Koenigsberg Burning

On the nights of August 26 and 27 and August 29 and 30, 1944, Elfriede Neumann sat in her Taplacken farmhouse and listened to the drone of the planes as the British dropped 480 tons of bombs on the nearby city of Koenigsberg, the beautiful capital of East Prussia, Germany.  Churchill had called Koenigsberg a "modernized heavily defended fortress" and targeted it for attack.  The initial raid resulted in minimal damage; however, the second raid inflicted sheer terror in the hearts of the Koenigsberg residents.  Only nine months had elapsed since the Neumann family had sat for their family portrait at a studio in the city, the last time that Elfriede saw her husband alive; now he was missing in action on the Eastern front and his home province was under siege.

The bombing destroyed all seven bridges in the city.  The university was obliterated.  Many churches were targetted inlcuding the centuries-old Koenigsberg Cathedral, on an island in the Pregel River, which took a direct hit.  One hundred Koenigsbergers, including many children, were hiding beneath the church's large spire and were killed instantly.  This was not just a regular bombing, but a fire bombing.  Thousands of civilians drowned themselves in the Pregel River, their clothes burning as they ran into its waters.  Even the magnificent King's Castle was bombed (see my post "The Amber Room") and damaged, although its frame remained intact.  Statues were smashed and landmarks demolished.  Ninety percent of the 700-year-old city was destroyed.  Koenigsberg burned for an entire week and smouldered for several more weeks.  People were forbidden to enter the city.    The British had sent 800 bombers to fly over the city and drop incendiary bombs, tracking a path from the North train station to the Main train station.  Almost all of the cultural buildings, like the university, cathedral, and castle, were hit by the raids.  One hundred and fifty thousand citizens were made homeless as a result of the bombings.

Elfriede's sister, Doris, saw it all happen from her parents' farm in Nautzwinkel, a village only a few kilometres from the East Prussian capital.  She was called in by the Red Cross to help the victims of the bombings.   The fire departments and air defence were rendered helpless.  A makeshift hospital set up at the outskirts of the city was where Doris and other volunteers tended the wounded.  In the centre of the city, even those who took cover in basements were incinerated due to the intense heat of the incendiary bombs, including napalm.  The bombing of Koenigsberg was like a prelude to the attack on Dresden six months later.  When the smoke cleared, all that was left was a charred ruins.  Incandescent traces of red and orange lingered above the city for days.  Koenigsberg, the bustling metropolis where Elfriede had once shopped with her family, now resembled a ghost town.

Dedicated to my husband Rob's Oma, Elfriede Neumann (1911-2007).



Portrait of Koenigsberg Castle courtesy http://en.wikipedia.org

Photo of Koenigsberg Castle ruins courtesy www.amberroom.org

Koenigsberg Cathedral Rebuilt

On August 30, 1944, 100 people, mostly children, hid under the spire of the Koenigsberg Cathedral, covering their ears to block out the sound of the bombs exploding over their heads (http://alinefromlinda.blogspot.ca/2011/08/koenigsberg-burning.html).  Sadly, the bombs killed most of the people in the church that day.  However, the 600 year old Gothic cathedral, which sat on an island in the Pregel River, remained, the only building left standing on the island.  In the decades after the war, nature started to overtake the burnt out shell of the cathedral.  In the 1960's, there was talk of demolishing the cathedral, just as they demolished the Koenigsberg Castle, but local residents would have no part of its destruction.

Koenigsberg cathdedral prior to its restoration circa 1988 courtesy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6nigsberg_Cathedral.

In the early 1990's, with the opening of the Soviet Union to foreigners, people showed a renewed interest in the Koenigsberg Cathedral.  In 1994, a new spire was added to the roof using a helicopter.  Over the next decade, Koenigsberg Cathedral's interior was rebuilt, including an Orthodox chapel, a Lutheran chapel and a museum.  The Lutheran chapel is the location of where the 100 Koenigsbergers hid during the Second World War Allied bombing of their city.

Koenigsberg Cathedral today courtesy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6nigsberg_Cathedral.

Note:  For more information, read A Childhood Under Hitler and Stalin by Michael Wieck.

The Historical Geography of East Prussia

East Prussia, a state in Germany, existed for about 800 years.  The region was widely forested before the Teutonic Knights arrived around 1300.  It was also composed of bogs and marshes.  Certain sections, like the area where my husband's Oma lived, featured rolling hills.  Others were dotted with small likes, like Masuria.  Several rivers ran through the province including the Nieman and Pregel. The annual temperature was 20 degrees Celsius in the summer; their winters were extremely cold, although it was milder near the sea. 

