Sovetsk (russian: Сове́тск; german: Tilsit; Old Prussian: ''Tilzi''; lt, Tilžė; pl, Tylża) is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the south bank of the

Neman River 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; ...

which forms the border with

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. 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 ethnographic re ...

at the confluence of the

Tilse The Tylzha (russian: Тыльжа, german: Tilse, from lt, tilžus, meaning "swampy, wet", el, Τύλισος) is a river in Kaliningrad Oblast discharging into the river Neman at Sovetsk which until 1946 was called Tilsit in accordance with it. ...

and Neman rivers.

Panemunė Panemunė (; ) is a town in Lithuania. It is situated on the banks of the Nemunas River opposite Sovetsk, south from Pagėgiai, in Tauragė County. It is a border checkpoint for traffic to and from Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast). The magnificent ...

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) using the boundary, or a humid continental climate (''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 ...

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 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 Polish–Lithuanian can refer to: * Polish–Lithuanian union (1385–1569) * Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1795) * Polish-Lithuanian identity as used to describe groups, families, or individuals with histories in the Polish–Lithuanian ...

, later elevated to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In the winter of 1678–1679, during the

Scanian War The Scanian War ( da, Skånske Krig, , sv, Skånska kriget, german: Schonischer Krieg) was a part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark–Norway, Brandenburg and Sweden. It was fought from 1675 to 1679 mainly on Scanian soil, ...

, the town was occupied by

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. From the 18th century, it was part of the Kingdom of Prussia. During the Seven Years' War, in 1757–1762, the town was under Russian control. Afterwards it fell back to Prussia, and from 1871 it was also part of Germany. The Treaties of Tilsit were signed here in July 1807, the preliminaries of which were settled by the emperors Alexander I of Russia and

Napoleon I of France Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

on a raft moored in the Neman River. This treaty, which created the Kingdom of Westphalia and the Duchy of Warsaw, completed Napoleon's humiliation of the Kingdom of Prussia, when it was deprived of one half of its dominions. Three days before its signing, the Prussian queen

Louise Louise or Luise may refer to: * Louise (given name) Arts Songs * "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005 * "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984 * "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013 * "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929 *"Louise", by Clan of ...

(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, Tilsit was an important centre for printing Lithuanian books which then were smuggled by Knygnešiai to the Russian-controlled part of

. 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 Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, German people, people and German culture, culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nationa ...

, which resulted in a decrease in the share of Lithuanians in the town's population. In 1884,

Lithuanians Lithuanians ( lt, lietuviai) are a 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 United States, Uni ...

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 ( Kaliningrad) 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 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. 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 visited the town just before World War II, and a photo was taken of him on the famous bridge over the

. During the war, expelled Poles from German-occupied Poland were enslaved by the Germans as

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of ex ...

in the town's vicinity. Tilsit was occupied by the Red Army on January 20, 1945, and was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1945. The remaining Germans 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 th ...

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

production ( Tilsit cheese), but the new name ("Sovetsky cheese") has not inherited its predecessor's reputation. Since the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

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 Georgy Valentinovich Boos (russian: link=no, Георгий Валентинович Боос, born 22 January 1963) is a Russian businessman and politician who served as governor of Kaliningrad Oblast from 2005 to 2010. Early life and educatio ...

of the ruling United Russia Party proposed restoring the original name and combining the town with the Neman 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 figures: ...

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 Bagrationovsk (russian: Багратио́новск; german: Preußisch Eylau; pl, Pruska Iława or '; lt, Ylava or ') is a town and the administrative center of Bagrationovsky District in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located close to the borde ...

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 counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

.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 design. The Queen Louise Bridge, now connecting the town to

, 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 Street Viaduct, 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 Exxo ...

: 41,881 *

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

: 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: 86.7% * Ukrainians: 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 with: * Kiel, 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 Považská Bystrica (; german: Waagbistritz; hu, Vágbeszterce) is a town in northwestern Slovakia. It is located on the Váh river, around 30 km from the city of Žilina. It belongs to Upper Váh region of tourism. Profile Považská B ...

, 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, 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 On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

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 Hans Victor von Unruh (March 28, 1806 – February 4, 1886) was a Prussian civil servant and politician, President of the Prussian National Assembly of 1848 and Member of the ''Reichstag'' of the German Empire. Biography Unruh was born i ...

(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 (1858–1943), German author * Max Scherwinsky (1859–1909) German-born architect working mainly in Riga, Latvia * Emil Wiechert (1861–1928), German geophysicist *

Raphael Friedeberg Raphael Friedeberg (14 March 1863 – 16 August 1940) was a German physician, socialist and anarchist. Early life Friedeberg was born in Tilsit, East Prussia, today Sovetsk, Russia, to Salomon (a rabbi) and Rebekka Friedeberg (née Levy). ...

(1863–1940), German physician and politician * Max Gülstorff (1882–1947), German actor * Carl Brinkmann (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 (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 see ...

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

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 * 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, 8 December 2011 *

Sabine Bethmann Sabine Bethmann (25 October 1929 – 8 November 2021) was a German film and television actress. Biography Bethmann was born in Tilsit, East Prussia on 25 October 1929. She first appeared in the 1956 movie ''Waldwinter'' and became popular by ...

(1931-2021), German actress *

Jürgen Kurbjuhn Jürgen Kurbjuhn (26 July 1940 – 15 March 2014) was a German football player. Kurbjuhn had excelled as a youth-international for West Germany during his time with amateur club '' Buxtehuder SV'' and joined Hamburg's biggest, Hamburger SV, in 1 ...

(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 Edgar Willmar Froese (; 6 June 1944 – 20 January 2015) was a German musical artist and electronic music pioneer, best known for founding the electronic music group Tangerine Dream in 1967. Froese was the only continuous member of the group ...

(1944–2015), German founder and leader of the electronic music group Tangerine Dream * 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's '' War and Peace'' (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, 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