Everything about Kaliningrad Oblast totally explained
Kaliningrad Oblast (
Kaliningradskaya oblast; informally called
Yantarny kray (meaning
amber region) is a
federal subject (an
oblast) of
Russia on the
Baltic coast.
Despite being the westernmost part of the Russian Federation, it has no land connection to the rest of Russia since the
fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Since then it has been an
exclave of Russia surrounded by
Lithuania and
Poland. Borderless travel to the main part of Russia is only possible by sea or air. This political isolation became more pronounced when Lithuania and Poland both became members of the
European Union and
NATO, and entered the
Schengen Zone, which means that the oblast is surrounded by the territories of these organizations as well.
Its largest
city and the administrative center is
Kaliningrad (
formerly known as Königsberg), which has historical significance as both a major city of
Prussia and the capital of the former
German province
East Prussia, partitioned after
World War II between the
USSR and
Poland. Population: 968,200 (2004 est.); ; .
Geography
Kaliningrad Oblast is a non-contiguous
exclave of Russia surrounded by
Lithuania,
Poland, and the
Baltic Sea.
Geographical features include:
Politics
The current governor (since 2005) of Kaliningrad Oblast is
Georgy Boos, who succeeded
Vladimir Yegorov.
The EU and Russia have had serious political debate over Kaliningrad. The recent enlargement of the EU (2004) saw Poland and Lithuania become member states meaning Kaliningrad now has land borders only with the EU. Issues of security have been at the forefront of debate, with high relevance to the
Schengen Agreement.
History
East Prussia
The region of Kaliningrad Oblast was inhabited during the
Middle Ages by tribes of
Old Prussians in the western part, and
Lithuanians in the eastern part by the
Pregolya and Alna rivers. The
Teutonic Knights conquered the region and established a
monastic state. On the foundations of a destroyed Prussian settlement known as Tvanksta, the Order founded the major city Königsberg, the current
Kaliningrad.
Germans and
Poles resettled the territory and assimilated the indigenous Old Prussians. The
Lithuanian-inhabited areas became known as
Lithuania Minor. In 1525, Grand Master
Albert of Brandenburg secularised the Prussian branch of the Teutonic Order and established himself as the sovereign of the
Duchy of Prussia, the Polish fief, later inherited by the
Margravate of Brandenburg. The region was reorganized into the Province of
East Prussia within the
Kingdom of Prussia in 1773.
East Prussia was an important centre of German culture. Many important figures, such as
Immanuel Kant, originated from this region. The cities of Kaliningrad Oblast, despite being heavily damaged during
World War II and after, still bear typical German architecture, such as
Jugendstil, showing the rich German history and cultural importance of the area. The Lithuanian-speaking population in East Prussia diminished due to Germanization; in the early 20th century Lithuanians made up a majority only in the far northeast of East Prussia, the rest of the area being predominantly German-speaking.
The Memel Territory (
Klaipėda region), formerly part of northeastern East Prussia, came under Lithuanian control in 1923 after
World War I. After coming to power in
Weimar Germany, the
Nazis radically altered about a third of the place names of this area by Germanizing most names of Old Prussian or Lithuanian origin in 1938.
Kaliningrad Oblast
During
World War II the
Soviet Red Army entered the eastern-most tip of East Prussia on
August 29,
1944. Rumours of massacres committed by the Soviet troops spread panic in the province and caused a mass flight westward. More than two million people were
evacuated, many of them via the
Baltic Sea. The remaining population was deported after the war ended and the area was repopulated primarily by
Russians and, to a lesser extent, by
Ukrainians and
Belarusians (see
"Demographics", below).
The
Potsdam Agreement of world powers assigned northern East Prussia to the
Soviet Union pending the final determination of territorial questions at the peace settlement:
VI. CITY OF KOENIGSBERG AND THE ADJACENT AREA
The Conference examined a proposal by the Soviet Government that pending the final determination of territorial questions at the peace settlement the section of the western frontier of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics which is adjacent to the Baltic Sea should pass from a point on the eastern shore of the Bay of Gdansk to the east, north of Braunsberg and Goldap, to the meeting point of the frontiers of Lithuania, the Polish Republic and East Prussia.
The Conference has agreed in principle to the proposal of the Soviet Government concerning the ultimate transfer to the Soviet Union of the city of Koenigsberg and the area adjacent to it as described above, subject to expert examination of the actual frontier.
The President of the United States and the British Prime Minister have declared that that'll support the proposal of the Conference at the forthcoming peace settlement. (External Link
)
In 1957, an agreement was signed and later came into force which delimited the boundary between Poland and the Soviet Union. (Full text:
(External Link), for other issues of the frontier delimitation see
(External Link))
According to some accounts from the times of
Nikita Khrushchev (1953-1964), the Soviet government had planned to make the rest of the area a part of the
Lithuanian SSR immediately after World War II. The area was administered by the
planning committee of the LSSR, although the area had its own Party committee. However, the leadership of the Lithuanian SSR (especially
Antanas Sniečkus) refused to take the territory mainly because of its devastation during the war. Instead the region was added to the
Russian SFSR and since 1946 it has been known as Kaliningrad Oblast. According to some historians,
Joseph Stalin created it as an oblast separate from the LSSR because it further enclosed the
Baltic republics from
the West.
