Regierungsbezirk Königsberg was a ''

Regierungsbezirk A ' (, 'governmental district') is a type of administrative division in Germany. Currently, four of sixteen ' (states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts ' (plural, ) serve as regional mid-level local gov ...

'', or government region, of the Prussian province of

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

from 1815 until 1945. The regional capital was

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

(since 1946, Kaliningrad).

History

In 1808 during the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, East Prussia was divided into ''Regierungsbezirke''

Gumbinnen Gusev (; ; ; ) is a town and the administrative center of Gusevsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Pissa and Krasnaya Rivers, near the border with Poland and Lithuania, east of Chernyakhovsk. It is p ...

and Königsberg, comprising the western parts of the former

Duchy of Prussia The Duchy of Prussia (, , ) or Ducal Prussia (; ) was a duchy in the region of Prussia established as a result of secularization of the Monastic Prussia, the territory that remained under the control of the State of the Teutonic Order until t ...

and the territory of the Prince-Bishopric of Warmia, annexed by Prussia in 1772. On November 1, 1905, the southern

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 ...

of the two regions were separated to create ''Regierungsbezirk'' Allenstein. According to the Prussian census of 1905, the reduced Regierungsbezirk Königsberg had a population of 893,427, of which around 96% were

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

and 4% were

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

, who were mainly concentrated in the districts of Labiau and Memel. Regierungsbezirk Königsberg was dissolved in 1945 when East Prussia was partitioned between

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

(

Kaliningrad Oblast Kaliningrad Oblast () is the westernmost federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of the Russian Federation. It is a Enclave and exclave, semi-exclave on the Baltic Sea within the Baltic region of Prussia (region), Prussia, surrounded by Pola ...

) after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Districts in 1937

As of December 31, 1937

Urban districts

(Pr)

Rural districts

# Bartenstein (Ostpr.) (

Bartoszyce Bartoszyce (pronounced ; , ) is a town on the Łyna River in northern Poland, with 22,597 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the capital of Bartoszyce County within the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. Geographical location Bartoszyce lies on t ...

today) # Braunsberg (Ostpr.) ( Brainewo today, Brunsberga between 1466-1772 and 1945–1946) # Fischhausen (Seat: Fischhausen) (Primorsk today) # Gerdauen ( Zheleznodorozhny today, pronounced "Jeleznodorojni") # Heiligenbeil (

Mamonovo Mamonovo (, , or , ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, near the border with Poland. Population figures: Etymology Mamonovo is named after a Soviet Commander, , killed in action near Pułtusk on ...

today) # Heilsberg (

Lidzbark Warmiński Lidzbark Warmiński (; , ), 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 Warmia and fo ...

between 1466-1772 and since 1945) # Königsberg i. Pr. # Labiau ( Polessk today) # Mohrungen ( Morąg today) # Preußisch Eylau (

Bagrationovsk Bagrationovsk (; , ; or '; or ') is a town and the administrative center of Bagrationovsky District in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located close to the border with Poland, south of Kaliningrad, the administrative center of the oblast. It has a ...

today, Ilawka between 1945 and 1946) # Preußisch Holland ( Pasłęk today) # Rastenburg (

Kętrzyn Kętrzyn (, until 1946 ''Rastembork''; ) is a town in northeastern Poland with 27,478 inhabitants (2019). It is the capital of Kętrzyn County in the Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship. The town is known for the surrounding Masurian Lakeland and num ...

today, Rastembork between 1945 and 1950) # Wehlau ( Znamensk today)

Districts in 1945

As of January 1, 1945

Urban districts

Rural districts

# Bartenstein (Ostpr.) # Braunsberg (Ostpr.) # Gerdauen # Heiligenbeil # Heilsberg # Labiau # Mohrungen # Preußisch Eylau # Preußisch Holland # Rastenburg # Samland (seat:

) # Wehlau

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koenigsberg (region) States and territories disestablished in 1945 East Prussia Government regions of Prussia Königsberg States and territories established in 1808 1815 establishments in Prussia