@@RichieLarpa nieko ypatingo iš tiesų. Aš ne visai prie Suvalkų užaugau (Alytuje), bet ten iki šiol išlikus mada važiuoti apsipirkti į Suvalkus arba Seinus, kai zloto kursas krenta (arba kai labai daug visko reikia, pvz prieš balius ar mokslo metų pradžią), kadangi Lenkijoje maisto kainos daug žemesnės. Šiais laikais vietinės pardavėjos dažnai net lietuviškai kalba, kadangi savaitgaliais nemažai lietuvių atvažiuoja apsipirkti
This video was quite sad to me. It remembers me on time when such barbwire was between Austria and my home country. There was a joke in that time. A father and little son were standing next to a barbwire fence on the Czechoslovak and Austrian border on Czechoslovak side and the little boy was asking. “Dad who lives behind the barbwire?” And father answered: ”It’s us, my son, us.”
There was a story about the border, when it was drawn up, cutting through a farm in a village, and the commissars asked the farmer which side of the border he would prefer the farm to be on. He immediately said 'Poland'. He was asked, 'Are you an Anti-Soviet Agitator?' and he replied 'No, I just cannot stand the Russian Winters'.
Hi from France, the iron curtain and east/west relationship has fascinated me since I was a kid in the seventies. Thank you for your instructive reporting.
This documentary is a real gem. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have long wondered how life around the Suwalki gap is today amongst all tension and now I got answers. All things with a connection to the cold war is part of one's own history being born a few years after the end of ww2. I appreciate the professionalism with which the documentary was made. Including the nice personal touch.. Top notch. I hace subscribed and will explore other content. Vielen Dank aus Schweden!
Absolut grandioses Video. Ich freue mich echt auf die nächsten Videos der Reihe. Absolutely fantastic video. I'm really looking forward to the next videos in the series.
I just learned so much. My mind is blown to bits. I wish that my school instructors had been more like you. My classes were so boring, but you make this so interesting and captivating! 😊
I am Polish and the "Suwałki Gap" area is one of my favourite places to spend my summer holidays in. I try to go there every year, at least for a couple of days. Every time I go, a visit to the RU-PL-LT tripoint is a must. Over the years I've been watching Lithuania gradually build a barrier on their border with Russia in this place. It's a shame that this tourist attraction is now wrapped in barbed wire. BTW as far as I can remember, there has always been a tall fence on the Russian side, which is a bit ironic.
Interesting perspective. I was born in Suwałki :) Nice small town, surrounded by beautyfull nature. Historically experienced many difficult moments due to its location on the border between Poland, Lithuania, Russia and ... Germany.
I'm Latvian, I was ar the same place where the Polish, Lithuanian and Russian borders meet, in Suvalki and was also in Lithuanian small town which has Sovetsk (former Tilsit) on the other side of the river
Nie dziw się, że sytuacja w Szczurkowie jest napięta. Jeżeli jesteś na granicy z państwem terrorystycznym, napadajacym na swoich sąsiadów to jaka ma być sytuacja?
My Grandma is from Błędowo in german Blandau, she fled the soviets in '44 and came to the german city of Salzgitter, with some family members, I want to visit Poland and see what remains of that place (and see Gdansk and Warzawa)
I really love your videos, they're exciting and I learn so many new things! The calmer atmosphere, your personal insights, the great editing, and the overall quality of the videos are top-notch! I hope and wish that you'll have many more subscribers soon, you deserve it! Thank you so much for your videos!
it's a great illustration: the part of the village that is on the Polish side is a beautiful well-maintained place, the part on the russian side......does not exist anymore......
Grüßdich aus England. I really enjoyed this video. So interesting, will be looking at more. The border areas you have covered are now on my visit list.
Just got this video recommended, cool quirky way of showing things around. Idk if you are in poland rn but you could visit area of the floods that happened there near the czech border and even show the polish and czech perspective of ongoing repeairs etc
it's surprising how a small polish town next to a russian border has its streets paved, public spaces cared for I'd say it's Germany. When you cross the border to Russia everything's run-down, left to rot, a country that promotes family tradition that is not even able to pay enough pension to its retirees that are left to starve. Putin still lives in 1940.
@@robbar42 Oi oi oi Poland is tiny country compared to Russian Federation,and with EU donation system over there. And why so many Poles (and not only) in abroad ,dream to move to somewhere far away to Wild Nature Lands in Retirement age.
@@NottinghamForest24 What does it have to do with the fact that Poland is small compared to Russia? And EU donations isn't free money, it's not charity. This is a deal - EU donations for free EU market.
@@NottinghamForest24 none of that excuses it, especially given Russia's massive natural resource reserves. The more Russians can see what the rest of Europe looks like the better.
@@NottinghamForest24Considering that Russia is the biggest country in the world, it's safe to assume that in comparison Poland is tiny. Russia is also a very rich country. Full of talent and natural resources. Sadly, the corruption is rampant and money is usually spent on everything but not public infrastructure or social expenditure. And when it comes to migrating to another countries, that's I'd say pretty normal. Even people from western countries, such as England, find themselves moving to f.e. Australia.
