The Truth About Kaliningrad Trivia Quiz

Answer: True

Kaliningrad was once known as Königsberg, a name that literally means "King's Mountain" in German. The city was founded in 1255 by the Teutonic Knights, a German Catholic military order, during their campaigns in the Baltic region. It was named in honour of King Ottokar II of Bohemia, who had supported the Teutonic conquest of the area.

Situated on the banks of the Pregel River, Königsberg became the capital of East Prussia and flourished as a cultural and academic hub for centuries.

The city was especially known for its universities and philosophers - Immanuel Kant, one of the most influential thinkers of the Enlightenment, was born and educated there and never left the city in his lifetime. His grave still lies near the ruins of the Königsberg Cathedral.

During World War II, the city was heavily bombed by British and Soviet forces. After Germany's defeat, Königsberg and the surrounding territory were annexed by the Soviet Union under the Potsdam Agreement in 1945. The remaining German population was expelled, and the city was renamed Kaliningrad in 1946. Today, almost no ethnic Germans remain in the area, and little of Königsberg's old architecture has survived.

Answer: False

Kaliningrad only became part of Russia in 1945, at the end of World War II. Before that, it was the German city of Königsberg, capital of East Prussia. The city had been German-speaking for centuries and was never under Russian rule until it was conquered by the Red Army in the final months of the war.

The change was formalized at the Potsdam Conference, where the Allies agreed to transfer the northern part of East Prussia to the Soviet Union. The region was then repopulated with Soviet citizens - mostly ethnic Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians. In 1946, Königsberg was renamed Kaliningrad, and its German identity was systematically erased.

Since then, the region has remained under Russian (formerly Soviet) control. However, traces of its pre-Russian past still linger in place names, archaeological sites and reconstructed buildings. Despite some local and international interest in restoring the city's historical name, no serious political movement has emerged, and Kaliningrad remains a fully integrated part of the Russian Federation.

Answer: True

Kaliningrad was renamed in 1946 after Mikhail Kalinin, one of the original Bolsheviks and a ceremonial head of state of the Soviet Union. Kalinin had no personal ties to the city and had never visited it, but his name was chosen as part of a broader Soviet policy to replace German heritage with Soviet symbols.

This renaming was not unique - many places across the USSR were rebranded to reflect ideological loyalty. Streets, towns and even entire regions across the country were renamed in honour of communist leaders, revolutionaries and military victories.

Ironically, Kalinin's own legacy was re-evaluated after the fall of the Soviet Union, with many cities and institutions removing his name. For instance, Tver, a city north-west of Moscow, was known as Kalinin from 1931 to 1990, after which it reverted to its historic name. Yet the name Kaliningrad has remained - despite occasional calls in cultural debates to restore the city's original name, Königsberg.

Answer: True

Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave, meaning it is a part of Russia that is completely separated from the mainland. It shares no direct border with the rest of the Russian Federation and is instead surrounded by Lithuania, Poland and the Baltic Sea.

This isolation is a legacy of the Soviet era. After the USSR dissolved in 1991, Kaliningrad remained Russian, while Lithuania gained independence and eventually joined the EU and NATO. Since then, travelling from Kaliningrad to the rest of Russia has required passing through at least two foreign countries.

This has created complex logistical and diplomatic challenges, particularly during periods of heightened tension between Russia and Western countries. Nevertheless, Kaliningrad remains firmly under Russian governance.

Answer: True

Kaliningrad lies over 300 kilometres west of the Russian mainland, making it the most westerly region of the Russian Federation. Situated on the south-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, it is bordered by Poland to the south and Lithuania to the north and east.

The region spans about 15,000 square kilometres - a similar size to Northern Ireland - and includes diverse landscapes such as coastal dunes, forests, rivers and cities. It has held strategic value for centuries, first as a Prussian port and now as the home of Russia's Baltic Fleet, headquartered in the ice-free port of Baltiysk.

Kaliningrad's unique geographical location has made it both a military outpost and a cultural outlier, as it is isolated from the rest of Russia and surrounded by the European Union.

Answer: True

Kaliningrad has two land borders - with Poland to the south and Lithuania to the north and east. To the west, it meets the Baltic Sea, providing maritime access to Northern Europe.

These borders were established in 1945 when the northern part of East Prussia became part of the Soviet Union and the southern part was awarded to Poland. Following the collapse of the Iron Curtain, both of Kaliningrad's neighbours joined the EU and NATO, effectively turning the region into a Russian enclave surrounded by Western countries.

Cross-border travel became easier in the 2000s when there were visa-free travel zones for nearby Polish regions. However, these were suspended in 2016, and crossing the border today requires a visa and can involve long delays.

Answer: False

Kaliningrad is located on the Baltic Sea, not the Caspian Sea. The Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea bordered by Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Sweden and Finland. Kaliningrad's ports, especially those in Baltiysk, are strategically important because they remain navigable year-round.

In contrast, the Caspian Sea is located far to the southeast and is bordered by Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. While Russia does have cities on the Caspian, such as Astrakhan, Kaliningrad is over 2,000 kilometres away.

Access to the Baltic Sea is crucial for the region's military and trade activities, which is one of the reasons why Kaliningrad continues to play a prominent role in Russia's foreign policy.

Answer: False

According to the 2024 census, over 85% of Kaliningrad's population is ethnically Russian. The remainder comprises small ethnic minorities, including Belarusians, Ukrainians, Armenians, and Lithuanians. There is a small Polish minority, but it is nowhere near large enough to form a majority.

Despite bordering Poland, the region was never repopulated with Poles. Following the Second World War, the entire German population was expelled and the area was resettled with people from across the Soviet Union. This new population brought the Russian language, culture and governance.

In the early 2000s, cross-border trade and shopping increased due to relaxed travel agreements with north-eastern Poland, but these were suspended in 2016. Today, Polish cultural influence is minimal, and Kaliningrad remains firmly Russian.

Answer: False

Although Kaliningrad has German roots, German is not an official language in the region today. The only official language is Russian, and all education, government and public communications take place in Russian.

Following the expulsion of the native German population after 1945, the city was repopulated with Soviet citizens. Consequently, the German language disappeared from daily life.

That said, German is taught in some schools as a foreign language, and there is growing interest in the region's Prussian heritage. Parts of old Königsberg, such as the cathedral, have been restored, and some cultural events acknowledge the city's historical German identity. Still, this remains a matter of heritage, not administration.

Answer: False

Like the rest of Russia, Kaliningrad uses the Russian rouble as its official currency. Despite bordering two European Union countries - Poland and Lithuania - which use the euro, Kaliningrad remains fully integrated into Russia's national economic and monetary system.

Over the years, some analysts have speculated that Kaliningrad's proximity to the EU might foster stronger economic or cultural ties with its neighbours. While cross-border trade and tourism were active for a time, particularly in the 2000s, Russia has always maintained firm control over Kaliningrad's currency, infrastructure and governance. Even when foreign banks and retailers were present in the city, the rouble remained the only currency accepted for everyday use.