Russian Federation
student from 01.01.2025 until now
St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
student from 01.01.2025 until now
St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
This article examines the process of the symbolic appropriation of the urban space of former Königsberg by the Soviet authorities during the first post-war decades. The problem stems from the unique situation created by the 1945 transfer of East Prussia to the USSR: the new residents received an entirely "foreign" urban environment that required symbolic reworking. Based on academic literature (works by Yu.V. Kostyashov, V.N. Maslov, G.V. Kretinin, M.V. Berendeev) and published documents, the authors identify and analyse the main directions of this process: renaming of toponymic objects, resettlement policy and formation of a new social community, differentiated attitude towards architectural heritage, and construction of a regional Soviet historical narrative. The study employs problem-chronological and historical-comparative methods together with elements of memory politics analysis. The conclusion is drawn that Kaliningrad represents a distinctive model of symbolic appropriation of territory, combining total toponymic replacement, selective preservation of architectural heritage and the gradual formation of a regional identity based on the Soviet narrative of the return of "originally Slavic lands" while inevitably coexisting with the physical presence of the Prussian past.
Kaliningrad, Königsberg, East Prussia, historical memory, toponymic policy, symbolic space, regional identity
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