Hey cool video! I really enjoyed your explanation of the dynamic of this place & your presentation. Well done 🙂 I didn't know about this place/border at all. I'm interested in history & youtube fed it to me so am a new visitor to your channel
A few years ago I drove with my wife from Warsaw to Kaunas. We were driving a French car with the red tourist plates. I expected we would get stopped somewhere along the way but nothing happened. It was a very eerie place though especially the actual border crossing. We visited Lithuiania, Latvia and Estonia before crossing on the Ferry to Finland. Then another Ferry to Sweden and back to the Netherlands through Denmark & Germany. I would love to go back someday and visit that Tripoint.
Toller Film! Du sprichst den Namen Szczurkowo sehr gut aus für jemanden, der kein Polnisch spricht. Auf Deutsch würde Szczurkowo so ausgesprochen werden: Sch-tsch-urkowo. :)
Thanks for an interesting video! I have also visited two larger villages in the gap, lazdijai in 2018 and Veisiejai this fall. The later one had a quite decent pizza.
Great video. I've traversed the sualki gap many times over the last 15 years, on my travels from the UK to Latvia. Really heightened senses the last few years since the Ukraine invasion -such a worry. Nice to see normal north eastern type baltic villages going about their day to day lives in the face of this madness. Good work 👍🏼
It's a pity that border is closed now. Everything could have been really different. I remember the time when Russia and the EU discussed a visa-free regime, but then it stopped, as it seemed, for a short time. But then 2014 came and everything changed completely. I am from Russia, I have been to Kaliningrad many times, there are still many things left there from the cooperation with the European Union. All my life I thought that now we will definitely develop with Europe. But unfortunately, "ours leaders" do not think so. I hope that everything will change for the better during our lifetime.
Hi Mathias, thank you for amazing video, I love theese (geo)political topics. I would also like to visit Suwalki Gap, looking forward for next video. J
I caught the train from Bialystok to Kaunas in June, crossing through the Sulwalki gap was strange, such as armed guards at the stations either side, it was a little unnerving just going by train from one EU country to another. Thanks for the video!
At the moment, the trickiest aspect of this border is the risk of accidentally ending up on some Russian phone network and paying a gazillion euros per megabyte.
As a Estonian, I still fear for my life, especially with our russian population and after the border incident here. Very intresting video however, thanks for the content!
That’s the thing, if Nato had a strong and united leadership, their members wouldn’t need to be afraid. There’s way too many nations far from Russia with different intresses.
As a Latvian i will say that ruzzia has always been this way. I don't fear a conventional attack happening, however we seriously as "the west" to deal with kremlin sponsored disinformation to avoid agents such as lepen and orban from obtaining power through electoral means
An Estonian officer called Eston Kohver was kidnapped at the border. Granted, he was very likely spying, but the point is that the russians don't respect borders.
Nice pronunciation of the Polish city/village names! The way you pronounced Szczurkowo is really close :D EDIT: I was also at the Wisztyniec border obelisk when I was a child and I may or may not have run around it :p I also travelled to Kaliningrad (of course before the invasion of Ukraine) by a bus from Gdańsk, since there used to be (and still is!) a direct bus route there. Sad what was left of the former Konigsberg glory.
Loved the video! Are you planning to do a similar report on Vel'ké Slemence? It's a village split in half now between Slovakia and Ukraine, almost entirely populated by Hungarians. Would make a great episode!
Да это вот такие послевоенные границы Сталина. Лучше бы Закарпатье осталось в Словакии. Говорят что в присоединении западной Украины к СССР инициатива Хрущева. Этот регион был совершенно чужд и не нужен СССР так как ранее никогда не находился в составе России Украины (лишь в древние времена 9- 11 века.)
Really interesting video. I was in Lithuania this year but only visited Vilnius and Kaunas. If I'd had a car I definitely would have gone for a grand Tour of Suwalki!
I had no clue about this area until this video, very interesting stuff! I had recently watched another video about Narva and its border situation with Russia there, not sure if that is something you might also make a video about?
Missed context: - Belarus has no visa entry for Lithuanians and that and people are discouraged from going by limiting the number of crossings also by publicity campaigns and the fact that Belarussians have arrested a couple of people and we had problems back. Main problem is Belarussian secret services are looking for people to use. - Train that can not stop. There are a special trains that runs to Kaliningrad through Lithuania it is not allowed to stop in Lithuania because people on it do not have visa to enter Lithuania but the train goes though our territory of Lithuania to Kaliningrad. It is an EU level decision and russian propagandists often accuse us of blockading Kaliningrad. - Criminal activity. Border security increase has made contraband more difficult, so no we get hundreds of weather balloons floating in all over Lithuania Latvia and Poland bunch of drones carrying mostly cheaper cigarettes. Previously they would just walk over the border, hide in the cargo trains or similar. Also, some criminals have tried feeling the authorities by illegally crossing the border there has even been an infamous child obduction incident.
