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Калининградская область / Kaliningradskaja oblast' Kaliningrad province
Багратионовский район / Bagratonovskij rajon Bagratonovsk district

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Багратионовск
Bagrationovsk

en: Bagrationovsk lv: Bagrationovska, Preisišeilava, Prūšu Eilava hsb, pl: Bagrationowsk hu: Bagratyionovszk pl: Iława Pruska cs: Jílové de: Preußisch Eylau, Bagrationowsk lt: Ylava
el: Μπαγκρατιόνοφσκ
uk: Багратіоновськ be: Баграциёнаўск

Bagrationovsk (Russian: Багратионовск, until 1945 in German: Preußisch Eylau) is situated at an elevation of 70 m close to the border with Poland, about 40 km south-southeast of Kaliningrad, the administrative centre of the oblast. The municipality has a population of about 6,400 (2021).

In 1325, the Teutonic Knights built an Ordensburg castle called Yladia or Ilaw, later known as Preußisch Eylau, in the centre of the Old Prussian region Natangia. 'Ylow' is the Old Prussian term for 'mud' or 'swamp'. The settlement nearby developed in 1336. Due to its central position it was often used as meeting place for officials of the Order. Upon the request of the anti-Teutonic Prussian Confederation the region was incorporated into the Kingdom of Poland in 1454. During the subsequent Thirteen Years' War, in 1455, Teutonic Knights regained control of the settlement. After the war, in 1466, the settlement became a part of Poland as a fief held by the Teutonic Knights. Following the Polish–Teutonic War (1519–1521) it remained a part of Poland, now as a fief held by newly established secular Ducal Prussia. Preußisch Eylau received its civic charter in 1585. During the Napoleonic Wars, the Battle of Eylau (7–8 February 1807) involved the French troops of Napoléon Bonaparte, the Russian troops of General Levin August von Bennigsen, and the Prussian troops of General Anton Wilhelm von L'Estocq. In 1819, the town became the seat of the administrative district Preußisch Eylau. The town was connected to the railway in 1866. After 1933, large barracks were built by the Wehrmacht, and in 1935 Infantry and Artillery units were stationed there. At the end of World War II, in February 1945, the town was occupied by the Red Army, and in June of the same year the town was handed over to Poland. Under its historic Polish name Iławka, the town became a county seat, but Poles left again in December 1945, as the new borderline between the Soviet Union and Poland was set just at the southern outskirts of the town. In January 1946, the town became a part of the newly established Kaliningrad Oblast within the Russian SFSR and the town was given its present name, honoring General Pyotr Bagration, who was one of the senior Russian leaders in the Napoleonic Wars. The German population that had not already fled during the evacuation of East Prussia during the war was subsequently expelled in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement.

4802 Багратионовск (Bagrationovsk)
The monument for general L'Estoq [left, no. 4802: top left picture] was created in 1856 in the workshop of the architect Friedrich Stüler. The monument was unveiled on the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Eylau (7–8 February) in 1857. The sandstone obelisk has a total height of 10.6 metres, artfully structured in Gothic style elements. The lower part of the monument features medallions with the portraits of the army commanders, including the Russian General von Bennigsen, General L'Estocq and Christoph Friedrich von Diericke, who led the 1st Division in the Prussian corps.

The Teachers' Seminary [top right picture] was founded in 1834. It was used for the education of every East Prussian teacher until it was closed down in 1924.

The Kreishaus (District Office), the seat of the administration of the district Preußisch Eylau, was built in 1901. Today it houses a cultural and leisure centre, an art school for children and a museum on the history of the region (since 1993).



The former German name of Bagrationovsk was Preußisch Eylau (Prussian Eylau). Another glass in this collection is a souvenir from Iława, Poland, the former name of which was Deutsch Eylau (German Eylau).

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagrationowsk, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagrationovsk; https://www.bildarchiv-ostpreussen.de/cgi-bin/bildarchiv/suche/show_foto.cgi?lang=deutsch&id=96597]


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