|
Quicknation Poland Pilawa
|
|
Pilawa
)– is a Russian sea port in the strait between Vistula Bay and Gdansk Bay, called Strait of Baltiysk on the territory of Kaliningrad Oblast with about 20,000 inhabitants. It is located at 54°39′N 19°55′E. Baltiysk is, along with Kaliningrad, one of two year-round, ice-free ports along the Russian Baltic Sea coastline. The town is a major naval base of the Russian Navy and a ferry port on the route to Saint Petersburg, Russia.
History
The city was likely founded as a village in Prussia before XVII century. During the Thirty Years War a battle between Sweden and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took place, where the port was captured by Swedes. Gustavus Adolphus landed in the city with reinforcements for the Swedes on May 1626. After the ceasefire in Altmark (1629) the Swedes were given control of the city, which they retained for several more years. The city was granted city rights in 1725. During the Second World War, Pillau was a part of East Prussia and held a U-boat training facility. In 1945, as the Red Army advanced on the area, about 450,000 German refugees were ferried from Pillau to central and western Germany. After the war, much of East Prussia was annexed by the Soviet Union, and the German inhabitants were expelled. As a result of a program of Russification, the city's name was changed to Baltiysk. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer) Donate to Wikimedia
-->