20:42 That town exit sign was the first thing I saw next to the barred road. It felt so surreal. For me it was a kind of a symbol for human madness, but as you stated yourself, it could indeed also be seen as a symbol of hope that the road may one day be open again. 26:57 That barrier next to the pillar actually made me facepalm as it looks so childish. It's just a pillar. Human madness in a nutshell.
Why Czech, instead of Lithuanian, Polish or German? Is there evidence that the first settlers in the region were of Czech ethnicity? (this would predate any organized state in Czechia)
Послевоенные границы уже один раз пересмотрели после 1991 года. Нравится итог? И СССР об этом предупреждал что пересмотр границ это всегда война! Кенигсберг бывшая территррия Германии, но ей также владеют Польша и Литва! И у них ее больше чем у России! Эти границы пересмотру не подлежат! Слишком дорого за них заплачено!
Lieber Matthias, wie immer ein sehr interessantes Video. Wieder etwas dazu gelernt. Mein Vater musste als Kind aus Königsberg fliehen. Jetzt habe ich eine bessere Vorstellung.
Pity you have not touched one issue. Up to 2020 there were big move on Kaliningrad- Polish border. Russians from Kaliningrad massively come to Poland for shopping and also sightseeing. It was „window to the outside world” do many Russians but also it was very important for towns on the Polish side of the border (eg. Braniewo, Gołdap). The whole area is rather poor. Russian buyers played important role in local retailing business. Pandemic was the first stab and after 2022 the transborder traffic stopped dead.
Correct. Biedronka markets were basically under siege of Russian shoppers. The reason was very simple - good imported from the EU were/are hilariously expensive in Russia. A Milka bar costs easily double the price in PL. Czech beer was also quite popular, detergents etc. At some point also pricier electronics. On the other hand, Poles shopped alcohol, cigarettes and of course filled their cars with petrol to the brim.
Thanks for sharing! I crossed the border at Grzechotki/Mamonovo by bus in January 2024. It's just like any other border, you go to a house to stamp out Poland, then another house to stamp in Russia. Except, I wouldn't be allowed entry if I were going the opposite direction, as Poland did not allow tourists from most countries to enter by land. Later I took the train to Chernyshevskoe, a heavily militarized border town with Lithuania. I was about to walk to Kybartai through the border check you mentioned later, but the local army/border guard stopped me and asked tons of questions. Where I live, my job, my whole itinerary, etc. We used Google Translate as they did not speak English. At the end they were nice enough to give me a ride to the border checkpoint so that I wouldn't need to walk. It would have been a long walk, but was turned into a short drive as they could go through restricted areas. That's my first time in a camouflaged vehicle, quite cool. Then same stuff, one house out of Russia and another house into Lithuania, and again, I wouldn't be able to go back as my Russian visa was single entry. The interesting thing was, when I arrived at Kybartai Station on foot, the train I was on was also there, doing the formalities. Apparently I won the race with a train!
What a great pity that events have led to such a strong polarisation of views on both sides of the divide. I have only made a few Russian acquaintances in my life, and they are all decent, cultured and interesting people. Let's hope for more positive times in the years to come.
At the very least Putin will need to be meeting a lampost before there is any chance of that, while he is in power there will not be friendship with the west, but I am very doubtful whoever follows him will put aside the idea of claims to "spheres of influence" that Russia seems to believe it has a right to over it's sovereign neighbours.
I was born and raised tin Suwalki .In historic point of view in Suwalki there was always a border with Germans ,Lithuanians and Poles .It used to be plenty of troops and whorehouses..I remember it was called the end of the world ,the coldest area with polar bears .As a child before 1989 I remember plenty of soldiers barbed wire fences i didn't know that there was sth on the other side of border .In one village there was only a one car to buy anything you have to travel far.I live not far from where you stayed in Udziejek village
How sad it is that we Poles cannot have normal neighbors in Russia and Belarus with whom we could trade and develop tourism. What's wrong with those people?
I'm from Kaliningrad. Russia and Belarus simply became the victims of horrible autocratic regimes and people have been poisoned with propaganda for decades. Police brutality was getting worse and worse etc. Pro-european, left leaning Russians were sileneced or forced to leave Russia and right leaning war-supporters got a carte blanche for any possible hate speach or actions. But the majority of people just subconsciously understand that in current power of the state it is impossible to do anything and they just ignore the war at all cost, just getting busy with their own life. My point is that most of the people are fine, they just don't have a way to speak up or do anything significant. I myself recoll the good times before 2014. Trip to Zakopane, weekend trips to Biedronka with my mom etc. Good times. Wish in my lifetime I'll be able to see the mutual trade and tourism thriving anew when the regime will be changed. Peace.
Gdyby Królewiec po wojnie był polski, zostałby odbudowany przez Polaków, bo my Polacy potrafimy dbać o zabytki. Niestety, sowieci wyburzyli wszystko w Królewcu, a teraz to miejsce to brzydkie blokowisko.
