Sovetsk (russian: Сове́тск; german: Tilsit; Old Prussian: ''Tilzi''; lt, Tilžė; pl, Tylża) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares ...

in Kaliningrad Oblast,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

, located on the south bank of the Neman River which forms the border with Lithuania.

Geography

Sovetsk lies in the historic region of

Lithuania Minor Lithuania Minor ( lt, Mažoji Lietuva; german: Kleinlitauen; pl, Litwa Mniejsza; russian: Ма́лая Литва́), or Prussian Lithuania ( lt, Prūsų Lietuva; german: Preußisch-Litauen, pl, Litwa Pruska), is a historical ethnography, et ...

at the confluence of the Tilse and Neman rivers. Panemunė in Lithuania was formerly a suburb of the town; after Germany's defeat in World War I, the trans-Neman suburb was detached from Tilsit (with the rest of the Klaipėda Region) in 1920.

Climate

Sovetsk has a borderline

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

(''Cfb'' in the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

) using the boundary, or a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(''Dfb'') using the boundary.

History

Nicolas Gosse - Napoleon receives the Queen of Prussia at Tilsit, July 6, 1807

Tilsit, which received

civic rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...

from Albert, Duke of Prussia in 1552,''Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom XII'', p. 703 developed around a castle of the Teutonic Knights, known as the Schalauer Haus, founded in 1288. In 1454, King

Casimir IV Jagiellon Casimir IV (in full Casimir IV Andrew Jagiellon; pl, Kazimierz IV Andrzej Jagiellończyk ; Lithuanian: ; 30 November 1427 – 7 June 1492) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447, until his death. He was one of the m ...

incorporated the region to the Kingdom of Poland upon the request of the anti-Teutonic Prussian Confederation. After the subsequent Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466), the settlement was a part of Poland as a fief held by the Teutonic Knights, and thus was located within the Polish–Lithuanian union, later elevated to the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ...

. In the winter of 1678–1679, during the Scanian War, the town was occupied by Sweden. From the 18th century, it was part of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) constituted the German state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918. Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: ...

. During the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754– ...

, in 1757–1762, the town was under Russian control. Afterwards it fell back to Prussia, and from 1871 it was also part of

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. The Treaties of Tilsit were signed here in July 1807, the preliminaries of which were settled by the emperors

Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. The son of Gra ...

and Napoleon I of France on a raft moored in the Neman River. This treaty, which created the

Kingdom of Westphalia The Kingdom of Westphalia was a kingdom in Germany, with a population of 2.6 million, that existed from 1807 to 1813. It included territory in Hesse and other parts of present-day History of Germany, Germany. While formally independent, it was a ...

and the Duchy of Warsaw, completed Napoleon's humiliation of the

, when it was deprived of one half of its dominions. Three days before its signing, the Prussian queen Louise (1776–1810) tried to persuade Napoleon in a private conversation to ease his hard conditions on Prussia; though unsuccessful, Louise's effort endeared her to the Prussian people. Until 1945, a marble tablet marked the house in which King

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, wh ...

and Queen Louise resided. Also, in the former Schenkendorf Platz was a monument to the poet Max von Schenkendorf (1783–1817), a native of Tilsit; a statue of Lenin was erected in its place in 1967. ID007219-Tilsit-Litauische Kirche

During the 19th century when the Lithuanian language in Latin characters was banned within the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

, Tilsit was an important centre for printing Lithuanian books which then were smuggled by Knygnešiai to the Russian-controlled part of Lithuania. In general, Tilsit thrived and was an important Prussian town. The '' Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland'' from 1892 referred to the town as the capital of

. The local Lithuanian population was subjected to Germanisation, which resulted in a decrease in the share of Lithuanians in the town's population. In 1884,

Lithuanians Lithuanians ( lt, lietuviai) are a Balts, Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another million or two make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the Lithuanian Ame ...

formed 13% of the town's population. By 1900 it had electric tramways and 34,500 inhabitants; a direct railway line linked it to

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was na ...

(

Kaliningrad Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...

