Kaliningrad, Russia

Kaliningrad

 

Transportation

Hotels, motels and where to sleep

Restaurant, taverns and where to eat

 

Description of Kaliningrad

Kaliningrad, until July 4, 1946 - Königsberg, until 1255 - Tvangste - Russian city, which, by decision of the Potsdam Conference of 1946, the northern part of the German province of East Prussia, together with its capital Königsberg, was transferred to the USSR after World War II. Today, the city of Kaliningrad is part of Russia and the most western regional center of Russia. It is located at the confluence of the Pregoli River in the Kaliningrad Bay. Population - 475 056 people. (2018). According to the city authorities, from 120 to 180 thousand residents of the region and visitors from other regions of the country living and working in Kaliningrad are added in a relatively legal manner. Kaliningrad is the second most populous city (the first is St. Petersburg) in the North-Western Federal District, the third (after Riga and Vilnius) in the Baltic basin and the seventh among the cities of the Baltic Sea coast. Kaliningrad is one of the six main centers of internal migration attraction in Russia over the past two decades. The city is the core of the rapidly growing Kaliningrad agglomeration with a population of over 715 thousand people.

Kaliningrad is a major transportation hub: railways and highways; sea ​​and river ports; Khrabrovo International Airport. The headquarters of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy is located in Kaliningrad. Kaliningrad is among the 25 largest industrial centers of Russia.

There are museums in Kaliningrad (Amber Museum, Historical and Artistic, World Ocean, Art Gallery, Fortification Museum, etc.), theaters, large libraries (in particular, fragments of the medieval book collection - Wallenrodt Library), a zoo, a botanical garden. In the center of the city is the Cathedral in the Gothic. Until 2010, Kaliningrad had the status of a “historic city”. In 2018, the city held matches of the World Cup.

 

Travel Destinations in Kaliningrad

The main sights belong to the German period of the city's history. Unfortunately, the integral old city has not been preserved, the preserved sights are scattered around the city.

The main attraction of the city, which has become its symbol, is the Cathedral, which is located in the middle of Pregolya on Kant Island, the historical district of Kneiphof. It is the only building of the old city (the territory of Altstadt, Kneiphof and Löbenicht) that has survived to this day.

Cathedral. Built in the Gothic style. The exact date of commencement of construction is unknown, the first mention of the construction of the cathedral dates back to 1333. The foundation of the cathedral rests on a large number of piles. The towers were built in 1553. Until 1519, the cathedral was a Catholic church, then it became a Lutheran one. The cathedral burned down during the Second World War and stood in ruins for more than forty years. The restoration of the cathedral began in 1992. The cathedral has been restored as a multifunctional cultural center: the towers house a museum, a chamber music hall and two chapels, the main building of the cathedral is used as a hall for classical and religious music. The tombstone of Immanuel Kant, built in 1924 according to the design of the architect Lars, was attached to the cathedral on the site of the old crypt.

The cathedral is surrounded by the Sculpture Park with various sculptural compositions.

From the island to both banks of the Pregol leads the so-called. The trestle bridge, which is located in the western part, rises on the surrounding area and is a good view point. In the western part of the island, there is a small pedestrian bridge Honey Bridge, which leads to the Oktyabrsky Island in the so-called. Fish village and to the recognizable observation tower complex.

Fortifications
It was not in vain that Königsberg gained a reputation as a fortress city, built in the form of a bastion system of fortifications. A large number of defensive structures have survived here to this day: city gates, ravelins, reduits of bastions, barracks, and defensive ditches. The most popular among tourists is the chain of preserved city gates, which surrounded the central part of the city. The profile of the fortress wall is quite well read on the map, and on the way there are other objects, which, however, may be stylistically similar to defensive structures, but have an excellent history. All the currently preserved gates were built in the middle of the 19th century in the Neo-Gothic style, often on the site of older gates.

