Unofficial name of the Kaliningrad Region is the Amber Territory. This is quite correct and amber is actual symbol of the Kaliningrad Region because it is the main natural resource of the Baltic Sea southern shore and 95% of the amber world reserve is concentrated at the Kaliningrad Region. At numerous souvenir shops, markets and at souvenir kiosks of local hotels and museums you can purchase a lot of very interesting articles made of amber. But be attentive: this is very easy to counterfeit amber! We kindly recommend you to follow suggestions of your guide if you buy amber souvenirs.
Local citizens introduce their land as a part of West Europe so don’t be surprised at European spirit of souvenirs offered by local craftsmen. The typical local souvenirs are rag dolls. Fairy characters of Ernst Theodor Wilhelm (Amadeus) Hoffmann (local native), German brownie Vigt and his specifically Prussian variety Heinzel are very popular. At local antique shops you still have a chance to find a lot of touching pieces of pre-war East Prussia: books, dishes, furniture, coins, postcards, porcelain and bronze.
The Baltic Sea coast is real kingdom of Sea buckthorn (Hippophae), bushes with amber berries. This medicinal plant overcomes the radiation damage, diseases of the upper respiratory tract, colitis, various types of erosion, helps to fight cancer and atherosclerosis! At local shops and markets you can purchase Hippophae jam or curative Hippophae oil.
One of historic gastronomic symbols of Germany always were marzipans (in the XIX c. the most famous were marzipans from Konigsberg and from another Baltic port Lubeck). Tradition of marzipan manufacturing is revived in modern Konigsberg (Kaliningrad). Here you can not only taste this very delicious and healthy product made of chopped almonds (there is a theory that marzipan effects very good for the nervous system and originally it was prepared as the medicine) but also to purchase for souvenirs funny figurines made of marzipan.
Please check attentively customer regulations and regulations of food products import to your country if you decide to purchase gastronomic or antiquarian souvenirs. Please try to buy antiques at specialized shops providing their customers with special certificates for presenting at the Custom-office. Smoked fish is to be vacuum-packed. Your local guide will recommend you places where you can purchase original authentic souvenirs and safe food products available for transport to your country.
At local restaurants and cafe you will taste a lot of excellent dishes made of fresh Baltic fish. The Kaliningrad Region is located directly on the Baltic Sea shore that’s why you can be sure that fish was not frozen and refrozen before to be served for you. Smoked fresh fish is very popular local delicacy. The most popular is smoked eel. We kindly pay your attention that if you want to export such gastronomic souvenir to you country you have to buy it vacuum packed and also we recommend you to check very attentively custom regulations The herring is very popular Russian snack and one of the symbols of the Kaliningrad Region. We recommend you to taste very popular in Russia dressed herring (so-called Herring under Fur-coat) – salad made of salty minced herring with vegetables thickened with mayonnaise. Probably it is a variety of Jewish Vorschmack (cold snack made of minced herring with vegetables) borrowed from the East Prussian cuisine where Vorschmack was a hot snack made of fried herring. Together with the Russian (Olivier) salad and meat-jelly (studen or kholodets) this dish is traditional Russian New Year cold refreshment.
