Landkreis Heydekrug

Landkreis Heydekrug (1818–1945) was an administrative territorial entity of East Prussia, located in Lithuania Minor. It was part of Regierungsbezirk Gumbinnen.

The seat was in Heydekrug (modern Šilutė). In 1913, Karkeln and surrounding inland towns (those south of the yellow line in the map) were administratively transferred to Kreis Niederung.[1] After World War I, Landkreis Heydekrug and other areas north of the yellow line became part of Memel Territory administered by Lithuania.

From 1945 to 1990, the area belonged to the Soviet Union, the southern part to the Kaliningrad Oblast, and the northern part to the Lithuanian SSR. Today, the northern part belongs to Lithuania and the southern part belongs to the Slavsky District of the Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia.

Geography

The district was in Prussian Lithuania, on the Curonian Lagoon. The nearest major cities were Memel and Tilsit.

Demographics

The district had a Lithuanian majority, with a significant German minority.

Population by language in Heydekrug district [2]
Year Population German Lithuanian
1825 22,948 6,446 28.09% 16,502 71.91%
1831 23,267 6,542 28.12% 16,725 71.88%
1834 25,218 7,106 28.18% 18,112 71.82%
1849 31,399 10,243 32.62% 21,124 67.28%
1858 35,244 12,338 35.01% 22,870 64.89%
1861 36,528 13,459 36.85% 23,054 63.11%

References
  1. Maria Sator - Heirat (Marriage), Landesarchiv Berlin; Berlin, Deutschland; Personenstandsregister 1876-1945; laufendenummer: 28697. Source Information – Ancestry.com. Eastern Prussian Provinces, Germany [Poland], Selected Civil Vitals, 1874-1945 (database on-line). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Original data: Zivilstandsregister, 1874–1945. Digital images. Landesarchiv, Berlin, Deutschland. Accessed September 2019.
  2. Belzyt, Leszek (1998). Sprachliche Minderheiten im preussischen Staat: 1815 - 1914 ; die preußische Sprachenstatistik in Bearbeitung und Kommentar. Marburg: Herder-Inst. ISBN 978-3-87969-267-5.
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