King's Gate (crossing of Frunze Street and Lithuanian Wall). In 2005, the Royal Gate was a symbol of the celebration of the 750th anniversary of Kaliningrad. Since the same year, the gate has been a branch of the Museum of the World Ocean. They house an exposition dedicated to the visit to Königsberg by the Great Embassy of Peter I.
Sackheim Gate. Intersection of Moskovsky prospect and Lithuanian shaft. The lower rooms have been converted into an art cafe.
Friedland Gate (crossing of Kalinin Avenue and Dzerzhinsky Street). There is a museum at the gate.
Ravelin of Friedland.
Brandenburg Gate (on Bagration Street, a few hundred meters from the Kaliningrad Yuzhny railway station). The only city gate in Kaliningrad, which is still used for its intended purpose (the carriageway of the street, the tram line and the pedestrian sidewalk pass through them).
Friedrichsburg Gate.
Railway gate (located under the roadway of Gvardeisky Prospekt, next to the monument to 1200 guardsmen). A pedestrian path passes through the gate leading to the park located behind the monument. In the spring of 2007, the Railway and Ausfal Gates were transferred to the Kaliningrad History and Art Museum. It is planned to restore the gates and place museum expositions of military-historical subjects in their premises. Together with the monument to 1200 guardsmen and Victory Park, the gate should become part of the military-historical complex.
Ausfal Gates (in the southwestern corner of the intersection of Guards Avenue and Gornaya Street, in the immediate vicinity of the monument to 1200 guardsmen). This gate is mostly hidden by the ground, so it is the least visible and the least known (even many Kaliningraders do not know about their existence). An Orthodox chapel was built on top of the gate. In 2007, the gate was handed over to the Museum of History and Art, it is planned to restore it and place it in the exposition gate.

Astronomical bastion.
Wrangel tower.
Don tower.
Rostgarten Gate (next to the Amber Museum, on Vasilevsky Square). Used as a fish restaurant.
Reduit of the Oberteich bastion.
Barracks Kronprinz.
Reduit of the Grolman bastion.

Other objects
Juditten Church (St. Nicholas Cathedral)
The oldest building in Kaliningrad is the former Juditten-Kirche. The exact time of its construction is not known, the consecration of the temple took place in 1288. In 1985, St. Nicholas Cathedral was opened in the building of the former Juditten Church, which became the first Orthodox church in the region. St. Nicholas Cathedral is located on the outskirts of the city, on Tenistaya Alley.

All other places of worship are much younger than the Cathedral and St. Nicholas Cathedrals.

Holy Cross Cathedral. Built in 1930-1933 as the parish Lutheran church of Lomse Island. After the war, the church was used as an industrial building. Since 1991 it has been an Orthodox church. The church is distinguished by unusual architecture, which cannot be unambiguously attributed to any one style. Address: Oktyabrsky Island, General Pavlov Street, 2.
The building of the concert hall of the regional philharmonic society. Built in 1907 as a Catholic church of the Holy Family. Style - neo-Gothic. Located on Bogdan Khmelnitsky Street.
Church building in memory of Queen Louise. Built in 1899-1901. The style is a mixture of neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic. Kirkha was destroyed during the war and restored in 1976 as a puppet theater. Address - Prospekt Pobedy, 1 (on the territory of the Central Park).
The Cathedral of Christ the Savior is a newly built Orthodox church on the square near the Northern railway station.
The House of Soviets is a building built next to the former castle. Attitude towards him is ambiguous, often negative. It was popularly nicknamed "Monster House" because of its abandonment combined with its gigantic size. It is a long-term construction - the beginning of construction - 1974, has not been completed to date due to litigation for ownership.
Monument to 1200 guardsmen (colloquially - "one thousand two hundred") - a mass grave and a monument to the soldiers of the 11th army who died during the assault on Königsberg. Located on Guards Avenue.

Historic districts
Unfortunately, the historical core of the city has not been preserved, since in 1944 the center of Königsberg, like Dresden, was razed to the ground by Anglo-American bombardments. It was finally destroyed during the bloody battles during the storming of the city by Soviet troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front under the leadership of Marshal A.V. Vasilevsky in April 1945 and during the post-war analysis of rubble and undermining dilapidated buildings. However, closer to the outskirts, areas have survived that have not changed much since German times, although these areas are quite young (they appeared at the beginning of the 20th century).

Amalienau
Amalienau is a district of villas, in the current topography its borders are formed by Pobedy Avenue, Lesoparkovaya, Yanalova and Krasnaya streets. The area was built in 1900-1920. in accordance with the concept of "Garden City".

Within Amalienau is the Church of St. Adalbert (now the Western Branch of IZMIRAN, Pobedy Avenue, 41). The development of Pobedy Avenue, Kutuzov, Ogaryov, Chestnut Alley streets is interesting. One of the most beautiful surviving Amalienau villas is Villa Schmidt (24 Pobedy Ave.). Now it houses a kindergarten.

