I have always used the name Königsberg. I do not intend to honor the Soviet criminal Kalinin, whose signature is under the order to kill Polish officers, Deputy Minister of Culture and National Heritage Jarosław Sellin said on TV Republika.
“For me – as a historian – it was always Königsberg”
At the April meeting, the Committee for Standardization of Geographical Names Outside the Republic of Poland, working under the Chief National Surveyor, decided that only the Polish name Królewiec is recommended for the city of Kaliningrad and for the Kaliningrad Oblast, the Królewiec Oblast. . The resolution entered into force on the day of its publication on the Commission’s website, ie 9 May this year.
This is nothing new to me. I am from Gdańsk, due to my journalistic duties I visited this region of Russia in the 1990s. This is the only region of present-day Russia that I have met. I have never used the term Kaliningrad. For me – as a historian – that was always Königsberg
– emphasized the deputy head of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
“I do not intend to honor the criminal Kalinin”
He recalled that “Kalinin was one of those Stalinist criminals whose signature appears under the order to kill Polish officers as part of the Katyn massacre.”
He is honored in the name of this city, first by the Soviets and now by the Russians. For me it’s a name that won’t go down my throat. I do not intend to honor the criminal Kalinin
he stressed.
He also noted that “Królewiec is a wonderful historical Polish name for the city created by the Teutonic Knights as Königsberg.”
Poles soon began to use the name Królewiec, especially from 1466, from the Second Peace of Toruń, when half of the territory of the German state was incorporated directly into the Kingdom of Poland, and the other half – tribute, the name Królewiec was In normal use
– said Jaroslaw Sellin.
“The change is symbolic
According to the Ministry of Development and Technology in information provided to PAP, the name change was an initiative of local government officials, supported by a request from the Minister of Development and Technology. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a positive advice. The ministry stressed that Poland is returning to traditional nomenclature related to our history and cultural heritage.
The change is symbolic and does not refer to the nationality of the Kaliningrad region
noted the ministry.
It indicated that the change does not create any new obligations for entrepreneurs or the need to update documents.
The name Königsberg will be included on the maps
the resort added.
We don’t want Russification in Poland, so we decided to change name Kaliningrad and Kaliningrad Oblast to our native language. Appointment imposed on us and artificial, which is not related to our history. The fact that a large city close to our border is named after MI Kalinina, ie a criminal co-responsible for, among other things, issuing the decision on the mass murder of Polish officers in Katyn in 1940, evokes negative emotions in Poland
– emphasized the Minister of Development and Technology Waldemar Buda.
He added that the city’s Russian name is an artificial creation unrelated to the city or region.
The events related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the imposition of the so-called the Russian mir, Russia’s waging of the information war – all this makes us look at the issue of imposed names in a different way, which caused great controversy and did not were accepted in Poland
said the Minister of Development Cooperation.
For centuries the city was called Königsberg
The Ministry of Agriculture and Tourism recalled that Königsberg was built around the castle built in 1255 by the Teutonic Knights at the mouth of the Pregoła River. This castle was named Coningsberg, or Royal Mountain, in honor of the Czech king – Przemysł II Ottokar, who led the German army during their expedition against Prussia. The town is traditionally called Karaliaučius in Lithuanian, Karalauč in Latvian, Královec in Czech and its historical Russian name is Korolevets.
Königsberg was part of the Order State for almost 300 years, after which it was within the borders of Prussia and Germany for more than 400 years. Königsberg was dependent on Poland for 190 years, when these areas were a Polish fiefdom. After World War II, the city became part of the USSR (and within it the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic), and in 1946 the Moscow authorities changed the name to Kaliningrad, which had been used in Russia until now.
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aja/PAP
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.