) and Labiau ( Polessk) and steamers docked there daily. According to the Prussian census of 1905, the city of Tilsit had a population of 37,148, of which 96% were

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

and 4% were

. The bridge was built in 1907 and rebuilt in 1946. The town was occupied by Russian troops between 26 August 1914 and 12 September 1914 during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. The Act of Tilsit was signed here by leaders of the

Lietuvininks The Prussian Lithuanians, or Lietuvininkai (singular: ''Lietuvininkas'', plural: ''Lietuvininkai''), are Lithuanians, originally Lithuanian language speakers, who formerly inhabited a territory in northeastern East Prussia called Prussian Lithuan ...

in 1918.

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...

visited the town just before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, and a photo was taken of him on the famous bridge over the Neman River. During the war, expelled Poles from German-occupied Poland were enslaved by the Germans as forced labour in the town's vicinity. Tilsit was occupied by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

on January 20, 1945, and was annexed by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

in 1945. The remaining

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

who had not evacuated were subsequently expelled in accordance with the

Potsdam Agreement The Potsdam Agreement (german: Potsdamer Abkommen) was the agreement between three of the Allies of World War II: the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union on 1 August 1945. A product of the Potsdam Conference, it concerned t ...

and replaced with Soviet citizens. The town was renamed Sovetsk in honor of

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

rule. Modern Sovetsk has sought to take advantage of Tilsit's tradition of

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During product ...

production ( Tilsit cheese), but the new name ("Sovetsky cheese") has not inherited its predecessor's reputation. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, there has been some discussion about the possibility of restoring the town's original name. In 2010, the Kaliningrad Oblast's then-governor Georgy Boos of the ruling

United Russia United Russia ( rus, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a Conservatism in Russia, Russian conservative List of political parties in Russia, political party. As the largest party in Russia, it hold ...

Party proposed restoring the original name and combining the town with the

Neman The Neman, Nioman, Nemunas or MemelTo bankside nations of the present: Lithuanian: be, Нёман, , ; russian: Неман, ''Neman''; past: ger, Memel (where touching Prussia only, otherwise Nieman); lv, Nemuna; et, Neemen; pl, Niemen; ; ...

and

Slavsk Slavsk (russian: link=no, Славск; german: Heinrichswalde; lt, Gastos; pl, Jędrzychowo) is a town and the administrative center of Slavsky District in the Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Kaliningrad. Population figure ...

Districts to form a new Tilsit District. Boos emphasized that this move would stimulate development and economic growth, but that it could happen only through a referendum. The idea was opposed by the Communist Party of Russia; in particular, Igor Revin, the Kaliningrad Secretary of the Communist Party, accused Boos and United Russia of Germanophilia. In April 2007, government restrictions on visits to border areas were tightened, and for foreigners, and Russians living outside the border zone, travel to the Sovetsk and Bagrationovsk areas required advance permission from the Border Guard Service (in some cases up to 30 days beforehand). It was alleged that this procedure slowed the development of these potentially thriving border towns. In June 2012, these restrictions were lifted (the only restricted area is the Neman river shoreline), which gave a boost to local and international tourism.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated as the town of oblast significance of Sovetsk—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

.Resolution #639 As a municipal division, the town of oblast significance of Sovetsk is incorporated as Sovetsky Urban Okrug.Law #376

Architecture

Many of the town's buildings were destroyed during World War II. However, the old town centre still includes several German buildings, including those of

Jugendstil ''Jugendstil'' ("Youth Style") was an artistic movement, particularly in the decorative arts, that was influential primarily in Germany and elsewhere in Europe to a lesser extent from about 1895 until about 1910. It was the German counterpart of ...

design. The Queen Louise Bridge, now connecting the town to Panemunė in Lithuania, retains an arch – all that is left of a more complex pre-war bridge structure built in 1907. The carved relief portrait of Queen Louise above the arch still exists; however, the German inscription "KÖNIGIN LUISE-BRÜCKE" was removed after the Soviets took over the town.

Historical population

*1816: 10,548 *1821: 11,248 *1880: 21,400 *1891: 24,126 *1900: 34,539 *1910: 39,013 *1925: 50,834 *1933: 57,286 *1939: 59,105 *1946: 6,500 *1959: 31,941 *

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker ru ...

: 41,881 * 2002: 43,224 *2004: 43,300 *

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

: 41,705 Ethnic composition in 2010: *

Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

: 86.7% *

Ukrainians Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian. The majority of Ukrainians are Eastern Or ...

