MAP OF KALININGRAD REGION

SVETLOGORSK

Svetlogorsk Area - 32,5 sq.km.
a resort; monuments of history and architecture Population - 18, 500

Industry — a resort area, food industry.
Main products: bakery products.

The town, but to be exact — a village on the bank of lake Tihoe, was first mentioned in 1228 and it was said that on the Prussian lands came knights of the Teutonic Award (1255). From this moment the village was referred to as Rusemoter (that is ”region of cellars”). During the centuries the name of the village has undergone a number of transformations: Ruse-moter, Rause-moter, Raushe-moter, Raushe (or Roushe), that perfectly suited to a small fishing village, and then to a resort, where are always rustling pine-trees and the sea. According to most historians the name comes from a German word “rascheln” (=rustle). Or a long time Raushen had been a small fishing village on the southern bank of a windmill lake (now — Tihoe lake).
So, for about 500 years Raushen had been only a fishermen village. Later in the resort town of it reminded such names as “Fishermen’s way” — a descent to the sea, where there is a pub now, and also situated near the present wide saircase leading to the sundials the street of Venus and the peak of Venus, from where cheerful ladies welcomed fishermen coming back from the sea. The modern front staircase took the place of a ravine, also bearing the name of Venus, and strengthened it. Through the ravine there was also a seaway.
And only from the beginning of the 19th century (July, 24, 1820 an official opening was held) Raushen (Svetlogorsk) becomes a well-known resort. And after that Friedrich-Wilhelm IV took the village under control and engaged himself in the accomplishment of the village. Tourist and holiday-makers from different German lands started to come there. The king ordered to strengthen the coast, to plant with trees the upper sandy part of the mountain between the sea and the lake, and below — to restore the cut down forest.
In settlement the first hotels and boarding houses began to appear. They were not sufficient and inhabitants moved for a warm season in tents and sheds, giving their houses to health-resort visitors. In 1890 in Raushen with approximately 200 residents, there were 400 visitors. One more factor, owning to which the resort has been developing, was an opening of a railway station June 14, 1900, and at the same time the station “Village Raushen” was build. And in 1906 the second (the upper) station was build — “Raushen — The dune” (Svetlogorsk II), which allowed numerous holiday-makers to come directly to the seaside. Moreover it became much easier to deliver building materials in this part of the town that promoted a quick construction of villas, country houses and hotels. Soon it was a resort known all over Europe. In 1931 the hippodrome was constructed, the balneary with a water tower of 25 metres height (1907-1908), which became the symbol of the city, and there was a viewing ground on its top. Now the tower is a part of the Central Military Sanatorium.
Glory of Raushen grew faster and faster, and soon it became the most expensive resort of Zemland. Annually only in a season here lived about 10 000 of holiday-makers and health-resort visitors, more than 20 hotels functioned, and the number of individual closed cabins for clothes on the beach reached 3000. The seaside was full of basket-armchairs, which allowed to be protected from the sun and wind.
The main thing, that attracted the visitors was the abundance of curative mineral springs: chinks could be only in 50 metres from each other and thus contain absolutely different water - by its chemical content, curative properties and, naturally, by its taste.
By the beginning of the WWII the city represented already a highly developed European resort with a network of hotels and medical centres. It is known, that German aviation units were formed and reformed here, a military hospital located here as well, and in some parts of the modern sanatorium building there was a rest-house for women — members of NSRDP. In January, 1945 the Soviet Armies crossed the border of the Eastern Prussia. And in April there were already fights for Raushen. The main events occurred in the lower part of the city, near the Tihoe lake. April, 14, 1945 it was occupied at a day. In memory of these days not far from the lake, nearby the highway there was an obelisk erected, and in 1984, above the communal grave there was erected a memorial. Fortunately, during the war operations Raushen escaped destruction.
1946 the Eastern Prussia was renamed into Kaliningrad region, and the city was given the name of Svetlogorsk. Since then it was a local resort, since 1970 - a republican resort, and since 1998 it has been a federal resort. Now it is one of the most beautiful nooks of the region. Sometimes it seems, that this is a city in a forest and a forest in a city. A walk round the city may compete with an excursion over a botanical garden, as trees and bushes have been brought here from different parts of the world, there are tables beside some of them, telling about their origin and uniqueness. It is possible to find magonia (an evergreen plant, the relative of the forest barberry — comes from the Northern America), and Japan azalea, and a box-tree (an evergreen bush with little leaves), and magnolia. The sea, luxuriant greens, warm beaches, stocks of medical dirties, mineral water springs - everything was created by the nature for rest and treatment.
In Svetlogorsk almost all the streets, like in any resort-city, lead to the sea. The central descent leads right to the sundials, decorated with a colorful mosaic. There is an arrow-gnomon on the center, the shadow of which shows the time with accuracy plus-minus 15 minutes. The gnomon is oriented on the Northern Star and it is located under the corner of 55 degrees (the latitude of Svetlogorsk). The disk of the sundials in diameter of 10 metres has 12 points with the signs of the Zodiac located along the visual annual way of the Sun.
Every year this beautiful and favorable places attract more and more people, not only from Kaliningrad, but people from all over the country. Come and make yourself sure in its natural beauty and healing possibilities.