There is a picturesque double pond (two ponds connected by canals) near the streets of Engels, Chapaev, Prospekt Mira and Kashtanovaya Alley. Its official name is Float, but the popular names are Bread Lake and Gemini Lake (from the German Zwillingteich).

Directions from the Central Square  avt. 24 to the stops "Ogaryova Street", "Kashtanovaya Alley Street".

Maraunenhof
Maraunenhof is an area of villas located in the Upper Pond area (the locals often call the pond a lake). The development of the Maraunenhof began in 1906. The area has largely retained its pre-war appearance. The main street of the district is Telman, a tram runs along it.

Notable villas of Maraunenhof: 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 21, 22, 23, 26, 30, 31, 34, 34a, 35, 36, 40, 42 and 44 on the street. Telman, 1, 2, 3 and 5 on the street. Gogol.

 

What to do

Museums

Museum of the World Ocean, emb. Peter the Great, d.1. ✉ ☎ +7(0112) 53-8804, fax: +7(0112) 34-0211. Wed-Sun, from 1 Apr to 30 Sep from 11.00 to 18.00, from 1 Oct to 31 Mar from 10.00 to 17.00. One of the most popular museums in the city. The museum includes three museum vessels, an exposition in a building on the shore and an open-air exposition, including bathyscaphes and equipment for working at sea.
The building of the Museum of the World Ocean. consists of the main building and the Sperm Whale pavilion. In the main building there are expositions, halls with aquariums, in which there are inhabitants of the sea, a conference hall. At the upper level there is an observation deck with an installed optical mechanism of the lighthouse. The Kashalot building houses an exposition, the central place of which is occupied by the skeleton of a sperm whale, a separate hall is dedicated to the actions of the Soviet Navy (in particular, the submarine fleet) in the Baltic during World War II.
The ship "Vityaz". A research vessel with an unusual fate. It was built in 1939 in Germany as a refrigerator ship ("banana carrier"). During the Second World War served as a military transport. After the war, it was transferred to Great Britain, but a year later it became part of the USSR merchant fleet. From 1946 to 1949 she was a merchant ship Equator, in 1949 she became a ship of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and was renamed Vityaz. From 1949 to 1979, the Vityaz made 65 voyages under the banner of the Academy of Sciences in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Now on board the restored ship there are expositions dedicated to its history, scientific research, the history of navigation, the nature of the World Ocean.
Diesel submarine B-413 of project 641. Included with the Navy from 1968 to 1999. On board the submarine there is an exposition “From the History of the Russian Submarine Fleet”.
Research vessel of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency "Cosmonaut Viktor Patsaev". Wikidata Element Built in 1968 as a timber carrier, converted to a research vessel in 1977. It plays the role of a floating measuring point of the command and measuring complex, designed to monitor and control the flights of satellites and interplanetary stations, to receive and process information and establish two-way communication with astronauts.
Amber Museum, pl. Marshal Vasilevsky, d.1. ✉ ☎ +7(4012) 466-888. Tue-Sun, summer 10-19, winter 10-18. 100 rubles, with an excursion 150. It is located in the building of the Don Tower fort. Group tours for single visitors are held every Saturday and Sunday at 12.00 and 16.00.
Historical and Art Museum, st. Clinical, 21. ☎ +7(4012) 453-844, 453-710, 453-902; +7 (4012) 994-900, +7 (911) 868-31-76. 10.00-18.00, ticket office until 17.00; Monday day off. 150 rubles (preferential is cheaper), photo / video filming is free, audio guide is 150 rubles.
Kaliningrad Museum of Fine Arts, Leninsky Prospekt, 83 (buses No. 1, 3.5, 8, 10, 11, 12 minibuses 63, 64, 71, 87; trolleybuses 1). ☎ +7 4012 46-71-43 (ticket office). Tue, Wed, Fri-Sun 10.00-18.00, Thursday until 21.00, Monday closed.
Scientific Marine Museum of the Atlantic Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (AtlantNIRO Museum), st. Dmitry Donskoy, 5. ☎ +7 4012 925416. Stuffed large fish and cetacean skeletons. Also in the museum's exposition there are "giants and dwarfs among sharks"; extinct and modern mollusks, crustaceans, echinoderms; sponges; corals, etc.
Hydrobiological Museum. N. S. Gaevskoy, pr. Soviet, 2 (near the North Station). ☎ +7 4012 216291. Little known highly specialized museum. The exposition includes hydrobionts from different places of the World Ocean, the entomofauna of the Baltic region.

