Bagrationovsk

Infobox Russian city
EnglishName = Bagrationovsk
RussianName = Багратио́новск
GermanName = Preußisch Eylau
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LatDeg=54
LatMin=23
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LonDeg=20
LonMin=38
LonSec
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CityDay=
FederalSubject=Kaliningrad Oblast
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LeaderType=Head (Mayor)
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Area_km2=
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Population=7,216
PopulationRank=
FoundationDate=
Event1=Founded
Event1Date=1336
Event2=Town status
Event2Date=1585
Event3=Renamed
Event3Date=
PostalCode=238420
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Bagrationovsk ( _ru. Багратио́новск; _de. Preußisch Eylau; _lt. Yluva or "Prūsų Ylava"; _pl. Pruska Iława or "Iławka") is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located some 37 km south of Kaliningrad. Population: ru-census|p02=7216|p89=6728

History

In 1325 the Teutonic Knights built a castle called "Yladia" or "Ilaw", later known as "Preussisch Eylau", in the center of the Old Prussian region Natangia. Ylow is the Old Prussian term for mud or swamp. The settlement nearby developed slowly, but in 1348 the Teutonic Order gave the privilege to establish 12 pubs at the surronding area of the castle. Even though the village had only a few inhabitants, due to its central position it was often used as meeting place for different officials of the Order. In 1427 e.g. the Eylau County Law ( Eylauer Landesordnung ) was published by the Order. Throughout the Thirteen Years' War the castle was besieged on May 24, 1455 by troops of the Prussian Confederation under the command of Remschel von Krixen, but the garrison defeated these troops. Also throughout the horsemen's war in 1520 the castle was unsuccessfully besieged by Troops of the Polish Kingdom, which caused a devastation of the village itself.

Preußisch Eylau received its civic charter in 1585. In 1709 - 11 the Bubonic Plague caused the death of 2212 inhabitants of the Eylau area.

The bloody Battle of Eylau (7-8 February 1807) during the Napoleonic Wars involved the French troops of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Russian troops of General Bennigsen and Prussian troops of General Anton Wilhelm von L'Estocq.

While only 3 inhabitants of Eylau died throughout the battle, 605 persons died due to hunger and diseases in the year 1807 (average death rate in "normal" years: 80 - 90). Napoleon used the local court — house as his headquarter in Eylau on February 7, - 17, 1807.

On April 1, 1819 the town became capital of the administrative district Pr. Eylau (Kreis Pr. Eylau). In 1834 a Teacher — Seminar was founded, educating every East Prussian teacher until its close-down in 1924. The town was connected to the railway on September 2, 1866. In August 1914 throughout World War I the town was occupied without a struggle by Russian troops on August 27, 1914, but these troops left again on September 3, 1914.

After 1933 large barracks were built by the Wehrmacht and in 1935 Infantry and Artillery units were stationed here.

In 1945 the Soviet Red Army occupied the town on February 9, 1945 throughout the East Prussian Offensive by troops of the 55. Guard — Division "Irkutsk -Pinsk" commanded by Generalmajor Turtczinski. The German population that had not already fled during the evacuation of East Prussia was subsequently expelled, the last transport left on November 23, 1947. Soviet NKVD established a Prison — camp for German civilians inside the former Wehrmacht barracks in 1945 - 49, with an estimated number of prisoners of 13,000 and 6,000 people dying.

In early August 1945 Polish officials took over the administrative power in the town, but left again on January 1, 1946, as the new borderline between the Soviet Union and Poland was set just at the southern skirt of the town. The Polish administrative area south of the border was called "Powiat Ilawka" until 1958.

In January 1946 the town became part of the Russian Kaliningrad Oblast and the town's name was changed from Preußisch Eylau to "Bagrationovsk", honouring General Pyotr Bagration, who had served as a Russian officer in the Napoleonic War's Battle of Preußisch Eylau.

Today the main border crossing point between Russia and Poland (Bezledy/Bagrationowsk) is located 2 km south of the town.

Population

*1782 : 1,453
*1804 : 1,816
*1820 : 1,631
*1846 : 2,630
*1852 : 2,988
*1871 : 3,719
*1885 : 3,547
*1890 : 3.446 (including 42 Catholics, 42 Jews)
*1900 : 3,248
*1910 : 3,270
*1925 : 3,787
*1933 : 4,123
*1939 : 7,485 (including 1,185 military personnel)
*1946 : 2,275 (including 1,339 Germans )
*1968 : 4,300
*2002 : 7,216

Twin towns

*Verden (Aller) (Germany)
*Górowo Iławeckie (Poland)

References

*Horst Schulz, Preußisch Eylau — eine Kreisstadt in Ostpreußen, Lübeck 1998 (German)
*Horst Schulz, Der Kreis Preußisch Eylau, Verden 1983 (German)
*Wolf, Dr. Horst, Ich sage die Wahrheit oder ich schweige, Leer 1983 (German)