Sovetsk (russian: Сове́тск; german: Tilsit;

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 ...

: ''Tilzi''; lt, Tilžė; pl, Tylża) is a

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

Kaliningrad Oblast Kaliningrad Oblast (russian: Калинингра́дская о́бласть, translit=Kaliningradskaya oblast') is the westernmost federal subject of Russia. It is a semi-exclave situated on the Baltic Sea. The largest city and admin ...

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 ...

, 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 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 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; ...

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 magnific ...

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 The Klaipėda Region ( lt, Klaipėdos kraštas) or Memel Territory (german: Memelland or ''Memelgebiet'') was defined by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles in 1920 and refers to the northernmost part of the German province of East Prussia, when as ...

) in 1920.

Climate

Sovetsk has a borderline oceanic climate (''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, notabl ...

) 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 freezing ...

(''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 Albert of Prussia (german: Albrecht von Preussen; 17 May 149020 March 1568) was a German prince who was the 37th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, who after converting to Lutheranism, became the first ruler of the Duchy of Prussia, the s ...

in 1552,''Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom XII'', p. 703 developed around a castle of the

Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...

, 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 The Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Królestwo Polskie; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a state in Central Europe. It may refer to: Historical political entities * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom existing from 1025 to 1031 * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom exi ...

upon the request of the anti-Teutonic

Prussian Confederation The Prussian Confederation (german: Preußischer Bund, pl, Związek Pruski) was an organization formed on 21 February 1440 at Kwidzyn (then officially ''Marienwerder'') by a group of 53 nobles and clergy and 19 cities in Prussia (region), Prussi ...

. After the subsequent

Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466) The Thirteen Years' War (german: Dreizehnjähriger Krieg; pl, wojna trzynastoletnia), also called the War of the Cities, was a conflict fought in 1454–1466 between the Prussian Confederation, allied with the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, a ...

, the settlement was a part of Poland as a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...

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 ru ...

. 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, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918. Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...

. 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 (175 ...

, in 1757–1762, the town was under

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

control. Afterwards it fell back to Prussia, and from 1871 it was also part of

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 ...

. The

Treaties of Tilsit The Treaties of Tilsit were two agreements signed by French Emperor Napoleon in the town of Tilsit in July 1807 in the aftermath of his victory at Friedland. The first was signed on 7 July, between Napoleon and Russian Emperor Alexander, when ...

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 o ...

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 Germany. While formally independent, it was a vassal state of the ...

and the

Duchy of Warsaw The Duchy of Warsaw ( pl, Księstwo Warszawskie, french: Duché de Varsovie, german: Herzogtum Warschau), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during ...

, 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 and Queen Louise resided. Also, in the former Schenkendorf Platz was a monument to the poet

Max von Schenkendorf Gottlob Ferdinand Maximilian Gottfried von Schenkendorf (11 December 1783 in Tilsit in East Prussia – 11 December 1817 in Koblenz) was a German poet, born in Tilsit and educated at Königsberg. During the War of Liberation, in which he took ...

(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 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 the Great Northern War. ...

, Tilsit was an important centre for printing Lithuanian books which then were smuggled by

Knygnešiai Lithuanian book smugglers or Lithuanian book carriers ( lt, knygnešys, plural: lt, knygnešiaĩ, label=none) transported Lithuanian language books printed in the Latin alphabet into Lithuanian-speaking areas of the Russian Empire, defying a ba ...

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 The Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland and other Slavic Countries ( pl, Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich) is a monumental Polish gazetteer, published 1880–1902 in Warsaw Warsaw ( p ...

'' 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 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 name ...

(

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 Polessk (russian: Поле́сск; german: Labiau; lt, Labguva; pl, Labiawa) is a town and the administrative center of Polessky District in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Kaliningrad, the administrative center of the oblast ...

