Königstraße Neue Sorge, also known as Königstraße or Königstrasse after its main

boulevard A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway. Boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former city walls. In American usage, boulevards may ...

, was a

quarter A quarter is one-fourth, , 25% or 0.25. Quarter or quarters may refer to: Places * Quarter (urban subdivision), a section or area, usually of a town Placenames * Quarter, South Lanarkshire, a settlement in Scotland * Le Quartier, a settlement ...

of eastern

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 name ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Its territory is now part of the Leningradsky District of

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 ...

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-eig ...

Etymology

The original name ''Neue Sorge'' was derived from the

Old Prussian Old Prussian was a Western Baltic language belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European languages, which was once spoken by the Old Prussians, the Baltic peoples of the Prussian region. The language is called Old Prussian to avoid con ...

''zarge'', meaning enclosed fields, or ''sarge'', meaning sentinel or watchman. In folk etymology, the

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is als ...

name derived from the response of

Bogusław Radziwiłł Bogusław Radziwiłł ( lt, Boguslavas Radvila; 3 May 1620 – 31 December 1669) was a Polish princely magnate and a member of the Polish-Lithuanian ''szlachta'', or nobility. He was of the Radziwiłł magnate family. By birth he was an ...

, 17th century governor of Königsberg, when asked what the developing district should be called: "Wieder eine neue Sorge!" ("Again a new worry!"). The later name ''Königstraße'' means "King Street" in German.

History

Königstraße At the start of the ducal era, the pathway led to pastures for cattle and horses known as the ''Kalthöfischer Acker''. Settlement began ca. 1610,Mühlpfordt, p. 37 and in 1612 fields were granted to numerous high-ranking ducal officials. In 1662 Duke Frederick William, the Great Elector, established Neue Sorge as a ''

Freiheit ' is the German word for both liberty and political freedom. Freiheit may also refer to: Political parties * Freie Demokratische Partei, a liberal party in Germany * South Tyrolean Freedom (', STF), a nationalist political party active in South ...

'' of

Königsberg Castle The Königsberg Castle (german: Königsberger Schloss, russian: Кёнигсбергский замок, Konigsbergskiy zamok) was a castle in Königsberg, Germany (since 1946 Kaliningrad, Russia), and was one of the landmarks of the East Prussi ...

and bestowed it with a ''Gerichtssiegel'', or court seal. This depicted a hand descending from clouds holding a heraldic right angle, flanked by two open eyes, as well as the 1662 year of its granting. Neue Sorge was bordered by

Löbenicht View of Löbenicht from the Pregel, including its church and gymnasium, as well as the nearby Propsteikirche Löbenicht ( lt, Lyvenikė; pl, Lipnik) was a quarter of central Königsberg, Germany. During the Middle Ages it was the weakest of ...

to the west, Rossgarten to the north, the 17th century Baroque city walls to the east, and

Sackheim Sackheim was a quarter of eastern Königsberg, Germany. Its territory is now part of the Leningradsky District of Kaliningrad, Russia. History Although it was documented in 1326,Albinus, p. 267 Sackheim already existed as an Old Prussian farming ...

to the south. The residents of Neue Sorge attended Altrossgarten Church.Gause I, p. 412 In 1729 Neue Sorge was documented as Königstraße, a street which ran from Roßgarten's market to a cul-de-sac at King's Gate. Altstadt, Löbenicht,

Kneiphof Coat of arms of Kneiphof Postcard of Kneiphöfsche Langgasse Reconstruction of Kneiphof in Kaliningrad's museum Kneiphof (russian: Кнайпхоф; pl, Knipawa; lt, Knypava) was a quarter of central Königsberg (Kaliningrad). During the ...

