2022 Issue №3

The article examines composition and morphology of household items that were found in burials of the second half of the 13th—15th centuries in necropolis of Alt-Wehlau situated in Prussian land Nadrovia. These items include razors, flints, whetstones, keys and comb that were common in everyday life of local population and were used as a part of burial inventory under the influence of pagan rite preserved until the 16th century. The study of items composition and morphology relied on the typological and comparative-historical methods that allowed to make following conclusions. Razors of type 1 and flints of types 1—4 were most frequently used in burials both separately and in combination with each other. Items were mainly located near pelvic and femoral bones due the tradition to wear them on the belt. During the specified period household items demonstrated tendency to unification on the form, composition and location in burials. Comparing them with the same items from other necropolis and cities of Order’s state and neighboring Zhemaitiya, the authors concluded that, on the one hand, unified material culture influenced on the household use of inhabitants of Alt-Wehlau and, on the other hand, such usage reflected some regional differences.

The article analyzes lead-tin badges of religious and secular character found in the archaeological excavations in the central part of Kaliningrad in 2020. The author describes morphological features and makes the iconographic attribution of the finds. The research identifies some of the finds, namely pilgrimage badges, as those of North German origin. Three of them belong to the cult of the Blessed Virgin, another three badges are associated with pilgrimage sites linked to Eucharistic wonders. An analysis of the icons with religious content resulted in assumptions about the destinations of pilgrimages from medieval Königsberg. Secular badges presumably marked professional affiliation. The examination of lead badges found on the outskirts of Lastadie in Altstadt gives a first outline of the history of the circulation of personal piety items and the profanum signs worn on clothing among the population of medieval Königsberg.

The article explores the history of chess in Königsberg in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. The author gives the data on competitions held in the capital of East Prussia, as well as biographical data on players and chess composers who lived there and visited Königsberg. The reconstruction of the history of the chess movement includes the localization of chess clubs in the city. The researcher states, that in the 1850s — 1870s chess clubs with general and specialized membership flourished in the city. The Königsberg Academic Chess Club was the example of the latter. From 1878 until the end of the century chess life in East Prussia was under the umbrella of the East German Chess Union, founded to offset the difficulties of participation of local chess players in all-German tournaments because of geographical remoteness. In the 20th century several world-class players both from among the city’s visitors (Emanuel Lask­er) and local residents (Paul Saladin Leonhardt) appeared in Königsberg. Leonhardt became probably the main figure representing East Prussia at national and international tournaments after the First World War. The years of Nazism witnessed persecution of local chess players of Jewish origin in Königsberg. Chess life of the city itself remained provincial. The chess history of Königsberg ceased with the Red Army storming the city in 1945. Among the participants of the storming there were also Soviet chess players. The article is addressed to chess historians, local historians and tour guides.

Based on little-known and unpublished sources from the “Trotsky Archive” at the Harvard University’s Hogton Library, the German Federal Archives (Berlin) and the Russian State Archive of Social and Political History (Moscow), the article for the first time reconstructs the history of the United Left Opposition groups of the German Communist Party (Bolshevik-Leninists) in East Prussia in 1930-1933. The research highlights the figures of the Königsberg group, some of whom (e. g. Gustav Plep and Oskar Seipold) were active not only regionally, but also at the all-German level. The author describes the political activities of the leftist opposition (holding discussion evenings, sending circular letters to small towns in East Prussia, distributing leaflets at workers’ gatherings, etc.), and shows how local Trotskyists were influenced by conflicts between the leaders of the United Left Opposition - Roman Well, Anton Grylewicz, Kurt Landau and Oskar Seipold. The article considers some cross-border links of Trotskyists with groups in Poland. The study of this topic makes it possible to broaden the understanding of the development of the German Trotskyist movement in its regional perspective and to look differently at the political landscape of East Prussia, in which various opposition groups existed alongside the official parties.