occupies a part of the North German lowland, through which the hilly North German ridge passes here. The Vistula River cuts through this ridge with a wide fertile valley. The main heights of the plateau are: Kartgauz with Mount Turmberg (331 m) and the Elbing Mountains (198 m).
Rivers: Vistula, which is divided at Mount Montauerspitze into Vistula and Nogat, and near Danzig into Danzig and Elbing branches; on the right, the Vistula here receives Drevenz and Ossa, and on the left: Schwarzwasser, Montau, Ferse and Motlau. Other rivers: Libe, Elbing, Reda, Leba, Stolpe and Kyuddov. Lakes: Drauzenskoe, Gezerikhskoe, Zorgenskoe, Tsarnovitskoe, Radaunskoe, Gros-Tsitenskoe, Muskendorfskoe, Feitskoe and Gros-Bettinskoe. Channels: Elbing-Oberland.
Climate: average annual temperature 7.6¦, Konitz 6.6¦, Schoenberg (on the Kortgauz plateau) 5.6¦. Precipitation annually 50 cubic meters. m.
Population. In 1895, there were 1,494,360 people; Lutherans 702030, Catholics 758168 and Jews 20238. By nationality (1890): Poles 439577, Kashubians 53616, others? Germans. From 1886?1894 the resettlement commission acquired 21,890 hectares here to strengthen the German element. earth. Arable land and orchards 55.1%, meadows 6.4%, pastures 7.0%, forests 21.3%, the rest? uncomfortable lands. In 1895, 111.5 thousand tons of wheat, 311.8 thousand tons of rye, 93 thousand of barley, 170.8 thousand of oats, 1,706 thousand of potatoes, 672 thousand of sugar beet, 367 thousand of hay and tobacco 1685 thousand kg. There are 554,000 cattle, 1,300,000 small cattle, 425,000 pigs, and 221,000 horses. Significant poultry farming and fishing. Extraction of amber and peat. Industry is concentrated mainly in the cities of Danzig, Elbing, Dirschau and Thorn. Shipbuilding, sawmills, glass, distilleries and breweries. Trade is significant in the harbors of Danzig and Elbing. In 1896, the merchant fleet consisted of 69 ships. Railways 1457 km. 13 gymnasiums, 4 real gymnasiums, two real schools, 19 progymnasiums, a commercial academy, an agricultural school, 6 teachers' seminaries, 3 institutes for the deaf and dumb, an institute for the blind, etc. The main city? Danzig. history? see Prussia (Duchy) and Teutonic Order. Literature? see Prussia (kingdom).
Brockhaus and Efron. Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron. 2012
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The final article of the first peace of Paris (1814) contained a resolution that all powers participating in the struggle against Napoleon I have ... - BISMARCK OTTO in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
I (Otto-Eduard-Leopold, F?rst v. Bismarck) - April 1, 1815 in a small noble estate Schengauzen, located in the heart of Brandenburg, ... - JAPAN* in the Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron.
I think that many residents of the Kaliningrad region, however, like many Poles, have repeatedly asked themselves the question - why does the border between Poland and the Kaliningrad region pass in this way and not otherwise? In this note, we will try to figure out 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 versed in history know and remember that before the start of the First World War, Russian and German Empire had, and partially it passed in much the same way as the current border of the Russian Federation with the Republic of Lithuania.
Then, as a result of the events connected with the coming to power of the Bolsheviks in 1917 and the separate peace with Germany in 1918, the Russian Empire collapsed, its borders changed significantly, and certain territories that were once part of it received their statehood. This is exactly what happened, in particular, with Poland, which regained its independence in 1918. In the same 1918, the Lithuanians also founded their own state.
Fragment of the map of the administrative division Russian Empire. 1914.
The results of the First World War, including the territorial losses of Germany, were secured by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. In particular, significant territorial changes took place in Pomerania and West Prussia (the formation of the so-called " Polish corridor"and the receipt by Danzig with the surroundings of the status of a" free city ") and East Prussia (transfer of the Memel region (Memelland) under 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) changes in the borders in the southern part of East Prussia were associated with the results carried out in Warmia and Mazury in July 1921. At the end of it, the population of most of the territories that Poland, counting on the fact that they are home to a significant number of ethnic Poles, would not mind annexing to itself, into the young Polish Republic. In 1923, the borders in the East Prussian region changed again: in the Memel region, the Union Lithuanian shooters was raised armed uprising, the result of which was the entry of Memelland into Lithuania on the basis of autonomy and the renaming of Memel to Klaipeda. Fifteen 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 won with an overwhelming advantage. After Lithuania was forced to accept Germany's ultimatum on the return of Memelland to the Third Reich on March 22, 1939, Hitler arrived in Klaipeda-Memel on March 23 on the Deutschland cruiser, who then spoke to the residents from the balcony of the local theater and accepted the parade of Wehrmacht units. Thus, the last peaceful territorial acquisition of Germany before the outbreak of World War II was formalized.