: 3.5% *

: 3.3% *

Belarusians , native_name_lang = be , pop = 9.5–10 million , image = , caption = , popplace = 7.99 million , region1 = , pop1 = 600,000–768,000 , region2 = , pop2 ...

: 2.7%

Twin towns – sister cities

Sovetsk is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: *

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland pe ...

, Germany * Lidzbark Warmiński, Poland *

Pagėgiai Pagėgiai (, german: Pogegen) is a city in south-western Lithuania. It is located in the medieval region of Scalovia in the historic region of Lithuania Minor. It is the capital of Pagėgiai municipality, and as such it is part of Tauragė Coun ...

, Lithuania * Považská Bystrica, Slovakia *

Šilalė Šilalė (, Samogitian: ''Šėlalė'', yi, שילעל ''Shilel'', pl, Szyłele) is a town in Western Lithuania, Samogitia, Tauragė County. It is located north of Tauragė. The River Lokysta flows through the town and there is a pond in the ...

, Lithuania *

Tauragė Tauragė (; see other names) is an industrial city in Lithuania, and the capital of Tauragė County. In 2020, its population was 21,520. Tauragė is situated on the Jūra River, close to the border with the Kaliningrad Oblast, and not far from ...

, Lithuania Former twin towns: * Bełchatów, Poland * Iława (rural gmina), Poland In February and March 2022 respectively, the Polish city of Bełchatów suspended while the Polish Iława County terminated their partnership with Sovetsk as a reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Notable people

Poehlmann Margarete Bilder Inter Frauenkongress 1904

* Daniel Klein (1609–1666), Lithuanian pastor and grammarian * Johann Christian Jacobi (1719–1784), German oboist * Max von Schenkendorf (1783–1817), German poet and author *

Franz Meyen Franz Julius Ferdinand Meyen (28 June 1804 – 2 September 1840) was a Prussian physician and botanist. Meyen was born in Tilsit, East Prussia. In 1830 he wrote ''Phytotomie'', the first major study of plant anatomy. Between 1830 and 1832, he too ...

(1804–1840), German botanist * Hans Victor von Unruh (1806–1886), German politician and technician * Wilhelm Voigt (1849–1922), the inspiration for '' The Captain of Köpenick'' *

Margarete Poehlmann Viktoria Margarete Poehlmann (29 June 1856 – 25 December 1923) was a German educator and politician. Poehlmann was born in Tilsit, present-day Sovetsk (Russia), in the Prussian province of East Prussia. She became a teacher, founding a private ...

(1856–1923), German educator and politician, first woman to speak in a Prussian parliament * Gustaf Kossinna or Kossina (1858–1931), archaeologist *

Johanna Wolff Johanna Wolff, née Kielich (30 January 1858 – 3 May 1943) was a popular German writer. Life Johanna, the daughter of Adolf Kielich by his marriage to Caroline Lukoschewitz, was orphaned at the age of seven. With the support of Father Urbscha ...

(1858–1943), German author * Max Scherwinsky (1859–1909) German-born architect working mainly in Riga, Latvia * Emil Wiechert (1861–1928), German geophysicist * Raphael Friedeberg (1863–1940), German physician and politician * Max Gülstorff (1882–1947), German actor *

Carl Brinkmann Carl Brinkmann (19 March 1885 – 20 May 1954) was a German sociologist and economist, focusing on socioeconomics and the history of political economy. Brinkmann was born in Tilsit, East Prussia, now in Kaliningrad, and died in Oberstdorf, Allgäu ...

(1885–1954), German sociologist and economist * Franz Scheidies (1890–1942) general in the Wehrmacht during WWII * Walter Weiß (1890–1967), German general during WWII. *

Friedrich Schröder Sonnenstern Friedrich Schröder Sonnenstern (born Friedrich Schröder; 11 September 1892 – 10 May 1982), was a German artist and painter. He is considered one of the most important representatives of Art Brut or Outsider Art. Early life Schröder-Sonnenst ...

(1892–1982), Illustrator * Dick Shikat (1897–1968) German professional wrestler and World Heavyweight Champion * Frank Wisbar (1899–1967) German director *

Karl Hermann Martell Karl Hermann Martell (November 17, 1906 in Tilsit – December 28, 1966 in Hamburg) was a German actor. Martell was only 14 when he had his first performance in a silent movie, ''Das große Geheimnis'' (1920). In subsequent years, he was often se ...

