Kaliningrad is located at the confluence of the Pregoli River to the Kaliningrad Gulf, just where the Teutonic knights once laid a powerful stone fortress in the 12th century. Prior to this, there was a small Prussian fortified settlement, not very well fortified and serving as a place of lodging for numerous commercial caravans. It was near the castle that Konigsberg was founded, and it received the status of a city in 1286. After a couple of centuries, Konigsberg became the capital of the powerful Teutonic Order, remaining so even after the order was transformed into the Prussian Duchy.
The nineteenth century was the key to Konigsberg’s history. It was at this time that it was rapidly developing, after which it became a major commercial and industrial center of European scale. In 1919, Devau Airport was opened in the city, which further strengthened its position.
During the Second World War, the city was heavily destroyed, not by any means Soviet troops, but by British aviation. The city went under the Soviet Union after the war. The German occupants were evicted from its territory, and Soviet citizens moved to the city. The city was named Kaliningrad in honor of the outstanding Soviet party leader, "All-Union elder" Mikhail Kalinin. After the war, historical buildings never recovered, and the ruins of the ancient castle were completely demolished.
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