It also seems like closing the Suwalki Gap would do more to sandwich the Russian troops. Not only would they have to deal with NATO troops from the Baltics, but also Poland who would be the first to respond in the event Russia does this. They would be fighting a battle in front and behind them, while NATO completely blockades Kaliningrad. And with how poorly they've done in Ukraine, I wouldn't expect them to handle that well.
I know that Stalin wanted to grant Lithuania the whole Kalingrad Oblast ,however Lithuania refused due to concern of denaturalisation of lithuanians .They didn't want to be a minority in thier own state
Hey Matthias. I guess most of your viewers are from Germany? Like with many videos where Germans or german Americans talk about German stuff? I really like your videos. Also the documentary ones, like about Suwalki. I gave you a sub. Best wishes :) - you seem to use „what the heck“ once in every video. ;)
Kinda odd to watch this video from other side of that fence having to use some special software to mess up internet censorship firewall just to get to youtube
Маттиас, спасибо за информацию и хорошие съёмки. Я из Беларуси, но очень люблю Литву. Желаю мира этому региону, да и всем людям. Раша, это реально источник нестабильности и угрозы для мира
We were there few years ago, the tripoint was still accesible from all sides so we ran around :-D Nobody shot us... And then we had a booking night exactly on the same place as you! ;-)
thanks for this video , I always wonder about this strange part of Russia. I will search online after how many people live inside that area. Thanks for the video. :)
It is not because of the bill from last year. This prohibition of taking pictures is particular to this region and has been there for years. You are allowed to photograph the fence, you are not allowed to take pictures of the other (Russian) side.
This prohibition is not particular to this region. You have the same at the Norwegian / Russian border. You may also try to take pictures of Canada/USA borders, and chances to get a bad experience are quite high.
I think, the Independence of countries in eastern Europe is mostly important, because they need to work together and maintain relationships among themselves, in order to develop. Russia is a wonderful country, who should cherish the diplomacy with west countries, because living in free zones is a valuable life-resource. Under peace you may gain the Quality, you seek. The uniqueness of diplomacy is the ability to progress by no discrimination.
I had the impression there was a treaty which allowed Russian military and supplies to use a narrow corridor along the Suwalki Gap (on the Lithuanian side, I believe). Is that still in effect?
Very good video but.. U didn't show PL/Bielorus border and didn't mention about hybrid warfare against Poland and all EU/NATO, I mean illegal migrants problem created by Bielorus.
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As Lithuanian who lives near this Suwalki gap, I find this video very interesting. Thanks
Kaip gyvenimas prie Suvalkų?
do you feel dread and threat as mentioned in the video?
@@RichieLarpa nieko ypatingo iš tiesų. Aš ne visai prie Suvalkų užaugau (Alytuje), bet ten iki šiol išlikus mada važiuoti apsipirkti į Suvalkus arba Seinus, kai zloto kursas krenta (arba kai labai daug visko reikia, pvz prieš balius ar mokslo metų pradžią), kadangi Lenkijoje maisto kainos daug žemesnės. Šiais laikais vietinės pardavėjos dažnai net lietuviškai kalba, kadangi savaitgaliais nemažai lietuvių atvažiuoja apsipirkti
This video was quite sad to me. It remembers me on time when such barbwire was between Austria and my home country. There was a joke in that time. A father and little son were standing next to a barbwire fence on the Czechoslovak and Austrian border on Czechoslovak side and the little boy was asking. “Dad who lives behind the barbwire?” And father answered: ”It’s us, my son, us.”
There was a story about the border, when it was drawn up, cutting through a farm in a village, and the commissars asked the farmer which side of the border he would prefer the farm to be on. He immediately said 'Poland'. He was asked, 'Are you an Anti-Soviet Agitator?' and he replied 'No, I just cannot stand the Russian Winters'.
*I love THAT !*
Can't blame him for that.
Dude, I'm from Warsaw and I had no idea what it looks like there. Kudos to you!
No to bardzo zle ze nie wiesz jak tam wyglada. Musi Ci Niemiec pokazywac?
Hi from France, the iron curtain and east/west relationship has fascinated me since I was a kid in the seventies. Thank you for your instructive reporting.
Der Bericht war doch interessanter als ich zuerst gedacht hatte. Danke Dir, Matthias.
Very interesting video Matthias. Thanks for showing us these unique places
This documentary is a real gem. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I have long wondered how life around the Suwalki gap is today amongst all tension and now I got answers.
All things with a connection to the cold war is part of one's own history being born a few years after the end of ww2. I appreciate the professionalism with which the documentary was made. Including the nice personal touch.. Top notch. I hace subscribed and will explore other content.
Vielen Dank aus Schweden!
Absolut grandioses Video. Ich freue mich echt auf die nächsten Videos der Reihe.
Absolutely fantastic video. I'm really looking forward to the next videos in the series.
