Timeline of Kaliningrad

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was known as Königsberg (Polish: Królewiec, Lithuanian: Karaliaučius) prior to 1945 and Twangste prior to 1255.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

Historical coat of arms of Königsberg

Coat of arms of Kaliningrad

Era of Teutonic Order

• 1255 – Fortress built by Teutonic Knights during Prussian Crusade, on the basis of a Prussian settlement Twangste.
• 1256 – Settlement formed north of the fortress.
• 1262 – Prussians begin to besiege castle during the Great Prussian Uprising.
• 1264 – Settlement developed south of the castle.
• 1286 – Königsberg chartered.^[1]
• 1300 – Town of Löbenicht built.^[2]
• 1324 – Town of Kneiphof founded.^[2]
• 1333 - Construction of Königsberg Cathedral begins.^[1]
• 1340 – Königsberg joins Hanseatic League.^[1]
• 1377 – Köttelbrücke (bridge) built.^[3]
• 1379 (or 1397) – Schmiedebrücke (bridge) built.^[4]
• 1380 – Cathedral built in Kneiphof (approximate date).
• 1387 – Kneiphof Town Hall renovated.

15th century

• 1440 – The city becomes a founding member of the anti-Teutonic Prussian Confederation.
• 1454
  • March: Inclusion of the city, in Polish known as Królewiec, within the borders of the Kingdom of Poland following a request of the Prussian Confederation.^[5]
  • March: The local mayor pledged allegiance to the Polish King during the incorporation of the region in Kraków.^[6]
  • March: City authorized by the Polish king to mint Polish coins.^[7]
  • April: City becomes the capital of the Królewiec Voivodeship within Poland.^[8]
• 1455 – Captured by Teutonic Knights during the Thirteen Years' War.
• 1457 – City becomes capital of the State of the Teutonic Order.^[1]
• 1464 – Georg Steinhaupt becomes mayor.^[3]
• 1465 – Landing force from Polish-allied Elbląg destroyed the shipyard near the Old Town, preventing the Teutonic Knights from rebuilding their fleet until the end of the Thirteen Years' War.^[9]
• 1466 – Second Treaty of Thorn: the city becomes a part of Poland as a fief held by the Teutonic Order.^[10]

16th century

• 1519–21 – Polish-Teutonic War. The city opposed the Teutonic Knights' war against Poland and demanded peace.^[11]
• 1520 – Mikolaj Firlej lays siege to the town^{[citation needed]}
• 1521–24 – Secularization of the Teutonic Order
• 1523 – Printing press in operation.^[12]
• 1525 – Treaty of Kraków: Königsberg/Królewiec becomes the capital of the Duchy of Prussia, Albert becomes first Duke of Prussia^[1] as a vassal of Poland.^[8] Treaty confirmed by city representatives.^[13]
• 1529 – Castle Library established
• 1542 – Pedagogium founded by Albert Hohenzollern in Kneiphof
• 1544 – Albertina University (Lutheran) founded by Albert, Duke of Prussia.^[2][1][8]
• 1545 – Oldest Polish catechism published by Jan Seklucjan.^[14]
• 1547 – Catechism of Martynas Mažvydas published.
• 1550 – Population: 14,000.^[11]
• 1553 – Oldest Polish translation of the New Testament, by Stanisław Murzynowski, published.
• 1560 – 28 March: King Sigismund II Augustus of Poland confers university privileges on the Albertina University,^[8] on a par with the Jagiellonian University.^{[citation needed]}
• 1561 – First acquisition of citizenship in the city by a Scot.^[15]
• 1566
  • Duke Albert attempted to introduce absolutist rule in violation of the Treaty of Kraków.^[13]
  • August–October: Stay and intervention of Polish Royal commissioners, restoration of the previous legal order.^[13]
  • 4 October: Decree expanding the rights of Polish rulers and of the nobility and cities in the duchy.^[13]
  • 22 October: Decree settling the city's conflict with Duke Albert, instituted by Polish Royal commissioners.^[16]
• 1568 – March: Albert Frederick becomes Duke of Prussia.
• 1577 – City opposes the regency of George Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach.^[16]
• 1579 – Renewed city resistance to the regency of George Frederick. The city supports the nobility's request to the Polish King to send a Polish Royal Commission to the city.^[16]
• 1580 – Arrival of George Frederick to establish his rule.^[16]
• 1590 – Green Bridge rebuilt.^{[citation needed]}
• 1594 – Schlosskirche (castle church) dedicated