, and their respective suburbs were merged to form the united city of Königsberg in 1724. However, Königsberg Castle and its suburbs, including Neue Sorge, were included within the new city limits but remained under royal, not municipal, control. Neue Sorge was merged into the city during the '' Städteordnung'' of

Stein Stein is a German, Yiddish and Norwegian word meaning "stone" and "pip" or "kernel". It stems from the same Germanic root as the English word stone. It may refer to: Places In Austria * Stein, a neighbourhood of Krems an der Donau, Lower Aust ...

on 19 November 1808 during the era of

Prussian reforms The Prussian Reform Movement was a series of constitutional, administrative, social and economic reforms early in nineteenth-century Prussia. They are sometimes known as the Stein-Hardenberg Reforms, for Karl Freiherr vom Stein and Karl August ...

. The boulevard Königstraße was renamed Straße der SA by the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

during the era of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. The quarter was heavily damaged during the 1944

Bombing of Königsberg A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechanic ...

and 1945

Battle of Königsberg The Battle of Königsberg, also known as the Königsberg offensive, was one of the last operations of the East Prussian offensive during World War II. In four days of urban warfare, Soviet forces of the 1st Baltic Front and the 3rd Belorussia ...

during

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Locations

Construction of the beautiful Baroque houses of Neue Sorge intensified when the Great Elector granted the land to his court officials for residence. East Prussian noble families who lived in the quarter included the Flanß, Götzen, Goltz, Halle, Kanitz, Kittlitz, Königseck, Lesgewang, Nettelhorst, Öltzen, Ostau, Polenz, Rappe, Röder, Schack von Wittenau, Schlieben, Truchseß, and Wallenrodt. The commander of the 1st Division resided in the Dönhoffsche Haus (Nr. 26), while Chancellor Karl Gustav von Goßler lived in Nr. 79. The Dasselsche Haus (Nr. 55), once owned by the counts of Eulenburg, was converted into a savings bank in 1936. Sometime between 1730-32 King Frederick William I purchased the house at Nr. 65-67 for personal use from the widow of Chancellor Ludwig von Ostau; this became known as the Königshaus. King Frederick II established a military college (''École militaire'') in the Königshaus in 1741, which remained until its transfer to

Haberberg Unterhaberberg Oberhaberberg Haberberg was a mostly residential quarter of southern Königsberg, Germany. Its territory is now part of the Moskovsky District of Kaliningrad, Russia. History The hill Haberberg located south of Hintere Vorstadt ...

in 1799. The royal and university libraries were located in the building from 1810 until 1901, when they moved to Tragheim. It subsequently hosted the university's collection of plaster antiques and the historical society Altertumsgesellschaft Prussia. From 1810-75 it also housed the public library. The

Kunstakademie Königsberg The Kunstakademie at its original Königstraße location The Kunstakademie at its original Königstraße location The Kunstakademie Königsberg was a visual arts school in Königsberg, Germany. It focused on genre works, landscape art, and marine ...

was located along Königstraße from 1841–1916, while the

French Reformed Church The Reformed Church of France (french: Église réformée de France, ERF) was the main Protestant denomination in France with a Calvinist orientation that could be traced back directly to John Calvin. In 2013, the Church merged with the Evang ...

was located on the opposite side of the street. This church, built from 1733-36 according to plans by Joachim Ludwig Schultheiß von Unfried, was used by the city's

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

community. Near the Kunstakadamie was an obelisk honoring Theodor von Schön. Also located along Königstraße was the

Friedenskirche The Protestant Church of Peace (german: Friedenskirche) is situated in the Marly Gardens on the Green Fence (''Am Grünen Gitter'') in the palace grounds of Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, Germany. The church was built according to the wishes and ...

. The Landeshaus, the administrative seat of government for the Province of East Prussia, was located at Königstraße 28-31 on lands once owned by the Dönhoff family. The three-story building was built in 1878 according to plans by the government architect CWG Krah and subsequently expanded thrice.Mühlpfordt, p. 87 It contained frescoes by Otto Brausewetter and Ludwig Noster. The Königin-Luise-Schule was located on Landhofmeisterstraße near Sackheim, while the Bessel-Oberrealschule was found on Glaserstraße near Löbenicht and Roßgärter Markt. The Goethe-Oberlyzeum was found on Friedrichstraße.

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{coord, 54.7148, N, 20.5403, E, source:wikidata, display=title Former subdivisions of Königsberg Populated places established in 1662 1662 establishments in Europe