The Amber Region, as the Kaliningrad Region is also called , is thoroughly saturated with history. Every stone here is a tourist attraction. The center of all that this region is famous for is the capital, the city of Kaliningrad. Photos, attractions, lists of routes, descriptions of interesting excursions are widely available.
One of the tourist mecca
The homeland of Immanuel Kant is a popular tourist attraction. The rich history of the city, founded in 1255 by the Czech king Przemysl II and the master of the Teutonic Order von Wertgain, is captured in numerous buildings of various times. Each of the objects is a historical or architectural monument of some era. The city organically combines all the styles and is one of the most beautiful “open-air museums” in Europe and the whole world. Therefore, a map of Kaliningrad with landmarks is very popular. The main treasures of the city include the Amber and Kirch Museum of the Holy Family, the Brandenburg Gate and the New Liberal Synagogue, Holy Cross Cathedral and
Kaliningrad Zoo, Lower Pond, the grave of the founder of German classical philosophy Immanuel Kant and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
City Business Card
But perhaps the main attraction is the Cathedral in Kaliningrad, a city that until July 4, 1946 was called Koenigsberg. The medieval settlement that arose on the site of the current Kaliningrad Hotel got its name from the castle of the same name. A settlement of German colonists Altstadt (the old city) was formed near its walls, where from 1297 to 1302 the first Koenigsberg Cathedral was built by the efforts of Bishop Siegfried, which was quite small in size. And therefore, already in 1327, at the request of the new Bishop Johann, the Master of the Teutonic Order allocates a plot of land for the construction of the main church on the Kneipkofe island (a peculiar feature of the city is its partial location on the islands).
The uniqueness of the cathedral
The clumsiness of the island soil and the times when each house was a fortress explains the unique architecture of the temple, which was originally planned as a house of worship exclusively for knights. And only an extension to the one-nave part, called the “High Choirs”, of the three-nave building (“Lower Choirs”), the church became accessible to ordinary residents of the city. It is necessary to stipulate that the Cathedral in Kaliningrad during its existence was entrusted with other functions besides the main one. So, for a long time he was a church at the University of Albertina.
The versatility of the main temple
In addition, the cathedral is the tomb of significant historical figures, such as the first Prussian ruler and the last master of the legendary Teutonic Order - Duke Albrecht. A fragment of the tombstone of his grave has survived to the present day.
Here Lutter von Braunschweit, the founder of the cathedral, found reassurance. Professors at the University of Albertina, the oldest in Prussia, were also buried here. The last of them was Immanuel Kant. The professorial tomb connects the cathedral with the university, which is also famous for its Wallenrod library, which is a unique collection of ancient manuscripts and scrolls.
Born again
Needless to say that, being in the very center of Europe, the Cathedral in Kaliningrad was repeatedly captured by the opposing forces, destroyed, burned and rebuilt. After the Allied bombing (British aviation) in 1944, which destroyed all the supporting structures and ceilings, the temple, like the whole Kneipkoff, was destroyed. The few walls of the cathedral, the tomb of Kant, some underground rooms have been preserved. The old organ, restored in 1905, was also destroyed. The temple itself was fully restored only in 1992. A new organ appeared in him. Today, the musical complex of the cathedral, consisting of two organs (large and small), has no analogues. It is the largest in Europe. The dignity and uniqueness of the complex is the ability to play two instruments at the same time. The large organ is the largest in Russia, it has 90 registers. He is crowned by the Phoenix - a bird, which is a symbol of rebirth, in this case, both the organ and the cathedral.
Rich history
Major destruction, as well as extensive restoration work, as a result of which the cathedral was transformed or enriched, the symbol of the city suffered much earlier. The history of the cathedral is very eventful. For its initial construction on a new site, a bridge was built called the Cathedral. On it, building materials from the disassembled old church were delivered to the island, because the new church was partially erected from them. The Cathedral in Kaliningrad is now inactive, it is a cultural and religious center. But at one time it was the main Catholic church of the city, and after the Reformation of the 16th century, the main Lutheran cathedral not only of the city, but of the whole of Prussia.
The fate of the organ is also unique
Over the course of a long life, the cathedral was renovated. After the first major restoration of 1833, a new organ appeared here. The Cathedral (Kaliningrad) in its history has had several of these tools. The first of them was installed in 1695, the second - in 1833, the current complex - in 2008. A lot has been written about this religious and cultural center, it is rightly considered a symbol of the city, its hallmark. But there is another cathedral in Kaliningrad - the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. This is an Orthodox church. Despite its more than young age (it was consecrated by Alexy II on September 10, 2006), the cathedral, built in the city center on Victory Square, has its own history and, of course, is a landmark of the city. Its lower part, in which the "Memel" iconostasis donated in 1996 is installed, is a temple of military glory.
Temple Monument
The German Holy Prince-Vladimir Brotherhood passed the iconostasis created during the Seven Years War (1756-1763) in Memel (Klaipeda) in honor of the fallen Russian soldiers. Now, at the suggestion of the chairman of the fraternity, Mr. G.A. The main Orthodox church in the region is rightfully proud of Kaliningrad. The Cathedral of Christ the Savior, executed in the style of Vladimir-Suzdal architecture, 73 meters high, organically fit into the architecture of the ancient European city. Literally every object of the capital of the Amber Region can be talked about endlessly. But it is better to see the beauties that Kaliningrad is so rich in. Photos, the sights of which are depicted in the most favorable angles, are the best recommendations for visiting the city.
The most western territory of Russia
It should be noted that the peculiarity of the Kaliningrad region, located in Central Europe, lies in the fact that it is a semi-exclave of the Russian Federation, with access to the sea, but not having a common land border with the Russian Federation.
Naturally, such a unique location adds to its other advantages a halo of attractive to many fans of the "Western world". And travel agencies take this into account. For residents of Russia, the city of Kaliningrad-Koenigsberg is full of attractiveness. He and the capital of the Amber Region, where the beaches are periodically covered, as it was recently, with these precious seafood, he is also the focus of historical and architectural monuments of Europe. And all this is located in Russia. For the older generation of residents of the CIS countries, Königsberg is one of the symbols of victory over fascist Germany. Among the numerous military awards, the great artist Vladimir Etush also has a medal "For the capture of Koenigsberg." Among other advantages, this city is one of the symbols of the military glory of Russia.
In a word, there are many reasons to visit this extraordinary city. A map of Kaliningrad with sights will allow you to give a definite idea in advance about how to better organize your acquaintance with this unique city of Russia, outline the most desirable objects for yourself, find out their location, the availability of hotels, food points and the most convenient accesses to them, both public and and personal transportation.