Gvardeysk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gvardeysk (Russian: Гварде́йск (help·info); German: Tapiau (help·info); Lithuanian: Tepliava/Tepliuva; Polish: Tapiawa/Tapiewo) is a town in the Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Pregolya River some 38 km east of Kaliningrad. Population: 14,572 (2002 Census).
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[edit] History
The site of Gvardeysk was first documented in 1255 as a fort of the Old Prussians. The Teutonic Knights built a castle there from 1283–90; archives of the Order were kept in the castle from 1469–1722. As Tapiau, the town became part of the Duchy of Prussia in 1525 and the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701. It was part of the Prussian Province of East Prussia and was administered in Landkreis Wehlau (1818-1945). Tapiau became part of the German Empire during the unification of Germany in 1871.
Unlike most other towns in northern East Prussia, Tapiau was largely undamaged during World War II. Following the war's end in 1945, it was annexed by the Soviet Union and renamed Gvardeysk in 1946. The German population evacuated or was expelled westward and replaced by Russians.
[edit] Sights
Sights of Gvardeysk include a church from 1502 and a ruined castle, reconstructed into an orphanage in 1879.
[edit] Notable residents
- Albert, Duke of Prussia (1490-1568), died in Tapiau
- Lovis Corinth (1858-1925), painter born in Tapiau
[edit] External links
- Website on Tapiau (Russian)
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Cities and towns in Kaliningrad Oblast |  |
| Administrative center: Kaliningrad Bagrationovsk | Baltiysk | Chernyakhovsk | Guryevsk | Gusev | Gvardeysk | Krasnoznamyonsk | Ladushkin | Mamonovo | Neman | Nesterov | Ozyorsk | Pionersky | Polessk | Pravdinsk | Slavsk | Sovetsk | Svetlogorsk | Svetly | Zelenogradsk |
