Planetarion Forums

Kurashima · 11 May 2003, 22:26

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/image...nia_203map.gif

Now , according to this, either a small land mass between Poland And Lithuania is in fact part of Russia , and has not yet seceded from Russia and claimed its own independence.

or

The BBC's graphics department needs shot.

Can anyone advise what this area of Russia is known as , well known towns , etc etc , if it at all exists?

SYMM · 11 May 2003, 22:30

It exists.
Will look for info now...

Its called Kaliningrad, and there's a site about it here

Toop · 11 May 2003, 22:39

It's true, it's still a part of Russia

.

I did a quick google and it came up with this

wu_trax · 12 May 2003, 00:14

yes, that part is russian.
before ww2 it was part of germany, but after the war it didnt fall to Poland (for reasons unkown to me), it also wasnt part of Lithuania so it became part of russia after the su fall apart.

Apothos · 12 May 2003, 10:47

They're also planning a high-speed rail link (which only stops at either end) between it and the rest of Russia so it isnt totally cut off when Belarus, Poland and Lithuania join the EU.

wu_trax · 12 May 2003, 10:49

Belarus isnt going to join the eu, theyd rather join russia

Apothos · 12 May 2003, 10:53

My mistake. :)

Marilyn Manson · 12 May 2003, 10:55

I'm quite astonished that you're ignorant about this.

The area in question is a small area, that in the long distant mists of time, was part of an area known as The Duchy of Prussia. Now, Brandenburg, which was a state around modern day Berlin inherited this area at about 1600, if memory serves. Eventually, a chap called Fredrick I of Brandenburg was sick of just being a German elector, and decided he wanted to be a King. However, The royal title was forbidden to states within The Holy Roman Empire, which Brandeburg was. So, Fredrick had himself crowned 'King in Prussia', in 1701, and Frederick The Great eventually secured the title 'King of Prussia' several generations earlier.

Prussia (As the Prusso-Brandeburg sstate became known as) then went on to become the dominant German state, and unite Germany under it's stewardship after The Franco-Prussian war, all the time holding on to the area we are intrested in (East Prussia, whose chief city, Konigsberg, as it then was, was quite substantial and produced quite a few worthies. Kant was born there, I think, or at the very least, he lived out his life there.), until WW1, when it lost the land link between East Prussia and Germany, as Poland needed it's coridor for sea access.

Germany eventually lost East Prussia completely after WW2, when Russia grabs it, and also tells all the Germans in the city to piss off back to Germany. The Soviets also re-name Konigsberg 'Kallingrad' (Which it's still called, incidentally) after Mikhail Kallinin, Soviet President for a time, I believe.

And so, we come to today, when the area is suffering something of an identity crisis, for obvious reasons.

Now thank me for educating you.

Marilyn Manson · 12 May 2003, 11:08

Quote:

Originally posted by wu_trax
Belarus isnt going to join the eu, theyd rather join russia

We wouldn't let them join, anyway, even if they wanted to.

They should get rid of that twat Lukasheko ASAP.

wu_trax · 12 May 2003, 11:46

im still wondering why ploand didnt get that part though.

Marilyn Manson · 12 May 2003, 12:14

Quote:

Originally posted by wu_trax
im still wondering why ploand didnt get that part though.

I would assume it was simply because Stalin wanted it for some reason. It's strategic value, I'd imagine. Having a concrete base in The Baltic would be very useful - Wasn't it the base of the Baltic fleet? (Still is?)

Reidy · 12 May 2003, 12:36

Quote:

Originally posted by Marilyn Manson
I would assume it was simply because Stalin wanted it for some reason. It's strategic value, I'd imagine. Having a concrete base in The Baltic would be very useful - Wasn't it the base of the Baltic fleet? (Still is?)

Russia needed its base in the south of the baltic sea so that during the winter it would still be able to launch/repair its navel fleets rather than have them trapped in the ice further north.

wu_trax · 12 May 2003, 13:05

Quote:

Originally posted by Marilyn Manson
I would assume it was simply because Stalin wanted it for some reason. It's strategic value, I'd imagine. Having a concrete base in The Baltic would be very useful - Wasn't it the base of the Baltic fleet? (Still is?)

but Lithuania etc were part of the su anyway, so there already was enough room for naval bases

Marilyn Manson · 12 May 2003, 13:08

Quote:

Originally posted by wu_trax
but Lithuania etc were part of the su anyway, so there already was enough room for naval bases

I know. I assume it has something to do with not trusting any of the other states or republics to be given control over it. Mabye Stalin thought it would be more secure if Moscow had the right of direct administration over it.

ELeeming · 12 May 2003, 15:26

Quote:

Originally posted by Kurashima
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/image...nia_203map.gif

Now , according to this, either a small land mass between Poland And Lithuania is in fact part of Russia , and has not yet seceded from Russia and claimed its own independence.

or

The BBC's graphics department needs shot.

Can anyone advise what this area of Russia is known as , well known towns , etc etc , if it at all exists?

you = owned. kind of anyway (going by your tone of voice)

Kallingrad contains the famous seven bridges that are an exercise in Graph Theory. Really.