I just learned so much. My mind is blown to bits. I wish that my school instructors had been more like you. My classes were so boring, but you make this so interesting and captivating! 😊
Really nice video. I’m from southern Poland and didn’t know much about Suwałki gap, thanks for new knowledge!
The old man who said 'Russians' and gestured explosions probably meant that there may be mines on russian side
No. Russians have firing ranges and testing grounds on their side.
The Polish word for "mines" probably has eighteen consonants, so miming is required.
I am Polish and the "Suwałki Gap" area is one of my favourite places to spend my summer holidays in. I try to go there every year, at least for a couple of days. Every time I go, a visit to the RU-PL-LT tripoint is a must. Over the years I've been watching Lithuania gradually build a barrier on their border with Russia in this place. It's a shame that this tourist attraction is now wrapped in barbed wire. BTW as far as I can remember, there has always been a tall fence on the Russian side, which is a bit ironic.
It is great that you actually went to the places that are you talking about.
That adds completely new perspective to the video 😀
such an in depth video about a lesser known area, great job!
Very interesting, enjoyable and accurate video:) Best wishes 🇵🇱🤝🇩🇪
Interesting perspective. I was born in Suwałki :) Nice small town, surrounded by beautyfull nature. Historically experienced many difficult moments due to its location on the border between Poland, Lithuania, Russia and ... Germany.
I'm Latvian, I was ar the same place where the Polish, Lithuanian and Russian borders meet, in Suvalki and was also in Lithuanian small town which has Sovetsk (former Tilsit) on the other side of the river
Nie dziw się, że sytuacja w Szczurkowie jest napięta. Jeżeli jesteś na granicy z państwem terrorystycznym, napadajacym na swoich sąsiadów to jaka ma być sytuacja?
I’ve been to the tri-border in May 2019 and then again in early 2021 and it changed so much!
Super interesting video. Thanks for making it. A
It is also great that you do not use a lot of stock videos, but your own b-rolls.
My Grandma is from Błędowo in german Blandau, she fled the soviets in '44 and came to the german city of Salzgitter, with some family members, I want to visit Poland and see what remains of that place (and see Gdansk and Warzawa)
I really love your videos, they're exciting and I learn so many new things! The calmer atmosphere, your personal insights, the great editing, and the overall quality of the videos are top-notch! I hope and wish that you'll have many more subscribers soon, you deserve it! Thank you so much for your videos!
it's a great illustration: the part of the village that is on the Polish side is a beautiful well-maintained place, the part on the russian side......does not exist anymore......
Grüßdich aus England. I really enjoyed this video. So interesting, will be looking at more. The border areas you have covered are now on my visit list.
this is a high-quality content, appreciate your work man 👍
Just got this video recommended, cool quirky way of showing things around. Idk if you are in poland rn but you could visit area of the floods that happened there near the czech border and even show the polish and czech perspective of ongoing repeairs etc
it's surprising how a small polish town next to a russian border has its streets paved, public spaces cared for I'd say it's Germany. When you cross the border to Russia everything's run-down, left to rot, a country that promotes family tradition that is not even able to pay enough pension to its retirees that are left to starve. Putin still lives in 1940.
@@robbar42
Oi oi oi
Poland is tiny country compared to Russian Federation,and with EU donation system over there.
And why so many Poles (and not only) in abroad ,dream to move to somewhere far away to Wild Nature Lands in Retirement age.
@@NottinghamForest24 What does it have to do with the fact that Poland is small compared to Russia?
And EU donations isn't free money, it's not charity. This is a deal - EU donations for free EU market.
@@NottinghamForest24 none of that excuses it, especially given Russia's massive natural resource reserves. The more Russians can see what the rest of Europe looks like the better.
@@NottinghamForest24Considering that Russia is the biggest country in the world, it's safe to assume that in comparison Poland is tiny. Russia is also a very rich country. Full of talent and natural resources. Sadly, the corruption is rampant and money is usually spent on everything but not public infrastructure or social expenditure.
And when it comes to migrating to another countries, that's I'd say pretty normal. Even people from western countries, such as England, find themselves moving to f.e. Australia.
I doubt that it looks so cared in the snowy, muddy winter months.
Hey cool video! I really enjoyed your explanation of the dynamic of this place & your presentation. Well done 🙂
I didn't know about this place/border at all. I'm interested in history & youtube fed it to me so am a new visitor to your channel
Brilliant film Matthias 👏 love the look of Polish village like fairly tale !
Thanks
Thank you for the support! 🙂
GREAT VIDEO Matthias. Thanks for sharing these insights into the border towns.
A few years ago I drove with my wife from Warsaw to Kaunas. We were driving a French car with the red tourist plates. I expected we would get stopped somewhere along the way but nothing happened. It was a very eerie place though especially the actual border crossing. We visited Lithuiania, Latvia and Estonia before crossing on the Ferry to Finland. Then another Ferry to Sweden and back to the Netherlands through Denmark & Germany. I would love to go back someday and visit that Tripoint.