(1906–1966), German actor * Franz Abromeit (1907–1964), SS officer, Reichssicherheitshauptamt (''

Judenreferent The or (German plural: ; ), variously translated as Jewish advisers or Jewish experts, were Nazi SS officials who supervised anti-Jewish legislation and the deportations of Jews in the countries under their responsibility. Key architects of the ...

'') * Joachim Sadrozinski (1907–1944), officer and resistance fighter *

Erna Dorn Erna Dorn (17 July 1911 – 1 October 1953) was a victim of the politicised justice system in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). She is believed to be the only female to have been sentenced and executed in the aftermath of the East Ge ...

(1911–1953) victim of injustice in the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Siegfried Graetschus Siegfried Graetschus (9 June 1916 – 14 October 1943) was a German SS functionary at the Sobibor extermination camp during Operation Reinhard, the deadliest phase of the Holocaust in occupied Poland. He was assassinated by a prisoner during the ...

(1916–1943), SS- Oberscharführer, killed during revolt in

Sobibor extermination camp Sobibor (, Polish: ) was an extermination camp built and operated by Nazi Germany as part of Operation Reinhard. It was located in the forest near the village of Żłobek Duży in the General Government region of German-occupied Poland. As a ...

* Johannes Bobrowski (1917–1965), German writer * Werner Abrolat (1924–1997), German actor *

Gunter Wyszecki Gunter or Günter may refer to: * Gunter rig, a type of rig used in sailing, especially in small boats * Gunter Annex, Alabama, a United States Air Force installation * Gunter, Texas, city in the United States People Surname * Chris Gunter ( ...

(1925–1985), German-Canadian physicist * Armin Mueller-Stahl (born 1930), German actor, honorary citizen since 8 December 2011Armin Mueller-Stahl Ehrenbürger seiner Heimatstadt

Berliner Zeitung The ''Berliner Zeitung'' (, ''Berlin Newspaper'') is a daily newspaper based in Berlin, Germany. Founded in East Germany in 1945, it is the only East German paper to achieve national prominence since reunification. It is published by Berliner ...

, 8 December 2011 * Sabine Bethmann (1931-2021), German actress * Jürgen Kurbjuhn (1940–2014), football player * Klaus-Dieter Sieloff (1942–2011), football player * John Kay (born 1944), lead singer of the late 1960s rock band Steppenwolf * Edgar Froese (1944–2015), German founder and leader of the electronic music group

Tangerine Dream Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music band founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The group has seen many personnel changes over the years, with Froese having been the only constant member until his death in January 2015. The best-known lineu ...

* Victor Ivrii (born 1949) a Soviet, Canadian mathematician *

Andrei Sosnitskiy Andrei Alekseyevich Sosnitskiy (russian: Андрей Алексеевич Сосницкий be, Андрэй Аляксеевіч Сасницкі; born 8 November 1962) is a Belarusian professional football coach and a former player. He is t ...

(born 1962) a Belarusian professional football coach and a former player

Gallery

Wappen von Tilsit.gif, Coat of arms of Tilsit (1905) Bundesarchiv_B_145_Bild-P001239,_Tilsit.jpg, Market square of Tilsit with the town hall and the Schenkendorf statue, 1930 Tilsit_an_der_Memel.JPG, Old view of Tilsit, circa 1910 Советск - Школьная 13.jpg, Gymnasium Дом,где Мюллер-Шталь.jpg, The birthplace of Armin Mueller-Stahl, which has been a listed building since 2010

Popular culture

The town is the location of a scene in

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

's ''

War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...

'' (Book Two Part Two Chapter 21). Tilsit is the setting for part of the 1939 film " The Journey to Tilsit".

References

Notes

Sources

* * *''Northern Germany'' by

Karl Baedeker Karl Ludwig Johannes Baedeker ( , ; 3 November 1801 – 4 October 1859) was a German publisher whose company, Baedeker, set the standard for authoritative guidebooks for tourists. Karl Baedeker was descended from a long line of printers, boo ...

, 14th revised edition, London, 1904, p. 178. * {{Authority control Cities and towns in Kaliningrad Oblast Castles in Russia Lithuania–Russia border crossings 1552 establishments in Europe