 

Parks

Kaliningrad Zoo, Prospekt Mira, 26. ☎ 8(4012)21-89-14. daily: in summer (May-September) from 9.00 to 19.00, in winter (October-April) from 9.00 to 17.00. One of the largest and oldest zoos in Russia. It is the "successor" of the former Königsberg Zoo, founded by the German entrepreneur Hermann Klass in 1896.
Kaliningrad Botanical Garden (Intersection of Lesnaya and Molodyozhnaya streets (bus number 4)). ☎ 8(4012)214-424. from April 1 to October 31, daily, from 10 to 19.00. Founded in 1904 by Paul Kaber, head of the Department of Higher Plants and Systematics at the University of Königsberg. Today it is the base of the Baltic Federal University named after Immanuel Kant.
Central Park of Culture and Leisure (in Soviet times, Kalinin Park) Element of Wikidata, Pobedy Avenue, 3. Previously, a German cemetery and Luizenval Park were located on this site. The park has: a singing stage, many attractions for children and adults, a cafe, a shooting range, an adventure park with hanging wooden bridges, nets and ropes (in summer), an ice arena and an outdoor skating rink (for winter recreation).

 

Routes

Despite the great destruction of Koenigsberg during the Second World War, in modern Kaliningrad there are many places that tourists will be extremely interested in visiting. Routes can be built based on visiting places that are symbols of the city, such as the Cathedral on Kant Island, or walk through numerous museums, theaters, go to the zoo or botanical garden. The route along all the preserved city gates and other fortifications is interesting. In any case, the traveler should be careful and pay attention to minor details, because even the manhole cover may turn out to be historical.

Kaliningrad in one day
If a traveler can set aside only one day to explore Kaliningrad, then it makes sense to make your program rich and highlight the most interesting places to visit.

The Central Square can be suggested as a starting point. If the tourist stays at any hotel located in the city center, he will easily join the route of the first day. From the Northern Station to the Central Square along Leninsky Prospekt, you can walk in 10-15 minutes.

At the intersection of Shevchenko Street and Leninsky Prospekt, it is impossible not to notice the House of Soviets (Monster House in the name of local residents), built on the Central Square of the city in Soviet times. From this point, the tourist has a panorama of the main sights of Kaliningrad, and his path lies on the overpass bridge over the Pregolya River (a continuation of Leninsky Prospekt). On the bridge, you should keep to the left side in the direction of travel, so that without crossing you will go down to Kant Island.

Before that, you can go to the end of the bridge and see the building of the Stock Exchange, located on Staropregolskaya embankment. The building was built in the neo-Renaissance style in 1875, and its northern facade goes straight into the waters of the Pregolya River. The exchange stands on 2202 piles 12-18 meters long. Pay attention to the figures of lions with shields at the entrance. Currently, the building houses the Youth Creativity Palace. The building is incredibly beautiful in the evening with original lighting. Returning to the bridge, on small observation platforms you can take pictures against the backdrop of Kant Island and the Cathedral. Kant Island is formed at the confluence of two branches of the Pregol River - Novaya and Staraya Pregolya. The Königsberg Cathedral houses the cathedral museum and the I. Kant museum, it houses two organs, including the largest in Russia and the Baltics, restored according to German drawings. After visiting the museums, bypassing the cathedral, you can visit the grave of I. Kant and see the monument to Duke Albrecht, the founder of the Königsberg University, the last master and the first duke of East Prussia, recently restored on the original pedestal. Having crossed the Honey Bridge from Kant Island to Oktyabrskaya Street, the traveler can go to the Victoria shopping center, which has a cheap fast food restaurant and a free toilet. Behind the building of the shopping center inside the residential quarters there is an architecturally interesting Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Cross. To the right of the Honey Bridge begins the so-called "Fish Village" - a quarter under construction in the "pseudo-Old German" style. In the "Fish Village" there is a viewing tower "Lighthouse", which offers an overview of the island of Kant and the Cathedral.

