Narmeln Нармельн Narmeln, Polski (German) | |
|---|---|
Abandoned village (abolished) | |
_mi%25C4%2599dzywojnie.jpg) View of Narmeln (before 1930) | |
 Interactive map of Narmeln | |
  Narmeln Location of Narmeln Show map of Russia Narmeln Narmeln (Kaliningrad Oblast) Show map of Kaliningrad Oblast | |
| Coordinates:54°28′01″N19°40′06″E / 54.46694°N 19.66833°E /54.46694; 19.66833 | |
| Country | Russia |
| Federal subject | Kaliningrad Oblast[1] |
| Administrative district | Baltiysky District[1] |
| Coaching inn | 1489[1] |
| Abolished | 1945[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.6 km2 (0.23 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Estimate (1970)[1] | 0 |
Narmeln (Russian:Нармельн,Polish:Polski), alternatively known asPolski,[1] is anabandoned village inBaltiysky District ofKaliningrad Oblast,Russia. It is located on theVistula Spit, on the border withPoland, thewesternmost point of Russia.
Narmeln is distinct as it is one of the few places in Kaliningrad Oblast whoseGerman name was not officially changed when the territory was annexed to theSoviet Union followingWorld War II, and is also the only part of historicGdańsk Pomerania to be annexed by the Soviet Union by thePotsdam Agreement. Narmeln was depopulated after the war, and the Soviet side of the Vistula Spit was made into anexclusion zone, which remains in effect today.
Narmeln is located about 35 kilometres (22 miles) south-west ofBaltiysk. Thewesternmost point of Russia is located on thePoland–Russia border nearby. (54°27′29.4″N19°38′21″E / 54.458167°N 19.63917°E /54.458167; 19.63917 (Vistula Spit (Westernmost point)))
In 1466, following theThirteen Years' War, the longest of all Polish–Teutonic wars, theTeutonic Order renounced any claims to the area and recognized it as part of theKingdom of Poland.[3] The southern part of the Vistula Spit had been given by KingCasimir IV Jagiellon to the city ofDanzig (Gdańsk). In 1489 the innkeeper Hans Voyte got the permission to open acoaching inn in a place calledErmelen. The settlement was a possession of the city of Gdańsk, located in thePomeranian Voivodeship[4] in the province ofRoyal or Polish Prussia in theGreater Poland Province of the Kingdom of Poland. In 1525 it became a border station between the territories of Gdańsk in Poland and theDuchy of Prussia, a vassal duchy of Poland.
Narmeln was annexed by theKingdom of Prussia in 1793, in theSecond Partition of Poland. During the era ofNapoleon Bonaparte the village was a border settlement of theFree City of Danzig (Gdańsk) in the period extending from 1807 to 1814. In 1815 it was reannexed by Prussia, and became part of the province ofWest Prussia, and from 1871 it was also part ofGermany.
In theinterbellum, after the creation of theFree City of Danzig in accordance with the terms of theVersailles Treaty Narmeln was joined with the area aroundElbing (Elbląg) to the German province ofEast Prussia.
Following Germany'sinvasion of Poland at the start ofWorld War II, the village was included in the newly formed province ofReichsgau Danzig-West Prussia, the bulk of which wasGerman-occupied Polish Pomerania. In 1945 the spit was the last holdout of the remaining German soldiers in East and West Prussia. After the occupation ofTolkemit (Tolkmicko) on January 26, theGerman refugees fled over the ice of theVistula Lagoon fromPassarge (Nowa Pasłęka) to Narmeln. The village was eventually captured by theRed Army on April 30, 1945.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1905 | 242 | — |
| 1910 | 257 | +6.2% |
| 1920 | 274 | +6.6% |
| 1933 | 278 | +1.5% |
| 1939 | 294[5] | +5.8% |
After the war, the settlement passed to the Soviet Union and theGerman inhabitants were expelled[citation needed] in accordance with thePotsdam Agreement. Narmeln was the only settlement of historic Gdańsk (Eastern) Pomerania, which had been transferred to the Soviets. Located almost on the border toPoland the village became a deserted place. Border crossings are not allowed on the spit, the Russian part is anexclusion zone.
Ermelen (1489),Narmeln (after 1489),Narmeln,Polski (1660),Narmeln,Polski,Polsk (until 1945).
Narmeln had been famous for the largest movingdune with a height between 26 and 45 meters on the Vistula spit. In 1926 ayouth hostel had been opened.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)