Sovetsk, Kaliningrad Oblast
Sovetsk (; until
1946: ; ; ) is a town on the south bank of
Neman River in
Kaliningrad Oblast,
Russia. It is located at . Population: 43,278 (
2004 est.); 43,224 (
2002 Census).
Tilsit, which received civic rights in
1552, grew up around a castle of the
Teutonic order, known as the Schalauner Haus, founded in
1288. It owes most of its interest to the
peace treaty signed here in July
1807, the preliminaries of which were settled by the emperors
Alexander and
Napoleon on a raft moored in the Neman. This treaty, which constituted the kingdom of
Westphalia and the
duchy of Warsaw, registers the nadir of
Prussia's humiliation under Napoleon.
During the 19th century when
Lithuanian language was banned in
Russia, Tilsit was an important center for printing Lithuanian books which then were smuggled by
Knygnešiai to the
Russian-controlled part of Lithuania. In general, Tilsit thrived back then and was an important city. It was one of the centers of
Lithuania Minor. The
Act of Tilsit was signed here by leaders of the
Lietuvininks in
1918. It remained a part of Germany until
1945, when it was transferred to the
Soviet Union following the
Second World War.
*The poet
Max von Schenkendorf was born at Tilsit in
1784*
Friedrich Wilhelm Voigt, (1849-1922), the real "
Hauptmann von Köpenick"
*
Gustaf Kossinna (
Kossina), (1858-1931),
archaeologist*
Johannes Bobrowski (1917-1965), writer
*
Carl Brinkmann*
Armin Mueller-Stahl (1930-), actor
*
John Kay (1944-), lead singer of the popular late
1960s rock band
Steppenwolf*
Edgar Froese (1944-), the founder and leader of the
electronic music group
Tangerine Dream*
Karl Hermann Martell, actor
*
Kristel Neidhart (1933-), writer
Hitler visited the town just before the start of the World War II, and there is a famous picture of him on the bridge over the river.
|
A road bridge connecting Sovetsk to Panemunė in Lithuania |
Although great numbers of buildings were destroyed during the World War II and afterwards, some examples of
German Jugendstil (German form of
Art Noveau) still remain in the center, a reminder of the golden age of the town. The bridge of Queen Louise, now connecting the town to
Panemunė in
Lithuania, also retains an old styled arch; prior to the war, the bridge was even more impressive.
After being called Tilsit for more than 600 years, the city was renamed to "Sovetsk" by the new communist rulers in 1945, meaning "council town". It is now under jurisdiction of
Nemansky District.
Modern Sovetsk has tried to take advantage of Tilsit's rich traditions of
cheese production (
Tilsiter), yet the new name
Sovetsky does not catch on.
