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Russia's Kaliningrad Looks Westward

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Russia's Kaliningrad Looks Westward ons might be stolen or sold on the black coastal location adjacent to Poland’s market. northeast coast made it more reliable in Most students of European history rec- the winter. ognize present-day Kaliningrad as the The Soviets made the region of Königs- former Königsberg, capital of East Prus- berg a Russian oblast (an administrative sia. The U.S.S.R annexed Kaliningrad unit), an exclave of the Soviet Socialist in 1945 after the Potsdam agreement Republic, and renamed it and the city between the United Kingdom, U.S. and Kaliningrad. When the Soviet Union dis- U.S.S.R. ceded the city to the Soviets fol- solved in 1991 and Lithuania and Belarus lowing World War II. became independent countries, Kalin- RUSSIA’S Königsberg, situated on the Baltic Sea, ingrad became a true Russian exclave, KALININGRAD was a potential commercial and military isolated from Russia proper. That meant treasure for the Soviets. The Soviets des- Russians had to cross international bor- LOOKS WESTWARD perately wanted a port on the southern ders to reach the oblast. Baltic Sea, despite already having access The Kaliningrad oblast contains 5,830 Kaliningrad, Russia, is frequently in in the northern Baltic on the Gulf of Fin- square miles (15,100 sq km) today, almost the news in Eastern Europe, as it be- land at St. Petersburg/Leningrad. half the size of Connecticut. Three-quar- comes more and more westernized and Year-round water transport access to ters of its 940,000 inhabitants are classi- increasingly a tourism destination. This the north Baltic has long been problem- fi ed as urban, living in Kaliningrad city. small exclave is located between Lithu- atic for Russia. Russian Czar Peter the Kaliningrad’s population and culture ania and Poland, separated from Mother Great sought a window on the Baltic Sea are distinctly Russian. Toward the end of Russia by 225 miles (362 km). The Rus- by building St. Petersburg on the Gulf of World War II, most of the Germans who sian military hid nuclear weapons there Finland, a narrow and northern arm of occupied the city abandoned it. Rather following the devolution of the Soviet the Baltic. However, harsh winters often quickly, Kaliningrad was overwhelmed Union and many feared that the weap- iced in this famous port. Königsberg’s through “Russifi cation,” the process whereby people of Russian culture fl ood- Russian Territory and Kaliningrad ed in. Over the past 55 years, fi rst the Soviets and then the Russians made the © 2013 port city a major naval complex, mostly Russian Territory off limits to Westerners until recently. 0 250 mi A recent article in the Christian Science 0 250 km Monitor (Dec. 9, 2012) called Kaliningrad a “Russian island encircled by Europe,” with strong European cultural infl uences ATLANTIC and loosening Russian infl uences. Kalin- OCEAN ingrad’s citizens are easily able to visit Gdansk, Poland, and Berlin, Germany, FINLAND RUSSIA bringing back both western culture and SWEDEN western goods. Few other parts of Russia NORWAY approach the high quality of life found in St. Petersburg Kaliningrad today. ESTONIA It is interesting to see landscape, eco- North a nomic and cultural changes occurring e Sea S in Kaliningrad. As the city’s history is LATVIA Moscow i c showcased and tourism is encouraged, lt DENMARK a UNITED B LITHUANIA Kaliningrad continues to look ever more KINGDOM westward and away from Russia. Kaliningrad BELARUS The political trajectory of this Russian NETH. enclave seems to portend an increasingly POLAND progressive future. GERMANY And that is Geography in the News™. BELGIUM UKRAINE CZECH January 11, 2013. LUX. REPUBLIC KIA OVA MOLDOVA SL IA RY Co-authors are Neal FRANCE AUSTR GA SWITZ. HUN Lineback, Appalachian ROMANIA State University Professor ITALY Black Sea Emeritus of Geography, Geography in the News 1/11/13 M. Shears and Geographer Mandy Lineback Gritzner. University News Director Sources: GITN #557 Russia’s Hot Exclave: Kaliningrad, Feb. 2, 2001; and Jane Nicholson serves as Admundsen, Michael, “Kaliningrad: A Russian Island Encircled by Europe,” technical editor. Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 17, 2012..
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