(External Link) Names of the towns, cities, rivers, and other geographical objects were changed into newly-created Russian ones.
The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the independence of the
Baltic states physically isolated Kaliningrad Oblast from the rest of Russia. Some ethnic Germans began to migrate to the area, especially
Volga Germans from other parts of Russia and
Kazakhstan, especially after Germany stopped granting free right of return to ethnic Germans from the former Soviet Union. The economic situation has been badly affected by this isolation (and the large reduction in the size of the Russian military garrison which was previously one of the major employers), especially when neighbouring nations imposed strict border controls when they joined the
European Union. Russian proposals for visa-free travel between the EU and Kaliningrad have so far been rejected by the EU.
In recent times, the situation started to change, but very slowly. Germany and Lithuania have renewed contact with Kaliningrad Oblast through
town twinning and other projects. This has helped to promote interest in the history and the culture of the East Prussian and
Lietuvininkai communities.
Military
Kaliningrad Oblast is the most militarized area of the
Russian Federation and the density of military installations is the highest in Europe. Kaliningrad is a headquarters of Russian
Baltic Fleet circled by
Chernyakhovsk (air base),
Donskoye (air base),
Kaliningrad Chkalovsk (naval air base).
The Washington Times claimed on January 3 2001, citing anonymous intelligence reports, that Russia had transferred tactical nuclear weapons into a military base in Kaliningrad for the first time since the Cold War ended. Russian top-level military leaders denied those claims. Pentagon spokeperson stated that deployment would violate Russian pledge that Russia were removing nuclear weapons from the Baltics. Russia and the United States announced in 1991 and 1992 a non-binding agreement to reduce arsenals of tactical nuclear weapons. On the eve of the reunification of Germany,
Helmut Kohl promised
Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO's military infrastructures wouldn't move eastward into the territory of
East Germany, a fact since confirmed by the former U.S. Ambassador to Moscow
Jack Matlock. Later Russia was privately assured that Eastern European states wouldn't seek membership in NATO. Today both Central European and Baltic countries are NATO members.
Time zone
Kaliningrad Oblast is located in the
Eastern European Time Zone (known locally as the
Kaliningrad Time Zone or the Russia Zone 1).
UTC offset is +0200 (USZ1)/+0300 (USZ1S).
Administrative divisions
Demographics
Population
According to the
2002 Census the population of the region was 955,281 (78% urban; 22% rural). Kaliningrad
Oblast is the fourth most densely populated in the Russian Federation, with 62.5 persons per sq.km. Almost none of the pre-World War II Lithuanian population (
Lietuvininks) or German population remain in Kaliningrad Oblast.
Ethnic groups
According to the
2002 Census the 'national composition' included
786,885 Russians (82.37%)
50,748 Belarusians (5.31%)
47,229 Ukrainians (4.94%)
13,937 Lithuanians (1.46%)
8,415 Armenians (0.88%)
8,340 Germans (0.87%)
4,729 Tatars (0.50%)
3,918 Poles (0.41%)
2,959 Azeris (0.30%)
2,320 Mordvins (0.24%)
2,027 Chuvash (0.21%)
1,599 Jews (0.17%)
1,447 Roma (0.15%)
1,116 Moldovans (0.12%)
738 Chechens (0.08%)
709 Latvians (0.07%)
681 Georgians (0.07%)
631 Kazakhs (0.07%)
631 Uzbeks (0.07%)
562 Bashkirs (0.06%)
504 Yezidi (0.05%)
448 Mari (0.05%)
433 Ossetians (0.05%)
382 Udmurts (0.04%)
359 Lezgins (0.04%)
346 Bulgarians (0.04%)
and 309 Tajiks (0.03%)
as well as other groups of less than three hundred persons each. An additional 0.93% of residents declined to state their nationality or ethnocultural identity on the census questionnaire.
Economy
According to official statistics, the Gross Regional Product of the Kaliningrad Oblast was 115,000 mln. roubles
Industry
The region has transport (railcars) and heavy equipment (crane) plants. Car and truck assembly (GM, BMW, KIA, YUEJIN) and production of auto parts are growing industries. There are shipbuilding facilities in Kalinigrad and Sovetsk. Food processing is a mature industry in the region.
Natural Resources
Kaliningrad Oblast possesses more than 90% of the world's amber deposits. Most of the mined amber is processed outside of the region, both in Russia and in other countries.
There are small oil reservoirs beneath the Baltic Sea not far from Kaliningrad's shore. Small-scale offshore exploration started in 2004 and some Baltic countries (Poland and Lithuania), as well as local NGOs voiced concerns regarding possible environmental impact.
Fishing
Fishing is one of the important regional industries, with big fishing ports in Kaliningrad and Pionerskoe and lesser ones in Svetly and Rybachy.
Power generation
Average yearly power consumption in the Kaliningrad Oblast was 3.5 bln kWh in 2004 with local power generation providing just 235 mln. kWh. The balance of energy was imported from neighbouring countries. A new Kaliningrad power station was built in 2005, covering 50% of the Oblast's energy needs. A second power station is scheduled to enter service in 2010, making the Oblast independent from electricity imports. There are plans to build two nuclear power reactors in the eastern part of Kaliningrad.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Kaliningrad Oblast'.
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