We return to the island of Kant. The next stage is the Museum of the World Ocean, it could be seen earlier from the viewing platforms of the overpass in the western direction. You can get there by going through the overpass in the opposite direction, further to the embankment. The museum should visit as many sections as possible, buying a ticket for each of them.

From the Museum of the World Ocean, along Moskovsky Prospekt, you can climb to the monument to 1200 guardsmen at the intersection with Gvardeisky Prospekt, as well as see the Railway and Ausfal Gates, the remains of the Astronomical Bastion of the famous astronomer Bessel. When moving up along Gvardeisky Prospekt, you can get to the square near the North Station, Victory Square. Trains coming from the cities of the region and the resorts of Svetlogorsk, Pionersky and Zelenogradsk have the North Station as their final destination. The station was built in 1930, at present the old station building has a commercial and office purpose, and the station itself is located in a building of a later Soviet construction. Being on Victory Square, one cannot but pay attention to the main dominant - the recently built Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Opposite the temple, in the historical building (1923) of the trade, later the town house of the Stadthaus, the city hall is located (Ploschad Pobedy, 1). If you go behind the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, then after a few hundred meters you can see the former House of Technology (on Professor Baranov Street) - the former exhibition hall of the East German Fair, built in 1924. Now this building houses the Epicenter shopping center.

If time permits, from Victory Square you can walk along Chernyakhovsky Street to inspect the city gates and fortifications, or transfer this route to the next day.

… two days
The route of the second day can be started from the square near the North Station, where the hike of the first day was completed. Moving along Chernyakhovsky Street through the Marshal Vasilevsky Square and further along the Litovsky Val, you can see almost all the fortifications and gates that have been preserved in the center at once. The first building will be the Wrangel Tower, located behind the spontaneous manufactured goods market. Further, passing by the Upper Pond, we get to the Tower of the Don, which houses the must-see Museum of Amber, which tells about the extraction of this stone (in the area in the village of Yantarny there is the only industrial amber mining enterprise in the world), demonstrating jewelry with amber, fragments restored Amber Room, exclusive pieces of amber with inclusions. On April 9, 1945, a red banner was hoisted on this tower, symbolizing the victory of the Soviet troops. Next to the Tower of the Don is the Rossgarten Gate, which you can just look at, or you can go in and dine at the fish restaurant located in the building. After Vasilevsky Square, in the direction of movement to the left, Alexander Nevsky Street begins, leading towards Khrabrovo Airport, at the beginning of which the administrative building of the Russian State University named after I. Kant is located. Near the building there is a monument to Francysk Skaryna. But we will go straight ahead without turning. Here begins the Litovsky Val street and the long ancient mound, which gave the name to the street. The monumental bastion "Grolman" and the barracks "Kronprinz" are successively located on Litovsky Val, at the intersection with Frunze Street - the recently restored King's Gate, which houses part of the exposition of the Museum of the World Ocean, opened on the days of the city's anniversary in 2005 by V. V. Putin. Next to the King's Gate, further down the road on the left side, you can see and visit the Reduit Brasserie, located in a German two-story brick building. The restaurant has its own brewery. Having reached the intersection with Moskovsky Prospekt, you can see the last gates of the day - Zakhimsky.

This long walking marathon almost ends. Moving along Moskovsky Prospekt towards the center, you can get to the Kaliningrad Art Gallery, and going up to the Nizhny or Zamkovy Pond, visit the Historical and Art Museum, located in the former German Stadthalle. After the museum, moving towards the North Station, you can see another of the buildings of the Russian State University, built in the 19th century, with a monument to Kant and visit the underground bunker - the Blindage Museum, in which the commandant of Koenigsberg, General Otto von Lyash, signed the act of surrender.

… three days
The third day, like the previous one, can be started from the square near the North Station. To the west of the square towards Prospekt Mira are quite compactly located:
in front of the building of the Kaliningrad Technical University (formerly the Supreme Court of East Prussia was located here) the sculpture “Bulls”, in fact, these are bison. In the common people, the sculpture is called "the prosecutor against the lawyer";
Headquarters of the Baltic Fleet with a monument to Peter I;
at the fountain with a colonnade - the Schiller Monument of 1910, one of the few surviving monuments of German times;
Regional Drama Theatre.

