Sovetsk (former Tilsit) is a city of 39,000 people (2021) in Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia on the south bank of the Neman River which forms the border with Lithuania.

Understand

Sovetsk, named Tilsit until 1946, is at the confluence of the Tylzha and Neman rivers in the historic region of Lithuania Minor, sometimes referred to as Prussian Lithuania. The town grew up around a castle of the Teutonic Knights and received town privilegiers in 1552. Over the years, the town has been part of Russian, German and Polish empires. A major peace deal was brokered here in 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars, which saw Napoleon humiliating the of Kingdom of Prussia, depriving it of one half of its dominions.

Tilsit was captured by Soviet forces in January 1945 and later annexed. Remaining Germans who had not evacuated were subsequently expelled in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement, signed between the Allies. In the decades following World War II, many Russians moved here from elsewhere in the Soviet Union. The old town centre was spared from the worst fighting and there are still many German buildings, including those of Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) design.

The main thoroughfare of the city is Lenin Street.

Climate

Winters are warm and summers are cool. The warmest months are July and August. Spring is long, March and April are cold, and May and June are warm. The frequency of continuous cloud cover is high throughout the year. Clear days are rarely observed - only 30-33 days a year.

Sovetsk
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D       59     −1 −5       50     1 −5       51     5 −2       46     12 3       56     18 8       75     20 12       95     23 15       83     22 14       65     18 11       68     11 6       60     6 2       57     2 −1 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation+Snow totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D       2.3     31 23       2     33 24       2     42 29       1.8     54 37       2.2     64 46       3     68 53       3.7     73 59       3.3     72 58       2.6     64 51       2.7     52 42       2.4     43 36       2.2     36 29 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation+Snow totals in inches

Get in

By car

Sovetsk is 118 km from Kaliningrad. The federal highway Gvardeysk - Neman passes through Sovetsk to the border with Lithuania (through Siauliai to Riga), A216 is part of the European road network E 77.

By train

There is a passenger railway connection with the city of Kaliningrad (once a day).

• 1 Sovetsk railway station. (updated Aug 2023)

By bus

The bus service is represented by intraregional and international routes: Sovetsk - Kaliningrad; Sovetsk - Chernyakhovsk - Gusev; and international routes: Kaliningrad - Riga, Kaliningrad - Tallinn, Kaliningrad - Vilnius.

Get around

There are several bus routes in the city. The bulk of passenger traffic is transported by the Sovetsk-Neman inter-municipal route No. 301, as well as municipal bus routes No. 1, No. 2, No. 4, No. 5, No. 6.

See

View of the old town in Sovetsk.

The main post office, one of the historic buildings in the old town.

• 1 Queen Louise Bridge (Мост королевы Луизы). A bridge across the Neman river connecting the city with Lithuania. The main symbol of the city, depicted on its coat of arms. The bridge, now connecting the town to Panemunė/Übermemel in Lithuania, retains an arch – all that is left of a more complex pre-war bridge structure built in 1907. The carved relief portrait of Queen Louise above the arch still exists.  
• 2 Lutheran Kreuzkirch (Лютеранская Кройцкирха), ul. Sparks, 1.  
• 3 Villa Frank (pastor's house)  (Вилла Франка), ul. Lenin, 10.  
• Town Hall (Ратуша). 
• 4 Main Post Office  (Здание Главпочтамта), ul. Victory, 12.  
• 5 Ruins of the Tilsit castle  (Руины замка Тильзит), ul. Bazarnaya, 9a.  
• 6 Tilsit classical gymnasium  (Здание Тильзитской классической гимназии), ul. Shkolnaya, 13.  
• Museum of the history of the city, ul. Victory, 34. 
• House-Museum of Vilyus Vidunas, ul. Lenin, 15-17. 

Do

• 1 Park "Jacobsruhe" (Парк «Якобсруэ»).  
• 2 Tilsit Theater  (Тильзит-театр), ul. Teatralnaya, 5.  

Buy

The central shopping street of the city is Victory Street .

The Sovetsk Municipal Market is a complex for 1000 trading places.

Connect

Consulates

• Lithuania, Iskry street, 22, ☏ +7 40161 381-65, fax: +7(40161) 391-59.