) 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 Lithuanians. 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 one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The

Act of Tilsit The Act of Tilsit ( lt, Tilžės aktas) was an act, signed in Tilsit by 24 members of the National Council of Lithuania Minor ( lt, Mažosios Lietuvos tautinė taryba) on November 30, 1918. Signatories demanded unification of Lithuania Minor and ...

was signed here by leaders of the Lietuvininks in 1918.

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

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

, and a photo was taken of him on the famous bridge over the Neman River. During the war, expelled Poles from

German-occupied Poland German-occupied Poland during World War II consisted of two major parts with different types of administration. The Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany following the invasion of Poland at the beginning of World War II—nearly a quarter of the ...

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: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

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 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 nation ...

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

Tilsit cheese Tilsit cheese or Tilsiter cheese is a pale yellow semihard smear-ripened cheese, created in the mid-19th century by Prussian-Swiss settlers, the Westphal family, from the Emmental valley. The original buildings from the cheese plant still exist i ...

), 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 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 United Russia ( rus, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a Russian conservative political party. As the largest party in Russia, it holds 325 (or 72.22%) of the 450 seats in the State Duma , havin ...

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

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 A Germanophile, Teutonophile, or Teutophile is a person who is fond of German culture, German people and Germany in general, or who exhibits German patriotism in spite of not being either an ethnic German or a German citizen. The love of the ''Ge ...

. 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.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

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 runs ...

: 41,881 * 2002: 43,224 *2004: 43,300 * 2010: 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 Ort ...

: 3.5% * Lithuanians: 3.3% * Belarusians: 2.7%

Twin towns – sister cities

Sovetsk is twinned 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 ...

, Germany *

Lidzbark Warmiński Lidzbark Warmiński (; german: Heilsberg, ), often shortened to Lidzbark, is a historical town located within the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It is the capital of Lidzbark County. Lidzbark Warmiński was once the capital of ...

, 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, 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 fro ...

, Lithuania Former twin towns: *

Bełchatów Bełchatów () is a city in central Poland with a population of 55,583 as of December 2021. It is located in Łódź Voivodeship, from Warsaw. The Elektrownia Bełchatów, located in Bełchatów, is the largest coal fueled power plant in ...

, 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. ...

Notable people

Poehlmann Margarete Bilder Inter Frauenkongress 1904

* Daniel Klein (1609–1666), Lithuanian pastor and grammarian * Johann Christian Jacobi (1719–1784), German oboist *

(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 Friedrich Wilhelm Voigt (13 February 1849 – 3 January 1922) was a German impostor who, in 1906, masqueraded as a Prussian military officer, rounded up a number of soldiers under his "command", and "confiscated" more than 4,000 marks from a mu ...

(1849–1922), the inspiration for '' The Captain of Köpenick'' * Margarete Poehlmann (1856–1923), German educator and politician, first woman to speak in a Prussian parliament *

Gustaf Kossinna Gustaf Kossinna (28 September 1858 – 20 December 1931) was a German philologist and archaeologist who was Professor of German Archaeology at the University of Berlin. Along with Carl Schuchhardt he was the most influential German prehisto ...

or Kossina (1858–1931), archaeologist * Johanna Wolff (1858–1943), German author *

Max Scherwinsky Max Gustav Richard Scherwinsky ( lv, Maksis Gustavs Rihards Šervinskis; 1 November 1859 – 12 July 1909) was a German-born architect working mainly in Riga, the present-day capital of Latvia. Biography Max Scherwinsky was born in Tilsit (since ...

(1859–1909) German-born architect working mainly in Riga, Latvia *

Emil Wiechert Emil Johann Wiechert (26 December 1861 – 19 March 1928) was a German physicist and geophysicist who made many contributions to both fields, including presenting the first verifiable model of a layered structure of the Earth and being among the ...

(1861–1928), German geophysicist * Raphael Friedeberg (1863–1940), German physician and politician *

Max Gülstorff Max Walter Gülstorff (23 March 1882 – 6 February 1947) was a German actor and stage director. Biography Gülstorff was born in Tilsit, East Prussia. He first appeared in 1900 at the Rudolstadt municipal Theater and moved to Cottbus in 1908. ...

