(Source: https://twitter.com/world_ocean_/media)

Kaliningrad, the former German city of Königsberg, founded more than seven centuries ago, now combines two periods of its existence: German and Russian, both equally important, despite the gap in the length of historical spaces.

    

Since July 2005 the three “historical fathers” of the city have been looking at it from the gable of the Gate: Ottokar II Přzemysl, the King of Bohemia and founder of Koenigsberg Frederick I who ascended the royal throne in Koenigsberg with the help of Peter I, and the last Grand Master of the Teutonic Order that became Duke Albrecht - the founder of the first secular Lutheran state in Europe. Their sculptures have been recreated from scratch by hard labor and high skills of the restorers from the Hermitage. Right next to the Royal Gate there is an exhibition building of postern. A postern (derived from the French word “poterne” meaning “a closed passage in the form of a gallery” in fortifications) was a part of the defensive ring that protected Koenigsberg of XIX century. 

During the postwar period it was abandoned, just like the gate, and used as a warehouse: the building was gradually destroying. Now it works as a hall for temporary exhibitions, a place for conducting workshops for children and schoolchildren as well as cultural events.  The visitors of the Royal Gate are greeted by the famous Prussian Cat - the key-keeper of the city. The Cat brings luck to those who stroke this sculpture.        

2.The Friedland Gate is the only one of the seven surviving city gates of Koenigsberg and the youngest of all these gates. The gate was constructed in the second half of XIX century. The architect is unknown, the style is neo-Gothic, which unusual for the city. 

 The gate was billed as a defensive structure, but never defended anything: it became outdated already at the beginning of XX century. The facade of the gate was decorated with the two statues: the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Siegfried von Feuchtwangen and the great commander Friedrich von Zollern, standard bearer of the Battle of Grunwald.

   How to Travel to Kaliningrad during FIFA World Cup 2018: Tickets and Documents Needed

A few years after Konigsberg became Kaliningrad, the Master lost his head, and von Zollern was “lost”, as it is usually said. 

Renovators from St. Petersburg restored both knights with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Germany: the Master was restored in 2005, the Great Commander in 2008. There is a museum dedicated to the city life of Koenigsberg inside the gate opening. 


The ceiling above and paving stones under your feet are authentic, dating back to the mid-XIX century. In addition to material exhibits, visitors are invited to take a virtual walk through Koenigsberg of the end of XIX - first half of XX century.

A ticket to the museum costs 50 roubles, an individual excursion will cost 200 roubles. Benefits for special categories of citizens are applicable. The ticket office is open until 5:30 p.m. Address: 30 Dzerzhinskogo Street 30, Kaliningrad. Tel.: 8 (4012) 644-020.

3. The Fort of Koenigsberg. The Fort titled “King Friedrich Wilhelm III” was built in late XIX century as part of the Koenigsberg defensive ring. 

The fortress of brick and concrete had a twenty-meter moat, mortars, artillery and a garrison of three hundred soldiers and covered the road to Pillau. The neighboring fortifications of the defensive ring were located at a distance of three kilometers from each other, and the space between them offered a clear view of the surroundings.


The 43rd Soviet Army attacking Koenigsberg fired at the fort from the especially powerful weapons during three days, but the three-meter walls almost did not suffer from the hail of fire. The assault began only after the sappers crossed the moat under the cover of night and blew up the caponier of the fort. The battle lasted all the night from April 7 to April 8. The German garrison capitulated on the next morning. Fifteen Soviet soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the siege and capture of the Fort No. 5. 

In 1979 the fort became a subsidiary of the Kaliningrad Regional Museum of History and Arts. 

In 2001 the fort became a basis for the Kaliningrad Non-state Museum of Fortifications and Military Equipment. Nowadays a part of the defensive structure is open for visits; themed expositions are open in barracks and canteens. There are exhibition of weapons and a memorial in honor of those who died on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War outside the fort, in the open-air.

Read more about Kaliningrad...