The annexation of the Memel Territory to Germany did not end the redistribution of borders in 1939. September 1 started Polish campaign Wehrmacht (the same date is considered by many historians as the date of the start of World War II), and two and a half weeks later, on September 17, units of the Red Army entered Poland. By the end of September 1939, the Polish government in exile was formed, and Poland, as an independent territorial entity, again ceased to exist.
Fragment of the map of the administrative division 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 common border with the successor of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union.
The next, but not the last, change of borders in the region we are considering took place after the end of the Second World War. It was based on the decisions taken by the leaders of the Allies in 1943 in Tehran, 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, by the Potsdam Agreement of 1945, it was 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 it would become part of Poland.
By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 7, 1946, on the territory of the Königsberg Special Military District, created after the victory over Germany, the Königsberg Region was formed, which became part of the RSFSR. Three months later, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 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 site "History of the Elblag 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 Vizhajny ( Wizajny) in the Suvalshchyna 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 the 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-Moravsky, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, Vyacheslav Molotov. The length of this section of the border is 210 km, which is approximately 5.8% of the total length of the borders of Poland.
Decision on post-war border Poland was accepted 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 received the name "Königsberg Special Military District" (KOVO) from June 10, 1945. From 07/09/1945 to 02/04/1946, the leadership of the 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, who was 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. Trofimov, who from 05/24/1946 to 07/05/1947 served as head of the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Königsberg / Kaliningrad region. Prior to that, 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. September 7, 1946 issued a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR 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 taken without the participation of the Poles by the leaders " big three"- Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin during the conference held from November 28 to December 1, 1943 in Tehran. 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 the western border of Poland along the Oder-Neisse line. Poland's "friend" Winston Churchill refused to recognize the new western borders of Poland, believing that "under the rule of the Soviets" it would become too strong due to the weakening of Germany, while not objecting to the loss of Poland's eastern territories.
Variants of the border between Poland and the Kaliningrad region.
Even before the conquest of East Prussia, the Moscow authorities (read "Stalin") determined political boundaries 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 of the borders on the territory of East Prussia was presented to the PKNO by the USSR State Defense Committee (GKO USSR) on February 20, 1945. In Tehran, Stalin drew before his allies the contours of the future borders in the territory of East Prussia. The border with Poland was to run from west to east immediately south of Königsberg along the rivers Pregel and Pissa (about 30 km north of the current border of Poland). The project was much more profitable for Poland. At the same time, she would receive the entire territory of the Vistula (Baltic) Spit and the cities of Heiligenbeil (Heiligenbeil, now Mamonovo), Ludwigsort (Ludwigsort, now Ladushkin), Preußisch Eylau (Preußisch Eylau, now Bagrationovsk), Friedland (Friedland, now Pravdinsk), Darkemen (Darkehmen, after 1938 - Angerapp, now Ozersk), Gerdauen (Gerdauen, now Zheleznodorozhny), Nordenburg (Nordenburg, now Krylovo). However, all cities, regardless of which of the banks of the Pregel or Pissa they are, 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 Frisches Haf 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 get an ice-free port on the Baltic Sea. Stalin in the same year mentioned this more than once in his conversations with both Churchill and British Foreign Minister Anthony Eden, as well as during a Moscow meeting (10/12/1944) with Stanislav Mikolajczyk, Prime Minister of the Polish government in exile. The same issue was also raised during meetings (from September 28 to October 3, 1944) with the delegation of the Craiova Rada of the People (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 the PCWP, organizations in opposition to the London-based Polish government-in-exile. The Polish government in exile reacted negatively to Stalin's claims, pointing to the possible negative consequences of incorporating Königsberg into the USSR. On November 22, 1944, in London, at a meeting of the Coordinating Committee, consisting of representatives of the four parties that make up the government in exile, it was decided not to accept the dictates of the allies, including the recognition of the borders along the Curzon Line.
