Zelenogradsk – Baltic Paradise on the edge of Russia

Zelenogradsk, prior to 1946 known by its German name Cranz, is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located 34 kilometers (21 mi) north of Kaliningrad, on the Sambian coastline near the Curonian Spit on the Baltic Sea.

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.