Toller Film! Du sprichst den Namen Szczurkowo sehr gut aus für jemanden, der kein Polnisch spricht. Auf Deutsch würde Szczurkowo so ausgesprochen werden: Sch-tsch-urkowo. :)
Thanks for an interesting video! I have also visited two larger villages in the gap, lazdijai in 2018 and Veisiejai this fall. The later one had a quite decent pizza.
Great video. I've traversed the sualki gap many times over the last 15 years, on my travels from the UK to Latvia. Really heightened senses the last few years since the Ukraine invasion -such a worry. Nice to see normal north eastern type baltic villages going about their day to day lives in the face of this madness. Good work 👍🏼
Very scaring, very interesting. Thanks for all your research!
It's a pity that border is closed now. Everything could have been really different. I remember the time when Russia and the EU discussed a visa-free regime, but then it stopped, as it seemed, for a short time. But then 2014 came and everything changed completely. I am from Russia, I have been to Kaliningrad many times, there are still many things left there from the cooperation with the European Union. All my life I thought that now we will definitely develop with Europe. But unfortunately, "ours leaders" do not think so. I hope that everything will change for the better during our lifetime.
Thank you for sharing with us ! Keep it on with the nice work.
Most Interesting !! Well done video, Thank You for showing and telling us.
Great Documentary,commentary and camera work.
Hi Mathias, thank you for amazing video, I love theese (geo)political topics. I would also like to visit Suwalki Gap, looking forward for next video. J
I caught the train from Bialystok to Kaunas in June, crossing through the Sulwalki gap was strange, such as armed guards at the stations either side, it was a little unnerving just going by train from one EU country to another. Thanks for the video!
Да это действительно странно, в Беларуси кроме непосредственно границы, никакой охраны нет.
My great grandfather came from here to America 1892.thanks for video!
At the moment, the trickiest aspect of this border is the risk of accidentally ending up on some Russian phone network and paying a gazillion euros per megabyte.
Thanks I'll put this area on my to-visit list.
Excelente seus vídeos. Um verdadeiro tesouro de geografia e história. Saudações do Brasil.
If you look at the Google street view at the Vištytis border, you can find that dog!
Cai mais famoso da fronteira. Mathias conheceu um personagem canino singular
As a Estonian, I still fear for my life, especially with our russian population and after the border incident here. Very intresting video however, thanks for the content!
That’s the thing, if Nato had a strong and united leadership, their members wouldn’t need to be afraid. There’s way too many nations far from Russia with different intresses.
As a Latvian i will say that ruzzia has always been this way. I don't fear a conventional attack happening, however we seriously as "the west" to deal with kremlin sponsored disinformation to avoid agents such as lepen and orban from obtaining power through electoral means
Hey there! Which border incident are you talking about? 🇪🇪❤🇱🇹
@@benas_st Some buoy's between Estonian and Russian waters were moved a little as a provocation earlier this year, I assume he meant that incident.
An Estonian officer called Eston Kohver was kidnapped at the border. Granted, he was very likely spying, but the point is that the russians don't respect borders.
Nice pronunciation of the Polish city/village names! The way you pronounced Szczurkowo is really close :D
EDIT: I was also at the Wisztyniec border obelisk when I was a child and I may or may not have run around it :p I also travelled to Kaliningrad (of course before the invasion of Ukraine) by a bus from Gdańsk, since there used to be (and still is!) a direct bus route there. Sad what was left of the former Konigsberg glory.
Good mood (with appropriate change towards the end), interesting video
Loved the video! Are you planning to do a similar report on Vel'ké Slemence? It's a village split in half now between Slovakia and Ukraine, almost entirely populated by Hungarians. Would make a great episode!
Да это вот такие послевоенные границы Сталина. Лучше бы Закарпатье осталось в Словакии. Говорят что в присоединении западной Украины к СССР инициатива Хрущева. Этот регион был совершенно чужд и не нужен СССР так как ранее никогда не находился в составе России Украины (лишь в древние времена 9- 11 века.)
Really interesting video. I was in Lithuania this year but only visited Vilnius and Kaunas. If I'd had a car I definitely would have gone for a grand Tour of Suwalki!
What a very interesting video. Thanks alot for sharing this.
Excellent documentary and very informative.
Interessant, vielen Dank Matthias !
I had no clue about this area until this video, very interesting stuff! I had recently watched another video about Narva and its border situation with Russia there, not sure if that is something you might also make a video about?
Missed context:
- Belarus has no visa entry for Lithuanians and that and people are discouraged from going by limiting the number of crossings also by publicity campaigns and the fact that Belarussians have arrested a couple of people and we had problems back. Main problem is Belarussian secret services are looking for people to use.
- Train that can not stop. There are a special trains that runs to Kaliningrad through Lithuania it is not allowed to stop in Lithuania because people on it do not have visa to enter Lithuania but the train goes though our territory of Lithuania to Kaliningrad. It is an EU level decision and russian propagandists often accuse us of blockading Kaliningrad.
