Poland's General Directorate for National Roads and Highways says it will replace all road signs with the name "Kaliningrad" by mid-June. By the decision of the country's Commission on Standarization of Geographical Names, the city will be called "Królewiec", like it used to be called before WWII.
The Ministry of Infrastructure said in a statement send to Polish Press Agency (PAP) on Wednesday (May 31) that first road signs with the name "Kaliningrad" have been already replaced with new ones saying "Królewiec". The new signs can be found at national road no. 51 in Dywity and Dobre Miasto, and at road no. 57 in Wozławki and Lutry.
Poland's General Directorate for National Roads and Highways says it will replace all road signs with the name "Kaliningrad" by mid-June. In total, there are 26 such signs in the region bordering the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. They can be found at roads no. 51, 54, 57, as well as S16 and S51.
"Królewiec" officially replaces "Kaliningrad"
By the decision of the country's Commission on Standarization of Geographical Names, the city will be called "Królewiec", like it used to be called before WWII, while the whole Kaliningrad exclave will be called "Obwód Królewiecki". The resolution became effective the day it was published - on May 9.
The Ministry of Development and Technology told PAP in a statement the change of the name was initiated by local governments and backed by the minister. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a positive opinion regarding the concept, underscoring that Poland was returning to traditional names related with the country's history and national heritage.
The ministry also assured the change had a symbolic character and did not question the region's nationality. Furthermore, the change would not impose any new regulations for businesses or the necessity to update documents. However, the ministry said, the name "Królewiec" would appear on maps.
Królewiec, Königsberg, and Kaliningrad
The city was established around the castle raised by Teutonic Knights in 1255, which they named Coningsberg in tribute to King Ottokar II of Bohemia, who had led the the two crusade expeditions against the pagan Old Prussians.
Prior to 1255, the establishment was called Twangste. The traditional name of the city in German and Prussian was Königsberg, Karaliaučius in Lithuanian, Karalaučiem in Latvian, Královec in Czech, and Korolewiec in Russian.
A university city, home of the Albertina University (founded in 1544), Königsberg developed into an important German intellectual and cultural center, being the residence of Simon Dach, Immanuel Kant, Käthe Kollwitz, E. T. A. Hoffmann, David Hilbert, Agnes Miegel, Hannah Arendt, Michael Wieck, and others.
After WWII, the city was annexed by the Soviet Union, while the whole former Prussian province was split between Poland and the USSR.
The name Królewiec/Königsberg was replaced with Kaliningrad in 1946, to pay tribute to one of Stalin's main associates M.I. Kalinin, known for co-approving of the decision to execute thousands of Polish officers in Katyń in 1940.
Traces of the city's German heritage can be seen in the surviving Brandenburg Gate and the riverside Fishing Village, a dining and shopping destination with re-created medieval-style buildings
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: Ministerstwo Infrastruktury