Map with variants of the "Curzon Line", compiled for Tehran Conference Allies in 1943.
The border project proposed in February 1945 was known only to the State Defense Committee of the USSR and the Provisional Government of the Polish Republic (VPPR), which was 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 Peaceful time. The future border was only outlined, 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 Braunsberg (Brausberg, now Braniewo / Braniewo) and end on 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 way it is laid now.
By the way, Poland has historical right throughout the former East Prussia. Royal Prussia and Warmia were ceded to Prussia as a result of the First Partition of Poland (1772), and the Polish crown lost its rights to the Duchy of Prussia under the Velau-Bydgoszcz treatises (and the political short-sightedness of King Jan Casimir), agreed in Velau on September 19, 1657, and ratified in Bydgoszcz November 5-6. In accordance with them, Elector Friedrich Wilhelm 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 again had to go 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: the western border of Poland would be at the same time the border of the sphere of influence of the USSR, at least until the fate of Germany became clear. However, violations of agreements future border between Poland and the USSR were the result of the subordinate position of the Polish People's Republic.
Agreement on the Polish-Soviet state border was signed in Moscow on August 16, 1945. The change in the 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 unwillingness to strengthen the territorial strength of Poland, doomed to Sovietization.
After the adjustment, the border between Poland and the USSR was supposed to run along the northern borders of the former administrative regions of East Prussia (Kreiss. - admin) Heiligenbeil, Preussisch-Eylau, Bartenstein (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. On the separate sections the border moved arbitrarily by the decision of the commanders of individual units 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 cities and villages already settled and taken under Polish control was a complete surprise. Since many settlements were already inhabited by Polish settlers, it came to the point that a Pole, leaving for work in the morning, could find out upon his return that his house was already on the territory of the USSR.
Władysław Gomułka, then Polish Minister for Recovered Lands (Recovered Lands (Ziemie Odzyskane) - common name for territories that belonged to the Third Reich until 1939 and were transferred to Poland after the end of World War II by the decisions of the Yalta and Potsdam conferences, as well as by the results of a bilateral agreement between Poland and the USSR. — admin), noted:
“In the first days of September (1945) facts of unauthorized violation of northern border Mazury district by the Soviet army authorities in the territories of the regions of Gerdauen, Bartenstein and Darkemen. The border line, determined at that time, was moved deep into the Polish territory at 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. Plenipotentiary for the Masurian District (Colonel Jakub Pravin - 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 Warmian-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 the Soviet authorities had ordered the Gerdauen head Jan Kaszyński to immediately leave the local administration and resettle the Polish civilian population. The next day (September 5), representatives of J. Pravin (Zygmunt Valevich, Tadeusz Smolik and Tadeusz Lewandowski) verbally protested against such orders to 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 denying access to these territories to Polish settlers. In this regard, on September 11, a protest was sent from Nordenburg to the District Attorney's Office in Olsztyn (Allenstein). This indicates that as early as September 1945 this territory was Polish.
A similar situation was in the Bartenstein (Bartoszyce) district, the headman of which on July 7, 1945 received all the acceptance documents, and already on September 14, the Soviet military authorities ordered the territories around the villages of Schönbruch and Klingenberg to be liberated from the Polish population ( Klingenberg). Despite the protests of the Polish side (09/16/1945), both territories were ceded to the USSR.
In the Preussisch-Eylau area, the military commandant, Major Malakhov, on June 27, 1945, transferred all powers to the headman Peter Gagatko, but already on October 16, the head of the Soviet border troops in this area, Colonel Golovkin, informed the headman about the transfer of the border a kilometer south of Preussisch-Eylau. Despite the protests of the Poles (10/17/1945), the border was pushed back. On December 12, 1945, on behalf of Pravin's deputy Jerzy Burski, Mayor Preussisch-Eylau liberated 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 the central authorities in Warsaw with a request to influence the leadership northern group troops 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 Mazury region was that the borders of almost all northern poviats (powiat - district. - admin) were changed.
Bronisław Saluda, a researcher of this problem from Olsztyn, noted:
“... subsequent adjustments to the border line could lead to the fact that part of the villages already occupied by the population could end up on Soviet territory and the work of the settlers in its arrangement was wasted. In addition, it happened that the border separated a residential building from the outbuildings or land allotment assigned to it. In Shchurkovo, it so happened that the border passed through a cattle shed. The Soviet military administration responded to the complaints of the population that the loss of land here would be compensated by land 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 consent 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, there were 16 more border adjustments in favor of the Kaliningrad region. From the initial draft of the border crossing, 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 “adjustment” of the borders.