- Criminal activity. Border security increase has made contraband more difficult, so no we get hundreds of weather balloons floating in all over Lithuania Latvia and Poland bunch of drones carrying mostly cheaper cigarettes. Previously they would just walk over the border, hide in the cargo trains or similar. Also, some criminals have tried feeling the authorities by illegally crossing the border there has even been an infamous child obduction incident.
More videos about Lithuania, please!
20:42 That town exit sign was the first thing I saw next to the barred road. It felt so surreal.
For me it was a kind of a symbol for human madness, but as you stated yourself, it could indeed also be seen as a symbol of hope that the road may one day be open again.
26:57 That barrier next to the pillar actually made me facepalm as it looks so childish. It's just a pillar. Human madness in a nutshell.
Very interesting. Thank you!
Very interesting. But I got distracted by the barking cat. :)
This could be solved by acknowledging that Königsberg is Czech territory
Yes, you deserve to have beaches and access to open water.
And dont forget Beer Stream 1
Why Czech, instead of Lithuanian, Polish or German? Is there evidence that the first settlers in the region were of Czech ethnicity? (this would predate any organized state in Czechia)
@@predabot__6778 It was a viral meme originated in Polish social media after Russian invasion on Ukraine.
@@predabot__6778 Dude, it's a joke. Czech's want a beach ☀🍺🏖
Послевоенные границы уже один раз пересмотрели после 1991 года. Нравится итог? И СССР об этом предупреждал что пересмотр границ это всегда война! Кенигсберг бывшая территррия Германии, но ей также владеют Польша и Литва! И у них ее больше чем у России! Эти границы пересмотру не подлежат! Слишком дорого за них заплачено!
Thanks for the indepth video
I've crossed the Kaliningrad border lots of times on ETS, and even on the game, it's very tightly controlled.
Lieber Matthias, wie immer ein sehr interessantes Video. Wieder etwas dazu gelernt. Mein Vater musste als Kind aus Königsberg fliehen. Jetzt habe ich eine bessere Vorstellung.
Love ur videos.. From India... I always loved Baltic region ..very interested in this area to travel... Ur videos are amazing
Pity you have not touched one issue. Up to 2020 there were big move on Kaliningrad- Polish border. Russians from Kaliningrad massively come to Poland for shopping and also sightseeing. It was „window to the outside world” do many Russians but also it was very important for towns on the Polish side of the border (eg. Braniewo, Gołdap). The whole area is rather poor. Russian buyers played important role in local retailing business. Pandemic was the first stab and after 2022 the transborder traffic stopped dead.
Correct. Biedronka markets were basically under siege of Russian shoppers. The reason was very simple - good imported from the EU were/are hilariously expensive in Russia. A Milka bar costs easily double the price in PL. Czech beer was also quite popular, detergents etc. At some point also pricier electronics. On the other hand, Poles shopped alcohol, cigarettes and of course filled their cars with petrol to the brim.
Local population in Kaliningrad would still like to go, but the Kremlin doesn't want that.
Excellent video
Very interesting thanks for sharing
Thanks for sharing! I crossed the border at Grzechotki/Mamonovo by bus in January 2024. It's just like any other border, you go to a house to stamp out Poland, then another house to stamp in Russia. Except, I wouldn't be allowed entry if I were going the opposite direction, as Poland did not allow tourists from most countries to enter by land.
Later I took the train to Chernyshevskoe, a heavily militarized border town with Lithuania. I was about to walk to Kybartai through the border check you mentioned later, but the local army/border guard stopped me and asked tons of questions. Where I live, my job, my whole itinerary, etc. We used Google Translate as they did not speak English. At the end they were nice enough to give me a ride to the border checkpoint so that I wouldn't need to walk. It would have been a long walk, but was turned into a short drive as they could go through restricted areas. That's my first time in a camouflaged vehicle, quite cool. Then same stuff, one house out of Russia and another house into Lithuania, and again, I wouldn't be able to go back as my Russian visa was single entry. The interesting thing was, when I arrived at Kybartai Station on foot, the train I was on was also there, doing the formalities. Apparently I won the race with a train!
Prussian architecture everywhere. Beautiful quality. Even the cobblestone streets are same quality as central Berlin. Now Slavic
What a great pity that events have led to such a strong polarisation of views on both sides of the divide. I have only made a few Russian acquaintances in my life, and they are all decent, cultured and interesting people. Let's hope for more positive times in the years to come.
At the very least Putin will need to be meeting a lampost before there is any chance of that, while he is in power there will not be friendship with the west, but I am very doubtful whoever follows him will put aside the idea of claims to "spheres of influence" that Russia seems to believe it has a right to over it's sovereign neighbours.
richtig cooles video, gute Arbeit!
Things have changed since my travels to Kaliningrad. Last time I was here was when I still could travel to Ukraine and Crimera.
you still can. if you should, that is another story.
