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Königsberg Fortifications
The fortifications of the former East Prussian capital Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) consist of numerous defensive walls, forts, bastions and other structures. They make up the First and the Second Defensive Belt, built in 1626—1634 and 1843—1859, respectively. The 15 metre-thick First Belt was erected due to Königsberg's vulnerability during the Polish–Swedish wars. The Second Belt was largely constructed on the place of the first one, which was in a bad condition. The new belt included twelve bastions, three ravelins, seven spoil banks and two fortresses, surrounded by a water moat. Ten brick gates served as entrances and passages through defensive lines and were equipped with moveable bridges. The Königsberg fortifications became largely obsolete even before the completion of construction due to the rapid development of artillery. Following the military setbacks of Nazi Germany, however, they became strategically important again (particularly during the East Pruss ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaliningrad 05-2017 Img30 Dohna Tower
Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and administrative centre of Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, semi-exclave between Lithuania and Poland. The city sits about west from mainland Russia. The city is situated on the Pregolya, Pregolya River, at the head of the Vistula Lagoon on the Baltic Sea, and is the only ice-free port of Russia and the Baltic states on the Baltic Sea. Its population in 2020 was 489,359, with up to 800,000 residents in the urban agglomeration. Kaliningrad is the second-largest city in the Northwestern Federal District, after Saint Petersburg, the third-largest city in the Baltic region, and the List of cities and towns around the Baltic Sea, seventh-largest city on the Baltic Sea. The settlement of modern-day Kaliningrad was founded in 125 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
