Kaliningrad highlights

Kaliningrad (Konigsberg)

Konigsberg was founded in 1255 by the Teutonic Order knights who tried to Christianize local pagan tribes of Baltic Prussians. The name card of the city is its Cathedral located on the picturesque Kneiphof Island. Grave of the great German scientist, father of German idealism philosophy Immanuel Kant whose life and scientific work is inextricably associated with the Konigsberg University is located just near the Cathedral wall. Exposition exhibited at the Cathedral presents life of Immanuel Kant and history of the Kneiphof Island. Here you can be also acquainted with history of the legendary fundamental Wallenrod Library founded in XVI c. and lost during the WW II. Very interesting samples of the Modern architecture (early XX c.) are kept at the Amalienau suburban quarter. The favorite place of locals and numerous tourists is the Fischdorf – city area at the Kneiphof Island covered since 2006 with modern buildings in German pre-war style.

Konigsberg fortifications

Impressive defenses were built in Konigsberg in the middle of the XIX c. (the Kronprinz Barracks, the Grolman Bastion, the Oberteich Bastion, Der Dona Tower, the King’s Gate, the Sackheim Gate). Thanks to these constructions built with using of the latest achievements of the fortification science Konigsberg was considered impregnable fortress till the end of WW II when Konigsberg was taken by Red Aemy. Exposition of the Fort №5 (Friedrich Wilhelm III) Museum is devoted to battle for Konigsberg in April 1945. Storm of the Fort №5 by lasted during several days (for comparison, the Fort №5-a was taken during a day, the Fort №6 and the Fort №7 – during several hours). 15 Soviet soldiers and officers were awarded with tittle of Hero of the Soviet Union for the Fort №5 blockade and storm. You can visit the bunker of the German commandant of Konigsberg general Otto Lasch who led the defense of the city but had to sign capitulation of German garrison after 4-day fierce battle. Hitler sentenced in absentia him and his family for the capital punishment and his wife and daughters were actually arrested but set free in the end of the war.

Yantarny Settlement (Palmniken)

Amber is well-known symbol of the Kaliningrad Region, its main natural resource.  In Palmnicken (in 1946 renamed to Yantarny) where about 90% of the world amber reserves are concentrated you will have a chance to observe the amber sand-pit panorama, to visit an unique Amber Pyramid built just at the panoramic platform, to take part in amber extraction at mini sand-pit personally and to receive certificate of amber-digger. In the Amber Castle Museum located at the original castle of XIV c. you will be acquainted with exhibition dedicated to the origin of amber deposits, its extraction and processing, collections of antique glassware and antique works of artists of East Prussia as well as photographs of the late XIX and early XX cc., the richest collection of amber products.

Amber Museum in Kaliningrad

Amber Museum at Der Dona Tower located at the shore of picturesque lake is devoted to housing and displaying amber artworks. The Museum presents unique pieces of Baltic amber (nugget weighing 4 kg 280 g is the largest in the Museum collection) and more than two thousand products from it including fragments restored of the famous Amber Room (the amber study of the Prussian King Friedrich I, given in 1717 by Friedrich Wilhelm I to Russian Tsar Peter I, which became the decoration of the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo and disappeared during the German occupation of Tsarskoe Selo). The Museum has dioramas of ancient «amber forest» and quarry for amber clay («blue earth») mining, many pieces (over a thousand) of amber with inclusions of Mesozoic plants and animals including lizard. Shows the entire color spectrum of amber from white to black. You can see there amber articles of the IV-V cc. found by archaeologists on the territory of the region, works of German masters transferred to the Museum from the Moscow Kremlin Armory.

Curonian Spit

The Curonian Spit created by the sea and the wind is narrow sandy strip of land separating salt sea and fresh-water Curonian Lagoon. This unique and picturesque place is included to the UNESCO World Heritage list. It is state natural national park now. You will see migrating dunes on the shore of the bay, the forested dunes up to 40 m above sea level and also phenomenon of the Drunken Forest noted for its unusually twisted trees. You can observe all variety of local landscapes (sea, lagoon, pine forests, sandy desert) from the panoramic platform at the Efa Summit. In April-October period you can visit Bird Observatory founded in 1901 by German ornithologist Johannes Thienemann. In winter visit of the Bird Observatory is changed for the Curonian Spit Museum devoted to the nature of the Spit and mode of life of its locals.

Svetlogorsk (Rauschen)

Small town of Rauschen (in 1946 renamed to Svetlogorsk) with charming quiet streets is one of the first Baltic Sea resorts known since the early 19th c.. It became very popular resort after visit of Prussian King Friedrich-Wilhelm IV in 1840 here. Rauschen was visited by pianist and composer Otto Nicolai, great scientist, one of the founders of the modern science of linguistics Wilhelm von Humboldt, great writer Thomas Mann, artist Käthe Kollwitz and other well-known cultural figures. The main local architectural places of interest are private country houses and boarding-houses built in the early XX c.. Tower of the local House of Bathes (1900-1908) became architectural symbol of the city. In 1919-1944 famous German sculptor Hermann Brachert lived and worked in the East Prussia. The most of his works were lost during and after the WW II. Now you can see two his sculptures in Rauschen: the Nymph at the Promenade and the Water Carrier (the Girl with Jug) in the park. In the city you can see interesting sculptural monuments to great German writers created in the Soviet period: to Thomas Mann whose short story Mario and Magician was written here in 1929 and to Ernst Theodor Wilhelm (Amadeus) Hoffmann who was born in Konigsberg and graduated from faculty of low of the local University where he attended some lectures of Immanuel Kant.

Baltiysk (Pillau)

Pillau (in 1946 renamed to Baltiysk) is the top western city of Russia and the main base of the Russian Baltic Navy. The main tourist attraction of the town is the pentagonal citadel founded by the Swedes in 1626 during the Polish-Swedish War of 1626-1629 and then rebuilt and renovated during the next centuries. You will also see the city’s main harbour, old Lighthouse built in 1813-16 by the prominent German architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel, the monuments to Russian emperor Peter I and Russian empress Elizabeth Petrovna.