Zelenogradsk
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Old postcard of Cranz, East Prussia (now Zelenogradsk) |
Zelenogradsk ( (); (); ) is a town in
Kaliningrad Oblast,
Russia. Population: 12,400 (
2004 est.); 12,509 (
2002 Census).
The town, located on the
Sambian coastline near the
Curonian Spit on the
Baltic Sea, is a popular weekend resort for vacationers from
Kaliningrad, located 30 km to the south.
The site of today's Zelenogradsk was originally an
Old Prussian fishing village on the Baltic. The area became controlled by the
Teutonic Order and settled with
Germans. The German name
Cranz, originally
Cranzkuhren, derives from the
Old Prussian word
krantas, meaning "the coast". For most of its history it remained a small village in
East Prussia.
During the
19th century, the village became the primary bathing resort for the
Kingdom of Prussia on the East Prussian coastline, especially after the construction of a railway line connecting the village with Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) in
1885. From
1816–
1895 it was known as
das königliche Bad, or "the royal bath/resort". Despite the increase of tourists, the fishing industry remained strong; smoked
flounder was a regional delicacy. Although it had over 6,000 inhabitants before the beginning of
World War II, it did not have
town privileges.
The area was overrun by the
Soviet Red Army during World War II and annexed to Russia, although it suffered minimally through warfare. The German population fled during the
evacuation of East Prussia or was
expelled. The village, renamed from Cranz to
Zelenogradsk or "Green City" in Russian, received a civic charter after
1945.
The tourism industry was neglected during the
Cold War and Zelenogradsk's tourism primacy was relinquished to nearby
Svetlogorsk. This policy changed in recent years. Zelenogorsk is becoming more popular with Russian vacationers, and many rich
Muscovites own private houses in the area.
*
Volker Lechtenbrink (born 1944), actor
*
Carl Steffeck (1818-1890), painter
*
Beate Uhse-Rotermund (1919-2001), aviator and entrepreneur
