Pravdinsk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pravdinsk, prior to 1945 known by its German name Friedland im Ostpreußen (German: Friedland in Ostpreußen), (Russian: Правдинск (help·info); (pronunciation ); Lithuanian: Romuva; Polish: Frydląd) is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. It is the administrative center of Pravdinsky District. Pravdinsk lies on the Lava River approximately 30 km from Bagrationovsk. Population: 4,480 (2002 Census); 4,143 (1989 Census).
The town was founded by the Teutonic Order in Prussia as a ford across the Alle River (Lava) in 1312. On June 14, 1807 Napoleon won the Battle of Friedland there over a combined Russian-Prussian army. The town was transferred from German to Russian control at the end of World War II in 1945, and renamed from Friedland to Pravdinsk (Pravda meaning "truth" in Russian). In the middle of Pravdinsk is the Church of St. George, now a Russian Orthodox church.
According to some early accounts, Romuva allegedly was the name of the center of Baltic paganism (and Romuva is the Lithuanian and most likely Old Prussian name for this town). However, the accounts are considered by some historians to be a misinterpretation based on the fact that Romuva sounded similar to Rome; the early chroniclers, not knowing any religion other than Christianity, may have expected Baltic Paganism to be similar in having a single center and a single leader, which was possibly not the case.
 |
Cities and towns in Kaliningrad Oblast |  |
| Administrative center: Kaliningrad Bagrationovsk | Baltiysk | Chernyakhovsk | Guryevsk | Gusev | Gvardeysk | Krasnoznamyonsk | Ladushkin | Mamonovo | Neman | Nesterov | Ozyorsk | Pionersky | Polessk | Pravdinsk | Slavsk | Sovetsk | Svetlogorsk | Svetly | Zelenogradsk |
 |
This Northwestern Russia location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
