Kaliningrad (Russian: Калининград; ; former German name Königsberg; Lithuanian: Karaliaučius; Polish: Królewiec) is a seaport city and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. The territory borders on NATO and EU members Poland and Lithuania, and is geographically separated from the rest of Russia.
The locality was a site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement/fort Twangste. In 1255, a new fortress was built on this site by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named "Königsberg" in honour of King Ottokar II of Bohemia. The town was part of the State of the Teutonic Order, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Prussia and Germany (until 1945). Until the end of World War II, the area formed the northern part of the former East Prussia. The town was largely destroyed during World War II; its ruins were captured by the Red Army in 1945 and its German population fled or was forced out. It was named Kaliningrad in 1946 in honor of Mikhail Kalinin.
According to the 2010 Census, its population was 431,902—an increase from 430,003 recorded in the 2002 Census. Its ethnic composition is 77.9% Russians, 8.0% Belarusians, 7.3% Ukrainians, 1.9% Lithuanians, 0.6% Germans, and 0.5% Poles.
Read more about Kaliningrad: Geography, Changing Kaliningrad's Name, Administrative and Municipal Status, Climate, Transportation, Economy, Military, Poles in Kaliningrad, Sports, Notable Residents