17th century

• 1616
  • A Catholic church erected by order of King Sigismund III Vasa and the bishop of Warmia Szymon Rudnicki. It hosted Polish, German and Lithuanian services.^[17]
  • First German Reformed service held.^[18]
• 1618 – Duchy of Prussia passes under control of Electors of Brandenburg, August: John Sigismund becomes Duke of Prussia
• 1619 – December: George William becomes Duke of Prussia
• 1626 – City walls built.^[19]
• 1629
  • City refuses to pay taxes to the duchy.^[20]
  • Reformed cemetery founded.^[18]
• 1632 – King Władysław IV Vasa of Poland supports the city in its dispute with Duke George William.^[20]
• 1635
  • January: Agreement between the King of Poland and the city, granting the city the right to organize its military defense against a possible Swedish attack in exchange for exemption from taxes.^[20]
  • July: Visit of King Władysław IV Vasa.^[21]
  • July: Jerzy Ossoliński appointed the Polish governor of the duchy by King Władysław IV Vasa.^[21]
  • Jerzy Ossoliński completes the fortification of the city against a potential Swedish attack.^[21]
• 1636 – Visit of King Władysław IV Vasa.^[21]
• 1640 – December: Frederick William becomes Duke of Prussia
• 1645 – The King of Poland allowed the Reformed community to hold services in the castle.^[18]
• 1646 – Reformed congregation founded with its consistory composed of three Englishmen, two Dutchmen, two Germans, and one Scot.^[18]
• 1647 – Neurossgarten Church dedicated
• 1649 – Full religious freedom granted to the Reformed community by the Polish King.^[18]
• 1655 – First Polish Reformed Church service at the Königsberg Castle.^[22]
• 1657
  • Brandenburg Gate built.
  • Fort Friedrichsburg under construction^[2]
  • City opposes the rule of Elector Frederick William, and sides with Poland.
• 1658 – Reformed school founded.^[18]
• 1662
  • City sends a letter to King John II Casimir Vasa of Poland, opposing the rule of Elector Frederick William.^[23]
  • 8 July: Confederation formed in the city to maintain Poland's sovereignty over the city and region.^[23]
  • 27 October: The Brandenburg Elector and his army enter the city.^[23]
  • 30 October: Hieronymus Roth, leader of the city's anti-Elector opposition, abducted by Brandenburg forces, and then imprisoned.^[24]
• 1663 – City burghers, forced by Frederick William, swear an oath of allegiance to him, however, in the same ceremony they still also pledge allegiance to Poland.^[25]
• 1686 – French Huguenot community and congregation founded.^[26]
• 1688 – April: Frederick becomes Duke of Prussia.

18th century

• 1701
  • 18 January: Coronation of Frederick I of Prussia in the Schlosskirche.^[19]
  • Capital of Duchy of Prussia relocated from Königsberg to Berlin.
• 1706 – Polish Reformed congregation relocated from the Reformed school to the Reformed church.^[22]
• 1709 – Plague.^[19]

First issue of the Poczta Królewiecka newspaper, 1718

• 1718
  • City Library opens.^[27]
  • Poczta Królewiecka Polish-language newspaper begins publication (ceased in 1720).
• 1724
  • 22 April: Birth of Immanuel Kant, philosopher.^[1]
  • June: City of Königsberg expanded by uniting Altstadt, Kneiphof, and Löbenicht.^[1]
  • Königsberg City Archive is located in the Town Hall (approximate date).
• 1734 – 8 August: Polish King Stanisław Leszczyński stops in the city.^[28]
• 1735 – Math problem "Seven Bridges of Königsberg" presented.
• 1736
  • 26 January: Stanisław Leszczyński signed an act of renunciation of the Polish crown in the city.^[29]
  • 27 March: Stanisław Leszczyński left the city for France on March 27, 1736.^[29]
  • 29 July: Rococo French Reformed Church inaugurated.^[30]
• 1740 – French Reformed preachers houses built.^[26][30]
• 1756 – Synagogue built.
• 1758
  • 14 January: Forces of the Kingdom of Prussia withdraw from the city.^[31]
  • 16 January: Russian forces enter city.^[19]
  • 24 January: City becomes part of Russia.
• 1764 – Russian occupation ends.^[32]
• 1765 – Gumbinnen Gate built.
• 1780 – Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel becomes mayor.
• 1787 – French Reformed secondary school founded.^[26][30]
• 1790 – Königshalle built.

