With the ascent of the Nazi regime in Germany , the Polish and Jewish minorities were classified as '' Untermensch '' and persecuted by the authorities . Prior to the Nazi era , Königsberg was home to a third of East Prussia 's 13,000 Jews , but under Hitler 's rule , the city 's Jewish population shrank from 3,200 in 1933 to 2,100 by October 1938 . The New Synagogue of Königsberg , constructed in 1896 , was destroyed during Kristallnacht ( 9 November 1938 ) , with 500 Jews soon fleeing the city
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
History of Poles in Königsberg