The Royal Gate (Kaliningrad) is one of the most famous architectural attractions of the westernmost city of Russia. In appearance, the structure resembles either a triumphal arch or a miniature hunting castle.
A brief history of the fortifications of Kaliningrad
The first castle on the banks of the river Pregol appeared in the middle of the XIII century. However, the idea to turn the entire Koenigsberg into an impregnable fortress arose among its inhabitants at the beginning of the XIX century (after it was easily occupied by Napoleon’s troops). In 1841, the city was visited by the monarch Frederick William IV, to whom the townspeople asked to build a complex of powerful fortifications around.
Soon, large-scale work began on the construction of Konigsberg fortifications, which was to become a reliable stronghold of East Prussia. The city ring of fortifications was divided into several fronts. Each of them included earthen ramparts, bastions, towers, artillery positions, as well as gates for passage.
With the development of artillery, it was decided to surround Koenigsberg with a belt of forts. It was assumed that they would further defend the city with the help of long-range shelling of the enemy. Soon, 15 brick forts (12 large and three small) grew in the vicinity of modern Kaliningrad. All of them were connected by a ring road with a length of 43 km.
The twentieth century was a period of rapid development and modernization of weapons, as well as military operations techniques. Thus, Koenigsberg's fortifications very quickly became outdated and, in fact, they never fulfilled their supposed role in history.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Konigsberg internal defense belt was bought by the city administration from the military. Most of the fortifications and bastions were dismantled, the ramparts turned into streets and boulevards. Fortunately, the Royal Gate has survived. We will discuss them further.
Royal Gate (Kaliningrad): description and location
To this day, in Kaliningrad-Koenigsberg, there are seven gates of the inner belt of fortifications dating back to the middle of the XIX century. These are Rosgarten Gate in the north, Ausfal and Railway in the west, Brandenburg (in the south-west), Friedland (in the south), Zacheim and Royal gates (in the east). All of them were built in the period from 1840 to 1850 in the Neo-Gothic style.
The royal gates are symbolic for the city, they are the most beautiful and expressive among all the others. The author of the construction is General Ernst Ludwig von Astaire. The sculptures were made by Wilhelm Ludwig Stürmer.
The gates are located on the Lithuanian shaft, between the bastion "Grolman" and the channel of the New Pregol.
History of the construction of the Royal Gate
The gate got its name from the name of the road of the same name. It was called royal because Prussian kings were sent from the city along it (the road led to the suburbs of Devau).
The laying of the first stone of the future building took place in 1843. At the same time, King Frederick William IV himself was present. At the time of construction, earthen ramparts adjoined the gates on both sides. Later, with the development of road transport they leveled. The road was laid next to a brick structure. Thus, the gate turned out to be an isolated, separate building.
By the beginning of the 90s, the Royal Gate was very dilapidated and required serious reconstruction. Restoration work began only in the fall of 2004. About 20 million rubles were allocated to them from the budget.
Features of architecture and interesting facts
The gate is a red brick structure, consisting of a wide passage (4.5 meters) and casemates located on each side of it. The building from the outside is reinforced with embrasures. Horizontally, the gates are divided into two parts by a cornice belt. The upper edges of the roofs of the casemates, as well as the driveway, are crowned with battlements and miniature turrets.
The upper tier of the gate is decorated with recesses, which contain sculptures of the King of Bohemia Otakar II, the Prussian King Frederick I and the Duke of Prussia Albrecht I.
In 2005, after the restoration was completed, a case with a message to the descendants was laid in the wall of the Royal Gate. One of the entries in it belongs to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.
According to one version, it is in the Royal Gate that there can be numerous valuables hidden by the German army when they retreated from the city in 1945.
Royal Gate: Museum and its opening hours
In the winter of 2005, the gates became a branch of the Museum of the World Ocean. The building housed several exhibits devoted to the development of fortifications of the city, as well as visits to Kaliningrad by various famous personalities, in particular, the embassy of Tsar Peter the Great to Europe.
The museum also regularly hosts various events, ceremonies and meetings of foreign guests. A kind of "gateway" in Russia for Western colleagues was the ancient Royal Gate. Museum address: Frunze street, 112. You can visit its exposition daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (except Mondays and Tuesdays).