On the left - the building of the Atlantic Branch of the Institute of Oceanology and the regional library (the former German Radio House and the preserved bomb shelters), the Red House - the building of the Regional Government, the Baltika stadium (the former German parade ground).

Further, on the right side in the direction of travel, one of the best in the country, the Kaliningrad Zoo, which is over a hundred years old, will be recommended for visiting. Leaving the zoo and passing by the Moskva Hotel (with a brick profile of the emblem of Berlin - a bear visible on the wall), the Zarya cinema (and the Germans had a cinema here) and the monument to "Compatriots-Cosmonauts" (Leonov, Patsaev, Romanenko) to at the intersection with Victory Avenue, you can see the high spire of Queen Louise's Church, which now houses a puppet theater. Kirkha is located in the Central Park with numerous attractions, a summer stage, fountains, monuments to V. Vysotsky and Baron Munchausen.

The rest of the day can be devoted to a trip to the most interesting Botanical Garden, located in the northern part of the city.

… four days
In the remaining days, the traveler should make trips and excursions around the Kaliningrad region.

For those interested in the fortifications of Kaliningrad, on the fourth day, we can offer to explore the area near the South Station, on the left bank of the Pregol River. Here, on Portovaya Street, opposite the Museum of the World Ocean, there is Fort Friedrichsburg. Not far from the South Station is the Brandenburg Gate, the only gate through which a street passes, in this case Bagration Street. Along Kalinin Avenue with chestnut trees planted on fortifications covered with a protective layer of earth, forts are located in the South Park, and the avenue ends with the Friedland Gate with a museum and the Pregel bastion. On the way back, on B. Khmelnitsky Street, you can see the Gothic church of the Holy Family, which currently houses the organ hall of the regional philharmonic society.

The historical districts of Amalienau and Maraunenhof are recommended for lovers of unhurried walks along quiet green streets.

 

Etymology

It was founded in 1255 by the Knights of the Teutonic Order as a fortress and named Königsberg (German for "royal mountain") in honor of the Czech king Premysl Otakar II, who took an active part in campaigns against the Baltic tribe of the Prussians. Neighboring peoples called the city in their own languages, on the territory of Rus' before the reign of Peter I, the area was known as Korolevets. In 1946, it was supposed to rename the city to Baltiysk, but in connection with the death of the Soviet party and statesman M. I. Kalinin, the city was renamed Kaliningrad in memory of him

 

History of Kaliningrad

Before 1945
The city was founded on a hill on the high right bank in the lower reaches of the Pregol River on the site of the Prussian settlement Twangste (Prussian Twangste) on September 1, 1255 as a castle by the knights of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Poppo von Ostern and the Czech king Premysl Otakar II, whose troops came to the aid of the suffering defeats from the local population to the knights, who, in turn, were invited to Prussia by the Polish king to fight the pagans.

The city's history can be divided into four periods: an old Prussian settlement known as Twangste until 1255; the Polish town of Krulewiec from 1454 to 1455 and then the estate of Poland from 1456 to 1657; the German city of Königsberg from 1657 to 1945; and the Soviet-Russian city of Königsberg from 1945, from 1946 - Kaliningrad, to the present.

Königsberg in World War II
The assault on Königsberg by Soviet troops was preceded by a double massive bombardment of the city by British aircraft in August 1944, which completely destroyed its middle part.

The assault on the city of Königsberg by Soviet troops during the East Prussian operation during the Great Patriotic War began on April 6, 1945.

The battle for Fort No. 5 “King Frederick William III”, which guarded the northwestern approaches to the city, was especially fierce.[20] During the assault, the Red Army under the command of Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky for the first time used the tactic of launching an infantry attack before the end of artillery preparation, which made it possible to avoid enemy fire on the way to the fortifications and take the fortification garrison by surprise. The reverse side of the medal was the significant loss of the assault forces from the fire of their own troops - the ongoing artillery preparation. Among others, selected guards units suffered heavy losses. The memory of them was subsequently immortalized in the monument "1200 Guardsmen", located in the city center on Gvardeysky Prospekt. And on April 9, 1945, the Red Banner was raised over the Der Dona tower, where the Amber Museum is now located, marking the end of the German history of the city.

Accession to the USSR
By decision of the Potsdam Conference in 1945, the northern part of the German province of East Prussia, together with its capital Königsberg, was temporarily transferred to the USSR. Later, when the border treaties were signed, the Königsberg region was fully recognized as the possession of the Soviet Union.

