capital ober ost
Weimar Republic is an unofficial , historical designation for the German state between 1919 and 1933 . The name derives from the ___MASK24___ of Weimar , where its constitutional assembly first took place . The official name of the state was still " Deutsches Reich "; it had remained unchanged since 1871 . In English the country was usually known simply as Germany . A national assembly was convened in Weimar , where a new constitution for the " Deutsches Reich " was written , and adopted on 11 August 1919 . In its fourteen years , the Weimar Republic faced numerous problems , including hyperinflation , political extremism ( with paramilitaries  both left - and right - wing ); and contentious relationships with the victors of the First World War . The people of Germany blamed the Weimar Republic rather than their wartime leaders for the country ' s defeat and for the humiliating terms of the Treaty of Versailles . However , the Weimar Republic government successfully reformed the currency , unified tax policies , and organized the railway system . Weimar Germany eliminated most of the requirements of the Treaty of Versailles ; it never completely met its disarmament requirements , and eventually paid only a small portion of the war reparations ( by twice restructuring its debt through the Dawes Plan and the Young Plan ). Under the Locarno Treaties , Germany accepted the western borders of the republic , but continued to dispute the Eastern border . Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe , one of the three Baltic states . It is bordered by Estonia to the north , Lithuania to the south , Russia to the east , and Belarus to the southeast , as well as a maritime border to the west alongside Sweden . Latvia has 1 , 957 , 200 inhabitants and a territory of . The country has a temperate seasonal climate . ___MASK14___ , also Cracow or Krakow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland . Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region , the ___MASK24___ dates back to the 7th century . ___MASK14___ has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic , cultural , and artistic life and is one of Poland ' s most important economic hubs . It was the capital of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland from 1038 to 1569 ; the Polish  Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569 to 1795 ; the Free ___MASK24___ of ___MASK14___ from 1815 to 1846 ; the Grand Duchy of Cracow from 1846 to 1918 ; and ___MASK14___ Voivodeship from the 14th century to 1998 . It has been the capital of Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999 . The Treaty of Brest - Litovsk was a peace treaty signed on 3 March 1918 between the new Bolshevik government of Soviet Russia and the Central Powers ( Germany , Austria - Hungary , Bulgaria , and the Ottoman Empire ), that ended Russia ' s participation in World War I . The treaty was signed at Brest - Litovsk ( since 1945 Brest ), after two months of negotiations . The treaty was forced on the Bolshevik government by the threat of further advances by German and Austrian forces . According to the treaty , Soviet Russia defaulted on all of Imperial Russia ' s commitments to the Triple Entente alliance . Lithuania ( UK and US : ), officially the Republic of Lithuania , is a country in Northern Europe . One of the three Baltic states , it is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea , to the east of Sweden and Denmark . It is bordered by Latvia to the north , Belarus to the east and south , Poland to the south , and ___MASK99___ Oblast ( a Russian exclave ) to the southwest . Lithuania has an estimated population of 2 . 9 million people , and its capital and largest ___MASK24___ is ___MASK82___ . Lithuanians are a Baltic people . The official language , Lithuanian , along with Latvian , is one of only two living languages in the Baltic branch of the Indo - European language family . Belarus ( lat . ',      ), officially the Republic of Belarus , formerly known by its Russian name Byelorussia ( though this name is no longer used in Belarus itself , even in Russian language ), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia to the northeast , Ukraine to the south , Poland to the west , and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest . Its capital and ___MASK51___ populous ___MASK24___ is Minsk . Over 40 % of its is forested . Its strongest economic sectors are service industries and manufacturing . Until the 20th century , different states at various times controlled the lands of modern - day Belarus , including the Principality of Polotsk ( 11th to 14th centuries ), the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , the Polish  Lithuanian Commonwealth , and the Russian Empire . Russia , also officially known as the Russian Empire , was a state that existed from 1721 until it was overthrown by the short - lived liberal February Revolution in 1917 . One of the largest empires in world history , stretching over three continents , the Russian Empire was surpassed in landmass only by the British and Mongol empires . The rise of the Russian Empire happened in association with the decline of neighboring rival powers : the Swedish Empire , the Polish  Lithuanian Commonwealth , Persia and the Ottoman Empire . It played a major role in 1812  14 in defeating Napoleon ' s ambitions to control Europe , and expanded to the west and south . The euro ( sign : €; code : EUR ) is the official currency of the eurozone , which consists of 19 of the member states of the European Union : Austria , Belgium , Cyprus , Estonia , Finland , France , Germany , Greece , Ireland , Italy , Latvia , Lithuania , ___MASK46___ , Malta , the Netherlands , Portugal , Slovakia , Slovenia , and Spain . The currency is also officially used by the institutions of the European Union and four other European countries , as well as unilaterally by two others , and is consequently used daily by some 337 million Europeans . Outside of Europe , a number of overseas territories of EU members also use the euro as their currency . Russia ( from the  Rus '), also officially known as the Russian Federation , is a country in Eurasia . At , Russia is the largest country in the world by surface area , covering more than one - eighth of the Earth ' s inhabited land area , and the ninth ___MASK51___ populous , with over 140 million people at the end of March 2016 . The European western part of the country is much more populated and urbanised than the eastern , about 77 % of the population live in European Russia . Russia ' s capital Moscow is one of the largest cities in the world , other major urban centers include Saint Petersburg , ___MASK88___ , Yekaterinburg , ___MASK4___ and ___MASK83___ . The Czech Republic , also known by the short name Czechia , is a nation state in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west , Austria to the south , Slovakia to the east and Poland to the northeast . The Czech Republic covers an area of with mostly temperate continental climate and oceanic climate . It is a unitary parliamentary republic , has 10 . 5 million inhabitants and the capital and largest ___MASK24___ is Prague , with over 1 . 2 million residents . The Czech Republic includes the historical territories of Bohemia , Moravia , and Czech Silesia . The unification of Germany into a politically and administratively integrated nation state officially occurred on 18 January 1871 in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of ___MASK53___ in France . Princes of the German states gathered there to proclaim Wilhelm I of Prussia as German Emperor after the French capitulation in the Franco - Prussian War . Unofficially , the " de facto " transition of ___MASK51___ of the German - speaking populations into a federated organization of states had been developing for some time through alliances formal and informal between princely rulers  but in fits and starts ; self - interests of the various parties hampered the process over nearly a century of autocratic experimentation , beginning in the era of the Napoleonic Wars , which saw the dissolution of the Holy ___MASK72___ Empire ( 1806 ), and the subsequent rise of German nationalism . ___MASK34___ ( German : ) is a Polish ___MASK24___ on the Baltic coast . It is the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship , Poland ' s principal seaport and is also the centre of the country ' s fourth - largest metropolitan area . ___MASK99___ Oblast (" Kaliningradskaya oblast ") is a federal subject of the Russian Federation that is located on the coast of the Baltic Sea . As an oblast , its constitutional status is equal to each of the other 84 federal subjects . Its administrative center is the ___MASK24___ of ___MASK99___ , formerly known as ___MASK11___ . It is the only Baltic port in the Russian Federation that remains ice - free in winter . According to the 2010 census , it had a population of 941 , 873 . The Triple Entente ( from French " entente " " ___MASK32___ , understanding , agreement ") was the understanding linking the Russian Empire , the French Third Republic , and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the signing of the Anglo - Russian Entente on 31 August 1907 . The understanding between the three powers , supplemented by agreements with Japan and Portugal , constituted a powerful counterweight to the Triple Alliance of Germany , Austria - Hungary and the Kingdom of Italy , though Italy did not side with Germany and Austria during World War I , and joined the Entente Powers instead , in the 1915 Treaty of ___MASK9___ . Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe , situated between the Baltic Sea in the north and two mountain ranges ( the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains ) in the south . Bordered by Germany to the west ; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south ; Ukraine and Belarus to the east ; and the Baltic Sea , ___MASK99___ Oblast ( a Russian exclave ) and Lithuania to the north . The total area of Poland is , making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe . With a population of over 38 . 5 million people , Poland is the 34th most populous country in the world , the 8th most populous country in Europe and the sixth most populous member of the European Union . Poland is a unitary state divided into 16 administrative subdivisions , and its capital and largest ___MASK24___ is ___MASK44___ . Other metropolises include Kraków , Wrocaw , Pozna , Gdask and Szczecin . Slovakia , officially the Slovak Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Europe . It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west , Poland to the north , Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south . Slovakia ' s territory spans about and is mostly mountainous . The population is over 5 million and comprises mostly ethnic Slovaks . The capital and largest ___MASK24___ is Bratislava . The official language is Slovak , a member of the Slavic language family . The Polish  Lithuanian Commonwealth , formally the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , after 1791 the Commonwealth of Poland , was a dualistic state , a bi - confederation , of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch , who was both the King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania . It was one of the largest and ___MASK51___ populous countries of 16th - and 17th - century Europe . At its peak in the early 17th century , the Commonwealth spanned some and sustained a multi - ethnic population of 11 million . The union was formalized by the Union of ___MASK36___ in July 1569 , but the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were in a de - facto personal union since 1386 with the marriage of the Polish queen Hedwig and Lithuania ' s Grand Duke Jogaila , who was crowned King " jure uxoris " Wadysaw II Jagieo of Poland . The First Partition of Poland in 1772 and the Second Partition of Poland in 1793 greatly reduced the nation ' s size and the Commonwealth disappeared as an independent state following the Third Partition of Poland in 1795 . The Baltic Sea ( ; ) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean , enclosed by Scandinavia , Finland , the Baltic countries , and the North European Plain . It includes the Gulf of Bothnia , the Bay of Bothnia , the Gulf of Finland , the Gulf of ___MASK1___ , and the Bay of Gdask . The sea stretches from 53 ° N to 66 ° N latitude and from 10 ° E to 30 ° E longitude . A mediterranean sea of the Atlantic , with limited water exchange between the two bodies , the Baltic Sea drains through the Danish islands into the Kattegat by way of the straits of Øresund , the Great Belt , and the Little Belt . ___MASK49___ ( also in British English ) is the capital and largest ___MASK24___ of the German state of Bavaria , on the banks of River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps . ___MASK49___ is the third largest ___MASK24___ in Germany , after Berlin and Hamburg , and the 12th biggest ___MASK24___ of the European Union , with a population of above 1 . 5 million . The ___MASK49___ Metropolitan Region is home to 5 . 8 million people . ___MASK62___ ( German and , known also by other alternative names ) is the capital ___MASK24___ of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland . Located near the Baltic Sea , it is a major seaport and Poland ' s seventh - largest ___MASK24___ . As of June 2011 , the population was 407 , 811 . Ukraine ( tr . ) is a sovereign state in Eastern Europe , bordered by Russia to the east and northeast , Belarus to the northwest , Poland and Slovakia to the west , Hungary , Romania , and Moldova to the southwest , and the Black Sea and Sea of ___MASK56___ to the south and southeast , respectively . Ukraine is currently in territorial dispute with Russia over the Crimean Peninsula which Russia annexed in 2014 but which Ukraine and ___MASK51___ of the international community recognise as Ukrainian . Including Crimea , Ukraine has an area of , making it the largest country entirely within Europe and the 46th largest country in the world . It has a population of about 44 . 