Od Königsberga do Kaliningradu. Nazwy miast jako miejsca pamięci
From Königsberg to Kaliningrad. City Names as Places of Memory

Summary/Abstract: The article looks at the question of the renaming of cities in the Kaliningrad region, i.e. the northern part of former East Prussia. After World War II, this territory underwent profound changes as it was annexed to the Soviet Union and the German population was expelled to make way for the Soviet settlers. The first part of the analysis covers the renaming of the cities and other geographical entities. It is understood as an element of the Soviet historical policy and a way of making this culturally unknown environment more familiar to newcomers. City names are understood as places of memory (lieux de mémoire), which undoubtedly play a crucial role in creating identities and collective memory. In the second part, the author addresses the discussion on the proposals for changing once again the name of the city of Kaliningrad, as this issue emerged when the Soviet Union collapsed.

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