On April 29, 1956, the USSR offered the Polish People's Republic(NDP) to resolve the issue of the temporary state of the border within the Kaliningrad region, which has been preserved since 1945. The border treaty 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) Bay (838 sq. km) was divided between Poland (328 sq. km) and the Soviet Union. Poland, despite original plans, turned out to be cut off from the exit from the bay to the Baltic Sea, which led to a violation of the once established shipping routes: Polish part The Vistula Lagoon became the "Dead Sea". The "sea blockade" of Elbląg, Tolkmicko, Frombork and Braniewo also affected the development of these cities. Despite the fact that the agreement of July 27, 1944 was accompanied by additional protocol, which stated that peaceful ships would be allowed free access through the Pilau Strait to the Baltic Sea.
The final border passed through railways and roads, canals, settlements and even subsidiary plots. For centuries, a unified geographical, political and economic territory was arbitrarily divided. The border passed through the territory of six former krays.
Polish-Soviet border in East Prussia. in yellow the variant of the border for February 1945 of the year is indicated;, in blue - for August 1945, in red - real border between Poland and the Kaliningrad region.
It is believed that as a result of numerous border adjustments, Poland received less than 1125 sq. km. km of territory. The border drawn "along the line" led to numerous negative consequences. For example, between Branevo and Goldap, out of 13 roads that once existed, 10 were cut by the border, between Sempopol and Kaliningrad, 30 out of 32 roads were violated. The unfinished Masurian Canal was also divided in half. Numerous power lines and telephone communications were also cut. All this could not but lead to a deterioration in the economic situation in the settlements adjacent to the border: who wants to live in a settlement whose ownership 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 parts during the Vistula operation.
The border, practically drawn from west to east along the latitude, led to the fact that throughout the entire territory from Goldap to Elbląg economic situation never recovered, although once Elbing, which went to 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 economically less developed than Elbląg. Negative role final partition East Prussia also affected the indigenous population of this region - the Masurians. All this significantly delayed the economic development of the entire region.
Fragment of the map of the administrative division of Poland. 1945 Source: Elblaska Biblioteka Cyfrowa.
Legend to the above map. The dotted line is the border between Poland and the Kaliningrad region under the agreement of 08/16/1945; solid line— borders of voivodeships; dot-dotted line - borders of poviats.
The option of drawing the border with a ruler (a 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 the Russian Federation) is 232.4 km. This, including 9.5 km of the water border and 835 m land border on the Baltic Spit.
Two voivodeships have a common border with the Kaliningrad region: Pomeranian and Warmian-Masurian, and six poviats: Novodvorsky (on the Vistula Spit), Braniewski, Bartoszycki, Kenshinsky, Vengozhevsky and Goldapsky.
Border crossings operate on the border: 6 land border crossings (automobile Gronovo - Mamonovo, Grzechotki - Mamonovoi II, Bezledy - Bagrationovsk, Goldap - Gusev; railway Branievo - 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, zones sea fishing and the continental shelf of the Baltic Sea.
The western border of Poland was recognized as German Democratic Republic by agreement of July 6, 1950, Federal Republic Germany, the border of Poland was recognized by the agreement of December 7, 1970 (clause 3 of article I of this agreement states that the parties do not have any territorial claims, and waive any future claims. However, before the unification of Germany and the signing of the Polish-German border treaty on November 14, 1990, it was officially declared in Germany that the German lands that had ceded to Poland after the Second World War were 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 an international legal status. After the Second World War, 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, ultimately, would determine the status of this territory. An international treaty with Germany was signed only in 1990. Prevented me from signing before. cold war and Germany divided into two states. And although Germany has officially renounced its claims to the Kaliningrad region, however, 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.
Schonbruch (Schönbruch, now Szczurkowo / Szczurkovo) - Polish locality, lying 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 on Soviet maps was designated as Shirokoye (now does not exist). It was not possible to find out whether Shirokoye was inhabited.
Klingenberg (Klingenberg, now Ostre Bardo / Ostre Bardo) is a Polish settlement a few kilometers east of Shchurkovo. 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 of the process for the division of East Prussia and the delimitation of territories ceded Soviet Union and Poland, and which were mentioned in the above article by V. Kaliszuk.
