Photo excursion - Pre-war Kaliningrad (Königsberg) (647 photos) (part 2)

8 September 2012

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Category: travel, 0+

Etymology of the name

The core of the city was the castle, which, when founded in 1255, received the name “Royal Mountain” (in Latin Regiomontum, later Regiomonti, in German Königsberg). According to the most common version, it was named after the King of the Czech Republic, Přemysl Ottokar (with whose decisive help it was founded). However, there are other interpretations of the toponym, for example, from the Prussian toponym of Gothic origin Konungaberg, where kuniggs is the head of the clan (prince), berg is the shore, shore.

Since the founding of the castle, neighboring peoples usually called it in their own languages: Lit. Karaliaučius, Polish. Królewiec (Królewiec) (in Old Polish Kralowgród - Royal Castle), Czech. Královec (Kralovec). Under the name Korolevets (Korolevets) or Korolevits, the castle and the area around it have been mentioned for a long time, starting from the 13th century, in various Russian sources: chronicles, books, atlases. In Russia, this name was widely used before Peter I and, occasionally, in a later period, until the beginning of the 20th century, including in fiction, for example, in the texts of M. Saltykov-Shchedrin. However, after Peter I and before the renaming in 1946, Russians more often used the German version.

Until 1721, only the castle officially bore the name Königsberg, although long before that, in everyday life, the population united three adjacent cities under this name.