I was born and raised tin Suwalki .In historic point of view in Suwalki there was always a border with Germans ,Lithuanians and Poles .It used to be plenty of troops and whorehouses..I remember it was called the end of the world ,the coldest area with polar bears .As a child before 1989 I remember plenty of soldiers barbed wire fences i didn't know that there was sth on the other side of border .In one village there was only a one car to buy anything you have to travel far.I live not far from where you stayed in Udziejek village
And now tensions are high due to the cable cut of EstLink 2 between Finland and Estonia.
How sad it is that we Poles cannot have normal neighbors in Russia and Belarus with whom we could trade and develop tourism. What's wrong with those people?
I'm from Kaliningrad. Russia and Belarus simply became the victims of horrible autocratic regimes and people have been poisoned with propaganda for decades. Police brutality was getting worse and worse etc. Pro-european, left leaning Russians were sileneced or forced to leave Russia and right leaning war-supporters got a carte blanche for any possible hate speach or actions. But the majority of people just subconsciously understand that in current power of the state it is impossible to do anything and they just ignore the war at all cost, just getting busy with their own life. My point is that most of the people are fine, they just don't have a way to speak up or do anything significant. I myself recoll the good times before 2014. Trip to Zakopane, weekend trips to Biedronka with my mom etc. Good times. Wish in my lifetime I'll be able to see the mutual trade and tourism thriving anew when the regime will be changed. Peace.
Gdyby Królewiec po wojnie był polski, zostałby odbudowany przez Polaków, bo my Polacy potrafimy dbać o zabytki. Niestety, sowieci wyburzyli wszystko w Królewcu, a teraz to miejsce to brzydkie blokowisko.
It also seems like closing the Suwalki Gap would do more to sandwich the Russian troops. Not only would they have to deal with NATO troops from the Baltics, but also Poland who would be the first to respond in the event Russia does this. They would be fighting a battle in front and behind them, while NATO completely blockades Kaliningrad. And with how poorly they've done in Ukraine, I wouldn't expect them to handle that well.
Tnx for an effort bro
Great video, thanks.
Very interesting. I knew about the Suwalki Gap & Kaliningrad but not the minor border changes.
I know that Stalin wanted to grant Lithuania the whole Kalingrad Oblast ,however Lithuania refused due to concern of denaturalisation of lithuanians .They didn't want to be a minority in thier own state
Hey Matthias. I guess most of your viewers are from Germany? Like with many videos where Germans or german Americans talk about German stuff?
I really like your videos. Also the documentary ones, like about Suwalki. I gave you a sub. Best wishes :)
- you seem to use „what the heck“ once in every video. ;)
Good job.
What a great channel. Grüße aus Finnland!
Excellent history/current events story.
I was in both Poland and Russia back in 2018.
Traveled the area the last time it seams it was peaceful. I am so sorry I did not go to Ukraine.
Kinda odd to watch this video from other side of that fence having to use some special software to mess up internet censorship firewall just to get to youtube
Маттиас, спасибо за информацию и хорошие съёмки. Я из Беларуси, но очень люблю Литву. Желаю мира этому региону, да и всем людям. Раша, это реально источник нестабильности и угрозы для мира
I got to ask, why hasn't Köningsberg been a discussion in Germany?
We were there few years ago, the tripoint was still accesible from all sides so we ran around :-D Nobody shot us...
And then we had a booking night exactly on the same place as you! ;-)
thanks for this video , I always wonder about this strange part of Russia. I will search online after how many people live inside that area. Thanks for the video. :)
It is not because of the bill from last year. This prohibition of taking pictures is particular to this region and has been there for years. You are allowed to photograph the fence, you are not allowed to take pictures of the other (Russian) side.
This prohibition is not particular to this region. You have the same at the Norwegian / Russian border. You may also try to take pictures of Canada/USA borders, and chances to get a bad experience are quite high.
I think, the Independence of countries in eastern Europe is mostly important, because they need to work together and maintain relationships among themselves, in order to develop. Russia is a wonderful country, who should cherish the diplomacy with west countries, because living in free zones is a valuable life-resource. Under peace you may gain the Quality, you seek. The uniqueness of diplomacy is the ability to progress by no discrimination.
There is a way to put it, it can be fascinating, scary for example
I had the impression there was a treaty which allowed Russian military and supplies to use a narrow corridor along the Suwalki Gap (on the Lithuanian side, I believe). Is that still in effect?
@@quillonri That's part of treaty of independence of Lithuania, unrestricted movement of Russian goods and people on that boarder.
People living west or middle europe EU seem so surprised about borders when they can travel in every direction.
It’s the same in USA 🇺🇸 unless you’re near the border with CDN 🇨🇦 or MEX 🇲🇽.
Very good video but.. U didn't show PL/Bielorus border and didn't mention about hybrid warfare against Poland and all EU/NATO, I mean illegal migrants problem created by Bielorus.
I did. Watch again from 28:45.
And there will be another video about the Belarusian border soon.