Only 20,000 of the 370,000 German inhabitants who lived in the city before the Great Patriotic War remained. Although immediately after the war, work began on adapting the Germans to a new life - the newspaper Novoye Vremya was published in German, schools were organized where teaching was conducted in German - it was decided to deport the German population from the Kaliningrad region to Germany, where almost all of them were sent by 1947. Only a few specialists helped to restore the work of the enterprises of the city and the region until 1948 and even until 1949, but they were not given the opportunity to obtain Soviet citizenship, and subsequently they were deported to Germany, as well as forcibly evicted from other territories lost by Germany following World War II. Instead, Soviet citizens were resettled in the city.

On July 4, 1946, after the death of the “all-Union headman” M.I. Kalinin, in his honor the city of Königsberg was renamed Kaliningrad by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, although Kalinin had no direct relation to this city, and there were already cities on the map of the country Kalinin (now Tver) and Kaliningrad in the Moscow region (now Korolev).

After the war, the city began to be populated at a rapid pace. In the first post-war years, the almost completely destroyed city was actively restored, and the military builders of the army and navy played an important role in its restoration. On November 7, 1946, tram traffic was restored. Since 1946, the Regional Museum of Local Lore (now the Regional Museum of History and Art) has been forming its collections. In 1948, classes began at the Kaliningrad State Pedagogical Institute, several technical schools and other educational institutions. Cinemas accepted their first viewers. In 1958, Rybvtuz was transferred from Moscow and transformed into the Kaliningrad Technical Institute of the Fishing Industry and Economy (now the Kaliningrad State Technical University). In 1967, the Pedagogical Institute was reorganized into Kaliningrad State University (now the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University). In 1966, the Higher Nautical School was opened (until 2012 - the Baltic State Academy of the Fishing Fleet).

From 1953 to 1962, a monument to Stalin stood on Victory Square. In 1973 the town hall was turned into the House of Soviets. In 1975, the trolleybus was launched again. In 1980, a concert hall was opened in the building of the former Lutheran Church of the Holy Family. In 1986, the Kreuzkirche building was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church.

For foreigners, the city was completely closed and, with the exception of rare friendship visits from neighboring Poland, was practically not visited by foreigners.

The old city was not restored, and the ruins of the castle were demolished in the late 1960s, despite the protests of architects, historians, local historians and ordinary residents of the city.

Current state
Changes in the 1990s, associated with the collapse of the USSR, marked the beginning of a new stage in the development of the Kaliningrad region. In October 1996, elections were held for the mayor of the city, and then for the governor of the Kaliningrad region, the rise of public life began.

Since 1991, the city has been open for international cooperation with foreign countries, primarily with Germany and Poland, in the field of business, culture and education.

There are many foreign institutions in the city that provide the information, administrative and visa support necessary for the city, including:
Visa Application Centers in Italy, Spain, Malta, Austria, Bulgaria, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovenia and Finland
Branch of the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in Russia
Consulate General of Germany
Consulate General and Visa Application Center of the Republic of Poland
Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania
Kaliningrad branch of the Consulate General of Sweden in St. Petersburg
Office of the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in Russia
Honorary Consuls of Armenia, Greece, Denmark, Italy, Tajikistan, France and Croatia
Representation of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce in Kaliningrad
Danish Project Coordination Adviser's Office
Center for German Culture "German-Russian House"
Polish cultural and business center

The question of returning the name Königsberg to the city was repeatedly raised. In 2009, the head of the administration of Kaliningrad, F.F. Lapin, advocated the return of the historical name to the city. In September 2011, the governor of the Kaliningrad region, N. N. Tsukanov, said that the issue of renaming could be resolved by a referendum, but he himself is a supporter of the current name of the city.

Until 2010, Kaliningrad had the status of a historical settlement, but by order of the Ministry of Culture of Russia dated July 29, 2010 No. 418/339, the city was deprived of this status, like hundreds of other cities.

In 2018, Kaliningrad became one of the host cities for the FIFA World Cup.

 


Transportation

Get in
By plane
Kaliningrad International Airport (IATA:KGD) Khrabrovo is located about 25 km north of Kaliningrad. Khrabrovo is connected by flights with the following cities:
Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Belgorod, Volgograd, Lipetsk, Cherepovets, Petrozavodsk.
Eastern Europe: Warsaw, Gomel, Minsk, Rome.
Central Asia: Tashkent.
The main Russian air carriers that regularly fly to Kaliningrad are Aeroflot, UTAir, Ural Airlines, Rossiya, S7.

