Zelenogradsk , prior to 1946 known by its
German name , is a
town and the
administrative center of
Zelenogradsky District in
Kaliningrad Oblast,
Russia, located north of
Kaliningrad, the administrative center of the
oblast, on the
Sambian coastline near the
Curonian Spit on the
Baltic Sea. Population:
In its heyday, Zelenogradsk (as
Cranz) was a popular seaside resort on Germany's eastern Baltic coast, comparable to
Bognor Regis in England. Since the end of World War II and the Soviet takeover, much of its tourist traffic has been diverted to nearby
Svetlogorsk, formerly called
Rauschen.