19th century

• 1804 – 12 February: Death of Immanuel Kant, philosopher.^[1]
• 1806 – Last Polish Reformed service held.^[22]
• 1807
  • French in power.^[19]
  • Members of the French congregation persuaded Napoleon to reduce war contributions from 20 to 12 million francs.^[26]
  • Reformed Castle Church and French Reformed Church used as a military hospitals.^[22][30]
• 1809 – Paradeplatz city garden established.

View of the city from circa 1810

• 1810 – August Wilhelm Heidemann becomes mayor.
• 1812 – School of church music founded.^{[citation needed]}
• 1813 – Koenigsberg Observatory built.
• 1814 – Carl Friedrich Horn becomes mayor.
• 1825 – French Reformed secondary school closed.^[26][30]
• 1826 – Johann Friedrich List becomes mayor.
• 1828 – Royal and University Library formed.^[27]
• 1830 – Population: 54,000.^[2]
• 1831 – Polish poet Wincenty Pol interned in the city following the unsuccessful Polish November Uprising. He wrote his first poems there.^[33]
• 1832 – French Reformed elementary school closed.^[26][30]
• 1833 – University's Department of Chemistry opens in Neurossgarten.^{[citation needed]}
• 1838 – Rudolf von Auerswald becomes mayor.
• 1843 – Polish Reformed Congregation dissolved.^[22]
• 1845
  • Union Giesserei foundry in business.
  • New Altstadt Church dedicated.
  • Art academy opens.^[34]
• 1851 – Grolman Bastion built.
• 1855
  • Sailing Club founded.
  • Rossgarten Gate rebuilt.
• 1856 – Königsberg Cathedral restored.^[1]
• 1858 – Dohna Tower built.
• 1860 – Astronomic Bastion built.
• 1861
  • 18 October: Coronation of William I, German Emperor, in the Schlosskirche.
  • Albertina University new campus dedicated.
• 1863–1864 – Arms trafficking for Polish insurgents during the January Uprising in the Russian Partition of Poland, co-organized by Wojciech Kętrzyński.^[35]
• 1867 – Population: 101,507.^[36]
• 1875
  • Johann Karl Adolf Selke becomes mayor.
  • Königsberg Stock Exchange built in Vorstadt.^[37]
• 1878 – Königsberger Allgemeine Zeitung (newspaper) in publication.^[38]
• 1880
  • Bronsart Fort built.
  • Population: 140,800.^[1]
• 1883 – High Bridge rebuilt.^{[citation needed]}
• 1886 – Siemering Museum established.^[39]
• 1889 – Eisenbahnbrücke (bridge) opens.^{[citation needed]}

Königsberg Castle in the 1890s

• 1890 – Population: 161,666.^[1]
• 1892 – Baltika Stadium opens.
• 1893 – Hermann Theodor Hoffmann becomes mayor.
• 1896 – Zoo founded.
• 1897 – Königsberger Tageblatt (newspaper) in publication.
• 1898 – Palaestra Albertina established.^[40]
• 1900
  • Football Club Königsberg formed.
  • Population: 187,897.^[32]

20th century

1900-1945

• 1901
  • Queen Louise Memorial Church and Pillau-Königsberg canal built.^[41][42]
  • Königsberger Volkszeitung [de] (newspaper) in publication.^[43]
• 1903 – Siegfried Körte becomes mayor.
• 1905 - Population: 219,862.^[1]
• 1906 – Bismarck tower built near city.
• 1907 – Church of the Holy Family built.
• 1912 – Stadthalle opens.
• 1913
  • New Tragheim Church dedicated.
  • Kunsthalle Königsberg (art gallery) opens.
• 1914 – City bombed by Russian forces.^[44]
• 1919
  • Hans Lohmeyer becomes mayor.
  • City becomes part of the German Reich.
  • Population: 260,895.^[45]
• 1920 – 24 April: Consulate of Poland opened.^[46]
• 1921 – Königsberg Devau Airport opens.