The six geographical areas in East Prussia were:

1.  Memel Lowlands
2.  Plains of Northern East Prussia
3.  Isolated Heights
4.  Central Depression
5.  Baltic Heights
6.  Southern Sand Plains

East Prussian land was excellent for growing crops or raising cattle due to its grassy pastures.  It was known as the Breadbasket of Germany.  This is why Mennonites moved to the area in the 1500's and farmed the land.

Koenigsberg Remembered

“A homeland is truly lost when one keeps silent about it, when no one remembers it anymore.” (Siegfried Lenz)

I watch footage of peacetime Koenigsberg, East Prussia and am struck by the beauty of the city:  its turreted castle, its red brick churches, its Tudor style shops, its magnificent architecture, its pretty parks, its meandering river, its gorgeous gardens, its charm.  I see the hustle and bustle as people walk up and down its cobblestone streets.  I can almost feel the vibe in the air.  It is a city full of culture, full of character, full of history.  I can only imagine what it would have been like to visit the capital city when Rob’s Oma was young.  Now it is but a memory, bombed by the Allies, razed by the Soviets, officially part of Russia.

Koenigsberg, population 375,000 in 1939, was a city of churches, castles, culture and character.  The Teutonic Knights arrived 700 years before.  The Koenigsberg castle was erected in the 16^th and 18^th centuries. They also built a wall around their heavily fortified fortress.  A city grew up around the castle, filled with massive brick churches, Tudor style shops, hotels and restaurants.  Horse and carriages travelled on the cobblestone streets, followed by streetcars and later automobiles.  The large boulevards, lined by trees, filled with pedestrians making their way from shop to shop.  East Prussian farmers made their way up and down the streets with their carts loaded with potatoes and vegetables, ready to sell them at the market. 

 

Down by the wharf sat fishing boats bringing in their catch for the day.  Rowboats floated up and down the Pregel River under arched bridges.  Sailboats from Germany’s oldest sailing club founded in 1855, made their way down the river.  Bigger boats floated under the drawbridge which lifted for them to pass.  A canal was dug between Koenisberg and Pillau in 1901, increasing trade between East Prussia and Russia.

                                 

The University of Koenigsberg, founded in 1544 by Duke Albert, was filled with students ready to listen to the lectures of philosopher Immanuel Kant.  Poles were among the first professors at the University of Koenigsberg.  While Koenigsberg was overwhelming German, its population was also composed of Poles, Jews Lithuanians and Russians.  It was considered to be a pluralistic city. 

Koenigsberg also boasted an Academy of Painting, a School of Music and a School of Business, making the city an academic centre.

Koenigsberg was a publishing centre of Polish literature.  The first Polish translation of the New Testament took place there in 1551.  The first Lutheran catechism was printed there in 1547.  The Royal Library, which held 200,000 volumes on its shelves, opened in Koenigsberg Castle in 1534.  It was used often by the university students in town.  Its most famous librarian was the philosopher Immanuel Kant who worked there in the 1700’s.  

The railroad has always been a foundation for the city’s commerce.  It also served as a way to transport troops to the Russian border.  The Prussian Eastern Railway linked Koenigsberg with the city of Berlin in 1853 along with towns like Breslau, Thorn, Insterburg, Tilsit, Pillau and Eydtkuhnen.  In 1860, a railroad was completed from Berlin to St. Petersburg, thereby increasing trade between Prussia and Russia.  Koenigsberg got its first tram in 1895.

The Koenigsberg Zoo opened in 1896 under the direction of the Tiergarten Society.  At the time it had 893 specimens representing 262 species.  By 1911, East Prussian children could ride on their resident elephant named Jenny.  Adults were charged 50 pfennigs to enter and children were charged 20 pfennigs.  The Botanical Gardens, planted in 1811, flourished under Koenigsberg’s sunny skies.

Bakeries flourished on the city’s alleyways where specialties like marzipan were served, a Koenigsberg creation.  Butchers sold oshsenblut or ox blood.  Restaurants served Koenigsberger Pleck or bovine tripe soup as an appetizer.  Wineries sold kopsklekelwein or currant wine and barenfang or a honey liqueur with a vodka base.    Koenigsberg, however, was known more for its breweries of which there were 224 in 1774.

The capital of East Prussia was also a Protestant stronghold.  Its oldest church was St. Nicholas.  The Cathedral Church, on an island in the middle of the Pregel River, was also a magnificent building.  One of the only churches to survive the Allied bombing of 1944 was the Dom Cathedral. 

The French Army captured Koenigsberg in 1814 and Emperor Napoleon paid a visit to the East Prussian capital.  Finally, in 1900, 12 forts were constructed around the city of Koenigsberg as a stronghold.  Russian troops arrived in the city again in 1914 at the opening of the First World War, but they were driven back by the East Prussians.