Showing 1-24 of 24 results
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Amber Museum
The fascinating Amber Museum has some 6000 amber art works (including some wild Soviet symbols), plus copies of sections of the famous amber room, which the Nazis stole wholesale from St Petersburg in 1941 and brought to Königsberg's castle. It was then destroyed by fire while under Red Army occupation. The museum is located within Dohna Tower.
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Bunker Museum
Heading northwest along Leninsky pr from Tsentralnaya ploshchad, follow the signs leading to the unique Bunker Museum, the underground German command where General Otto Lasch capitulated to the Soviets in 1945. There are some excellent dioramas here depicting the WWII bombing of Königsberg. Free guided tours are available in Russian and German.
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Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
Pl Pobedy is the current city centre, which is the site of a massive cathedral that should be complete by the time you read this. The gold domes of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour will be visible from many points in the city.
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Central Park
Just where pr Pobedy branches out from pr Mira is the entrance to bustling Central Park, favourite strolling ground for local families in the warm months. There's a small amusement park, a few outdoor eating options and plenty of greenery.
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Cosmonaut Monument
The Cosmonaut Monument is a gem of Soviet iconography honouring several cosmonauts from the region.
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Dohna Tower
The Dohna Tower served as a fortress to protect adjacent Rossgarten Gate; it now houses the Amber Museum.
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Dom Sovietov
North of the cathedral is Tsentralnaya ploshchad (Central Square) on which sits one of the dourest, ugliest of Soviet creations, the upright H-shaped Dom Sovietov. On this site stood a magnificent 1255 castle, damaged during WWII but dynamited out of existence by narrow-minded Soviet planners in 1967-68 to rid the city of a flagrant reminder of its Germanic past.
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Fifth Fort
At the city's northern border, along Sovietsky pr, is the Fifth Fort. One of the city's 15 forts constructed between 1872 and 1892 as a second line of defence, and the only one open to the public, it's a heavily wooded ruin that's fun to explore for hidden passages. Take trolleybus 1 to the Pyaty Fort stop.
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Former Stock Exchange
The fine blue Renaissance-style building just across the river to the south of the Kaliningrad Cathedral is the Former Stock Exchange, built in the 1870s.
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Friedland Gate
The newly restored Friedland Gate contains a small museum with a great map plotting the locations of the 13 original city gates. There's an intriguing arms display, and the original cobblestone road that ran through the gate is visible inside.
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German Neighbourhoods
Walks through the linden-scented, tree-lined old German neighbourhoods are the best way to experience old Königsberg: the entire area previously known as Amalienau between prs Pobedy and Mira is enchanting (ul Kutuzova especially), as is the slightly rundown area north of pr Mira centred around ul Komsomolskaya.
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History & Art Museum
Housed in a reconstructed 1912 concert hall, the museum displays a fairly open history of the city and has heart-wrenching photos of the dynamiting of the city's castle. Exhibits are in Russian only, but it's highly worthwhile.
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Kalinin Park
Just west, as pr Pobedy branches out from pr Mira, is the entrance to Kalinin Park, an amusement ground and splendid, forestlike park on the grounds of an old German cemetery.
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Kaliningrad Art Gallery
The Kaliningrad Art Gallery features exhibitions by local artists.
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Kaliningrad Cathedral
Tsentralny Ostrov with its striking Gothic Kaliningrad Cathedral was the geographical and spiritual heart of old Königsberg. Founded in 1333, the red-brick cathedral was almost destroyed during WWII, but since 1992 has been undergoing full restoration. The building's showpiece main hall, with vaulted ceilings, serves as a concert hall. A painstakingly crafted replica of the cathedral's 16th-century, 38,000-pipe organ will be completed by 2010.
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Kant Statue
Philosopher Immanuel Kant was born, studied and died in Königsberg. The Kant Statue is in the front yard of the Kant State University. His tomb is outside the Kaliningrad Cathedral.
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Korolevskie Vorota
Impressively renovated Korolevskie Vorota houses a museum with cool models of old Königsberg and exhibits on the personalities who shaped the region's history.
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Old Wall and Gates
There was a time when the only way into the heart of Königsberg was through a network of gates built into an earthen wall that surrounded the city. Originally constructed in the 14th century, the wall and 13 gates were rebuilt of red brick in the middle of the 19th century. Wars and overzealous city planners subsequently destroyed a few of these gates, but most of them survived, as did portions of the wall.
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Ploshchad Pobedy
At the northern terminus of Leninsky pr lies the concrete expanse known as Ploshchad Pobedy, once dominated by Lenin but now lorded over by the newly built Church of Christ the Saviour.
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Sackheim Gate
The twin-towered Sackheim Gate is south of Korolevskie Vorota.
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Teatr Kukol
Housed in a 19th-century Lutheran church, this puppet theatre is a big hit with young and old alike. Performances take place on Saturdays and Sundays at noon.
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Tsentralnaya Ploshchad
Just north of the Kaliningrad Cathedral is Tsentralnaya Ploshchad, on which sits one of the ugliest of Soviet creations, the H-shaped Dom Sovetov (House of Soviets).
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World Ocean Museum
Located along the Petra Velikogo embankment west of the Kaliningrad Cathedral, the World Ocean Museum is a Kaliningrad highlight. It's actually three museums in one: tour a B-413 submarine; learn about sea and space exploration aboard two giant Soviet research ships; or visit its fairly uninspiring aquarium and learn about oceanography. Visits to the two ships are by free guided tour only (every 45 minutes or so).
Showing 1-24 of 24 results