(1882–1947), German actor * Carl Brinkmann (1885–1954), German sociologist and economist *

Franz Scheidies __NOTOC__ Franz Scheidies (22 December 1890 – 7 April 1942) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during the Second World War and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Scheidis was killed by a Soviet snip ...

(1890–1942) general in the Wehrmacht during WWII *

Walter Weiß __NOTOC__ General Walter-Otto Weiß, also spelt Weiss (5 September 1890 – 21 December 1967), was a German general during World War II. In 1945 he became commander in chief of Army Group North on the Eastern Front. He was a recipient of the Kni ...

(1890–1967), German general during WWII. * Friedrich Schröder Sonnenstern (1892–1982), Illustrator *

Dick Shikat Richard I. Shikat (11 January 1897 – 3 December 1968) was a German professional wrestler and World Heavyweight Champion who was active in the early portion of the twentieth century. Shikat was considered to be one of the most dangerous 'hooker ...

(1897–1968) German professional wrestler and World Heavyweight Champion *

Frank Wisbar Frank Wisbar (born Franz Wysbar 9 December 1899 – 17 March 1967) was a German film director and screenwriter. Born in Lithuania, Wisbar directed more than 20 films between 1932 and 1967 in Germany and the United States, as well as amassin ...

(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 Franz Abromeit (8 August 1907 – 30 June 1964) was an SS officer and worked in the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA). He was guilty of war crimes against Jews, but escaped from Germany at the end of World War II in Europe. In 1964 he was declared ...

(1907–1964), SS officer, Reichssicherheitshauptamt ('' Judenreferent'') *

Joachim Sadrozinski Joachim Sadrozinski (9 September 1907 – 29 September 1944) was a German Army officer who took part in the 20 July plot.Erna Dorn (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 **G ...

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 __NOTOC__ ''Oberscharführer'' (, ) was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that existed between 1932 and 1945. ''Oberscharführer'' was first used as a rank of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) and was created due to an expansion of the enlisted positions ...

, 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 an ...

Johannes Bobrowski Johannes Bobrowski (originally ''Johannes Konrad Bernhard Bobrowski''; 9 April 1917 – 2 September 1965) was a German lyric poet, narrative writer, adaptor and essayist. Life Bobrowski was born on 9 April 1917Bobrowski, Johannes (1984). ''S ...

(1917–1965), German writer *

Werner Abrolat Werner Abrolat (15 August 1924 – 24 August 1997) was a German actor best known for his role as various characters in the West German crime-drama television series '' Tatort''. After a long career at provincial theatres in West-Germany Abrol ...

(1924–1997), German actor * Gunter Wyszecki (1925–1985), German-Canadian physicist *

Armin Mueller-Stahl Armin Mueller-Stahl (born 17 December 1930) is a retired German film actor, painter and author, who also appeared in numerous English-language films since the 1980s. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role i ...

(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 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 19 ...

(1940–2014), football player *

Klaus-Dieter Sieloff Klaus-Dieter Sieloff (27 February 1942 – 13 December 2011) was a German footballer who played as a defender. He spent 11 seasons in the Bundesliga with VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Mönchengladbach. He played in two World Cup Qualifying matches ...

(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 lineup ...

Victor Ivrii Victor Ivrii ( rus, Виктор Яковлевич Иврий), (born 1 October 1949) is a Russian, Canadian mathematician who specializes in analysis, microlocal analysis, spectral theory and partial differential equations. He is a professor a ...

(born 1949) a Soviet, Canadian mathematician * Andrei Sosnitskiy (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

, 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 ''The Journey to Tilsit'' (German: ''Die Reise nach Tilsit'') is a 1939 German drama film directed by Veit Harlan and starring Kristina Söderbaum, Philip Dorn and Anna Dammann. Synopsis Elske faithfully loves her husband Endrik as he is seduc ...

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