5 million , making it the 32nd ___MASK51___ populous country in the world . The German Empire ( officially ') was the historical German nation state that existed from the unification of Germany in 1871 to the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II in November 1918 , when Germany became a federal republic ( the Weimar Republic ). Ober Ost is short for Oberbefehlshaber der gesamten Deutschen Streitkräfte im Osten , which is a German term meaning `` Supreme Commander of All German Forces in the East '' during World War I . In practice it refers not only to said commander , but also to his governing military staff and the district they controlled : Ober Ost was in command of the Eastern front . After the Treaty of Brest - Litovsk the German Empire effectively controlled Lithuania , Latvia , Belarus , parts of Poland , and Courland : former territories of the Russian Empire . Ober Ost itself was assigned present - day Lithuania , Latvia , Belarus , Poland , and Courland . The land it controlled was around 108 , 808 km² . The Ober Ost was created in 1914 , and its first leader was Paul von Hindenburg , a Prussian military hero . When the Chief of the General Staff Erich von Falkenhayn was dismissed from office in 1916 , von Hindenburg replaced him , and Prince Leopold of Bavaria was given control of the Ober Ost . ___MASK43___ ( known also by other historical names ) is a ___MASK24___ on the Warta river in west - central Poland , in the Greater Poland region . It is best known for its renaissance Old Town , destroyed during World War II and then rebuilt , and Ostrów Tumski Cathedral . Today , ___MASK43___ is an important cultural and business centre and one of Poland ' s most populous regions with many regional customs such as Jarmark witojaski , traditional Saint Martin ' s croissants and a local dialect . Lithuanians ( singular " lietuvis / lietuv ") are a Baltic ethnic group , native to Lithuania , where they number around 2 , 561 , 300 people . Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora , largely found in countries such as the United States , Argentina , Brazil , Canada , Colombia , Russia , United Kingdom and Ireland . Their native language is Lithuanian , one of only two surviving members of the Baltic language family . According to the census conducted in 2001 , 83 . 45 % of the population of Lithuania identified themselves as Lithuanians , 6 . 74 % as Poles , 6 . 31 % as Russians , 1 . 23 % as Belarusians , and 2 . 27 % as members of other ethnic groups . ___MASK51___ Lithuanians belong to the ___MASK72___ Catholic Church , while the Lietuvininkai who lived in the northern part of East Prussia prior to World War II , were mostly Evangelical Lutherans . ___MASK84___ (; is the capital and largest ___MASK24___ of the Republic of Belarus , situated on the Svislach and Nyamiha rivers . It is the administrative centre of the Commonwealth of Independent States ( CIS ). As the national capital , ___MASK84___ has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administrative centre of ___MASK84___ Region ( voblast ) and ___MASK84___ raion ( district ). In 2013 , it had a population of 2 , 002 , 600 . Courland or Kurzeme ( in Latvian German and ; / ) is one of the historical and cultural regions of Latvia . The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland as they were formerly held by the same duke . Leopold Maximilian Joseph Maria Arnulf , Prinz von Bayern ( 9 February 1846  28 September 1930 ) was born in ___MASK49___ , the son of Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria ( 1821  1912 ) and his wife Archduchess ___MASK27___ of Austria ( 1825  1864 ). He was a Field Marshal (" Generalfeldmarschall ") who commanded German and Austro - Hungarian forces on the Eastern Front in World War I . ___MASK82___ ( see also other names ) is the capital of Lithuania and its largest city , with a population of 542 , 664 . ___MASK82___ is located in the southeast part of Lithuania and is the second largest city in the Baltic states . ___MASK82___ is the seat of the main government institutions of Lithuania as well as of the ___MASK82___ District Municipality . ___MASK82___ is classified as a Gamma global city according to GaWC studies , and is known for the architecture in its Old Town , declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 . Its Jewish influence until the 20th century has led to it being described as the " Jerusalem of Lithuania " and Napoleon named it " the Jerusalem of the North " as he was passing through in 1812 . In 2009 , ___MASK82___ was the European Capital of Culture , together with the Austrian city of Linz . Generalfeldmarschall ( abbreviated to Feldmarschall ) was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy ___MASK72___ Empire ; in the Habsburg Monarchy , the Austrian Empire and Austria - Hungary , the rank " Feldmarschall " was used . The rank was the equivalent to " Großadmiral " in the " Kaiserliche Marine " and " Kriegsmarine ", a five - star rank , comparable to OF - 10 in today  s NATO naval forces . ___MASK92___ or Polatsk is a historical ___MASK24___ in Belarus , situated on the Dvina River . It is the center of the Polatsk Raion in Vitebsk Voblast . Its population is more than 80 , 000 people . It is served by ___MASK92___ Airport and during the Cold War was home to Borovitsy air base . The European Union ( ___MASK3___ ) is a political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe . It has an area of , and an estimated population of over 510 million . The ___MASK3___ has developed an internal single market through a standardised system of laws that apply in all member states . ___MASK3___ policies aim to ensure the free movement of people , goods , services , and capital within the internal market , enact legislation in justice and home affairs , and maintain common policies on trade , agriculture , fisheries , and regional development . Within the Schengen Area , passport controls have been abolished . A monetary union was established in 1999 and came into full force in 2002 , and is composed of 19 ___MASK3___ member states which use the euro currency . The Ottoman Empire ('; Modern Turkish : ' or '), also known as the Turkish Empire , Ottoman ___MASK29___ , was an empire founded at the end of the thirteenth century in northwestern Anatolia in the vicinity of Bilecik and Söüt by the Oghuz Turkish tribal leader Osman . After 1354 , the Ottomans crossed into Europe , and with the conquest of the Balkans the Ottoman Beylik was transformed into a transcontinental empire . The Ottomans ended the Byzantine Empire with the 1453 conquest of ___MASK71___ by Mehmed the Conqueror . Napoleon Bonaparte (" Napoléon Bonaparte "; , born "" Napoleone di Buonaparte ""; 15 August 1769  5 May 1821 ) was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during the French Revolutionary Wars . As Napoleon I , he was Emperor of the French from 1804 until 1814 , and again in 1815 . Napoleon dominated European and global affairs for more than a decade while leading France against a series of coalitions in the Napoleonic Wars . He won ___MASK51___ of these wars and the vast majority of his battles , building a large empire that ruled over continental Europe before its final collapse in 1815 . One of the greatest commanders in history , his wars and campaigns are studied at military schools worldwide . Napoleon ' s political and cultural legacy has ensured his status as one of the ___MASK51___ celebrated and controversial leaders in human history . ___MASK44___ (; see also other names ) is the capital and largest city of Poland . It stands on the Vistula River in east - central Poland , roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains . Its population is estimated at 1 . 750 million residents within a greater metropolitan area of 3 . 105 million residents , which makes ___MASK44___ the 9th most - populous capital city in the European Union . The city limits cover , while the metropolitan area covers . Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe . Although no definitive borders or definition exists for the term , geographically , Northern Europe may be considered to consist approximately of all of Europe above the 52nd parallel north ; which includes ( from west to east ) ___MASK51___ or all of : Iceland , the Republic of Ireland , the Isle of Man , the United Kingdom , the Faroe Islands , the Netherlands , northern Germany , Denmark , Norway , Sweden , northern Poland , Finland , Estonia , Latvia , Lithuania and northwest Russia . However , narrower definitions may also be used based on other geographical factors , such as climate and ecology . Greenland , geographically a part of North America , is politically a part of the Kingdom of Denmark , and may be included depending on the definition . ___MASK89___ (, ; ) is the largest ___MASK24___ in western Poland . It is on the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe , roughly 350 kilometres ( 220 mi ) from the Baltic Sea to the north and 40 kilometres ( 25 mi ) from the Sudeten Mountains to the south . ___MASK89___ is the historical capital of Silesia and Lower Silesia . Today , it is the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship . At various times in history , it has been part of the Kingdom of Poland , Bohemia , Hungary , the Austrian Empire , Prussia and Germany . It became part of Poland in 1945 , as a result of the border changes after the Second World War . The population of ___MASK89___ in 2016 was 637 , 075 making it the fourth - largest ___MASK24___ in Poland and the main ___MASK24___ of ___MASK89___ agglomeration . The Principality of ___MASK92___ , also known as the Kingdom of ___MASK92___ or the Duchy of ___MASK92___ , was a medieval principality of the Early East Slavs . The origin and date of state establishment is uncertain . The Russian chronicles mention ___MASK92___ being conquered by Vladimir the Great , and thereafter it became associated with the Rurik dynasty and Kievan Rus '. Selonia , also known as " Augšzeme " ( the " Highland "), is a cultural region of Latvia encompassing the eastern part of the historical region of Semigallia . Its main ___MASK24___ and cultural center is Jkabpils . The Selonian language has become extinct , though some of the inhabitants still speak a Latgalian dialect .