Excerpts from the Proceedings of the Crimean (Yalta) Conference of the Leaders of the Three Allied Powers - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain
We have gathered for the Crimean Conference to resolve our differences on the Polish question. We have fully discussed all aspects of the Polish question. We reaffirmed our common desire to see a strong, free, independent and democratic Poland established, and as a result of our negotiations we agreed on the terms on which the new Provisional Polish Government National Unity will 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 possible before, until the recent liberation of Western Poland. The Provisional Government now operating in Poland must therefore be reorganized on a broader democratic basis, with the inclusion of democratic leaders 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 C. Kerr are authorized to consult in Moscow, as a Commission, primarily with members of the present Provisional Government and with other Polish democratic leaders both from Poland itself and from abroad. borders, bearing in mind the reorganization of the present Government on the basis indicated above. This Polish Provisional Government of National Unity must undertake to hold free and unhindered 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 is duly formed in accordance with (270) above, the Government of the USSR, which currently maintains diplomatic relations with the current 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 they will exchange ambassadors, according to whose reports the respective governments will be informed of the situation in Poland.
The Heads of the Three Governments believe that Eastern border Poland should follow the Curzon Line, with deviations from it in some areas from five to eight kilometers in favor of Poland. The Heads of the Three Governments recognize that Poland must receive substantial increases in territory in the North and in the West. They consider that the opinion of the new Polish Government of National Unity will be asked in due course on the question of the amount of these increments, and that thereafter the final determination Western border Poland will be postponed until a peace conference."
Winston S. Churchill
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Prussia West(Westpreussen) - a Prussian province, bordered in the west by Brandenburg and Pomerania, in the north by the Baltic Sea, in the south by Poznan and Russia (Vistula provinces) and in the east by Eastern Poland, with which it was one province until 1878 Prussia. Space 25521 sq. km. Western P. occupies a part of the North German lowland, through which the hilly North German ridge passes here. The Vistula River cuts through this ridge with a wide fertile valley. The main heights of the plateau are: Kartgauz with Mount Turmberg (331 m) and the Elbing Mountains (198 m).
Rivers: Vistula, which is divided at Mount Montauerspitze into Vistula and Nogat, and at Danzig into Danzig and Elbing branches; on the right, the Vistula here receives Drevenz and Ossa, and on the left: Schwarzwasser, Montau, Ferse and Motlau. Other rivers: Libe, Elbing, Reda, Leba, Stolpe and Kyuddov. lakes: Drauzenskoe, Gezerikhskoe, Zorgenskoe, Tsarnovitskoe, Radaunskoe, Gros-Tsitenskoe, Muskendorfskoe, Feitskoe and Gros-Bettinskoe. Channels: Elbing-Oberlandsky.
Climate: average annual temperature 7.6°, Konitz 6.6°, Schoenberg (on the Kortgauz plateau) 5.6°. Precipitation annually 50 cubic meters. m.
Population. In 1895, there were 1,494,360 people; Lutherans 702030, Catholics 758168 and Jews 20238. By nationality (1890): Poles 439577, Kashubians 53616, the rest are Germans. From 1886-1894 the resettlement commission acquired 21,890 hectares here to strengthen the German element. earth. Arable land and gardens 55.1%, meadows 6.4%, pastures 7.0%, forests 21.3%, the rest is inconvenient land. In 1895, 111.5 thousand tons of wheat, 311.8 thousand tons of rye, 93 thousand of barley, 170.8 thousand of oats, 1,706 thousand of potatoes, 672 thousand of sugar beet, 367 thousand of hay and tobacco 1685 thousand kg. There are 554,000 cattle, 1,300,000 small cattle, 425,000 pigs, and 221,000 horses. Significant poultry farming and fishing. Extraction of amber and peat. Industry is concentrated mainly in the cities of Danzig, Elbing, Dirschau and Thorn. Shipbuilding, sawmills, glass, distilleries and breweries. Trade is significant in the harbors of Danzig and Elbing. In 1896, the merchant fleet consisted of 69 ships. Railways 1457 km. 13 gymnasiums, 4 real gymnasiums, two real schools, 19 progymnasiums, a commercial academy, an agricultural school, 6 teachers' seminaries, 3 institutes for the deaf, an institute for the blind, etc. The main city is Danzig. History - see Prussia (Duchy) and the Teutonic Order. Literature - see Prussia (kingdom).
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