Aerial view of the castle and city centre in 1925

• 1927 – City Hall relocated to Hansaplatz.
• 1928 – Königsberg City Museum opens.
• 1929 – Central railway terminal opens.
• 1931 – Last Polish book in the pre-1945 city published.^[14]
• 1933 – Hellmuth Will becomes mayor.
• 1934 – Hansaplatz renamed Adolf-Hitler-Platz.
• 1939
  • Lasch Bunker built in Paradeplatz.
  • Population: 368,433.^[44]
  • 25 August: The local Gestapo issued an arrest warrant for all Polish teachers in the region.^[47]
  • August–September: Persecution of Poles, incl. mass arrests of Polish students and arrests of local Polish consul Jerzy Warchełowski and attaché Witold Winiarski.^[48]
  • October: The Germans established a forced labour camp for Romani people.^[49]
• 1941 – 1 September: Aerial bombing by Soviet forces begins.
• 1942 – 24 June: The Nazi SS sends the first deportation of Jews from Königsberg and the province of East Prussia to extermination camps.^[50]
• 1944
  • August: Aerial bombing by British forces; city extensively damaged.
  • 19 August: The Germans established a subcamp of the Stutthof concentration camp, in which around 500 Jews were subjected to forced labour.^[51]
• 1945
  • January: Subcamp of the Stutthof concentration camp dissolved.^[51]
  • January: Battle of Königsberg begins.
  • February: Metgethen massacre.
  • 9 April: Battle of Königsberg ends; Soviets in power.^[44]

1946-1990s

• 1946
  • April: City becomes part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, per Potsdam Agreement.^[52]
  • City renamed Kaliningrad after Bolshevik Mikhail Kalinin.
  • City becomes seat of the newly formed Kaliningrad Oblast.
  • Kaliningrad Regional Museum of History and Arts founded.
  • Kaliningradskaya Pravda newspaper begins publication.^[38]
• 1947 – Kaliningrad Regional Drama Theatre established.
• 1954 – Pishchevik Kaliningrad football club formed.
• 1956 – Population: 188,000.

Castle ruins in the 1960s

• 1960 – Theatre on Mira Avenue rebuilt.
• 1965 - Population: 253,000.^[53]
• 1967
  • Kaliningrad State University active.
  • French Reformed Church demolished.^[26]
• 1979
  • Khrabrovo Airport terminal built.
  • Kaliningrad Amber Museum opens.
• 1985 - Population: 385,000.^[54]
• 1988 – Kaliningrad State Art Gallery established.^[55]
• 1989 – Population: 401,280; oblast 871,283.
• 1990
  • Chamber of Commerce founded.^[56][57]
  • City opens to foreign tourists.^[58]
• 1994 – Kaliningrad State Technical University active.
• 1996 – Leonid Gorbenko becomes governor of Kaliningrad Oblast.^[59]
• 1998 – The Voice from the Pregel Polish-language magazine in publication.

21st century

• 2001 – Vladimir Yegorov becomes governor of Kaliningrad Oblast.
• 2005
  • July: 750th anniversary of city founding.^[60]
  • Kaiser Bridge reconstructed (approximate date).^{[citation needed]}
  • Georgy Boos becomes governor of Kaliningrad Oblast.
• 2007
  • Alexander Jaroschuk becomes mayor.^[61]
  • Khrabrovo Airport new terminal opens.^[62]
• 2008 – Cathedral of Christ the Saviour consecrated.
• 2010
  • 30 January: Protest against governor Georgy Boos.^[63]
  • Population: 431,500;^[64] oblast 941,873.
  • Nikolay Tsukanov becomes governor of Kaliningrad Oblast.
• 2012 – Poland-Russia border near Kaliningrad Oblast opens.^[65]

See also

• History of Kaliningrad
• Königsberg
• List of monarchs of Prussia, 1525-1701
• Timelines of other cities in the Northwestern Federal District of Russia: Pskov, St. Petersburg