Airport "Khrabrovo" (The bus runs approximately every hour to the South Station. Payment 100 rubles to the driver.).

By train
The city has two main stations, South and North. The northern station serves only local trains (in the region). The South Station receives trains from Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Murmansk, Chelyabinsk, Adler and Sochi).

Railway station "Kaliningrad-Yuzhny".
Railway station "Kaliningrad-Severny".

Rules for traveling by train through the territory of Lithuania for citizens of the Russian Federation.

You can get from Moscow from the Belorussky railway station to Kaliningrad by branded train No. 029 "Yantar", departure daily, travel time 22 hours. Several passenger trains also run on a special schedule.

From St. Petersburg from Vitebsky railway station to Kaliningrad every day in the summer, the rest of the time every other day, train number 079 runs, the journey time is just over a day.

By car
Since the Kaliningrad region is an exclave (semi-exclave) and does not border on the main territory of Russia, in order to get to Kaliningrad from Moscow by land, it is necessary to pass through the territory of Belarus and Lithuania. To travel through Lithuania, you need to apply for a Schengen visa and comply with customs formalities.

By bus
Regular bus routes connect Kaliningrad with Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Germany.

In Kaliningrad, the bus station is located on Kalinin Square, next to the railway station Kaliningrad-Passenger. From this bus station depart international bus routes to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Germany and the Republic of Belarus, as well as intra-regional flights.

By ship
The Kaliningrad region is connected with St. Petersburg by a ferry crossing. The ferry terminal is not located in Kaliningrad itself, but in the port city of Baltiysk.

In summer, the Polish shipping company operates several routes connecting Kaliningrad and Baltiysk with the cities of Poland:
Elblag-Kaliningrad (conventional vessels and high-speed SPK)
Frombork-Kaliningrad (conventional vessels and high-speed SPK)
Gdansk-Baltiysk

There is also a ferry connecting the Kaliningrad region with Germany.

 

Get around

The main modes of transport are buses, trolleybuses, trams, fixed-route taxis. Trams and trolleybuses are municipal, buses are mostly private, fixed-route taxis are all private.

There are many tram and trolleybus lines in the city, but when you see them, you should not try to leave - almost all of them are abandoned, you will need up-to-date route maps.

The fare in public transport is 28 rubles (2020), in minibuses a little more (30 rubles).

 

Hotels, motels and where to sleep

Cheap
As of 2021, there is a clear shortage of budget hotels in Kalingrad, especially those available for several days in a row; the situation is better with hostels and rented apartments.

Deima, st. Tolstikova, 15. ☎ (4012) 71-08-14. It is located far enough from the city center, not very good reviews.

Average cost
Hotel "Golden Bay", st. B. Khmelnitsky, 53. ☎ (4012) 44-58-78. Located near the South Station, next to the Philharmonic.
Hotel Navigator, Sovetsky Prospekt 285. ✉ ☎ (4012)566-222. Interesting design, clean and comfortable rooms, good plumbing. There is quite a decent sauna with hydromassage. However, the attitude of the staff at the reception is very Soviet. By bus number 36 or minibus number 76 from the hotel to the stop "Zoo" - about 15 minutes. In the morning, transport runs every 5-7 minutes, in the evening it is more reasonable to take a taxi. Buses to Svetlogorsk and Zelenogradsk stop at the hotel (approximately every 20-30-40 minutes, but it is very problematic to find out the exact schedule).
Hotel "Kaliningrad", Leninsky Prospekt, 81. Single room from 3000r. The main Soviet hotel of the city, located in the very center. The number of rooms includes 206 rooms, excellent views of the island of Kant from the rooms on the upper floors. The hotel was renovated in 2018, all rooms are in excellent condition. Among the shortcomings: a separately paid breakfast (440 rubles), there is a kettle in the rooms, but there are no mugs or other accessories.
Moscow Hotel, 19 Mira Ave. ☎ +7 (4012) 53-93-30. Double room from 2200 rub. Breakfasts are paid extra.
Paraiso Hotel, st. Turgeneva, 32a.. ✉ ☎ +7-4012-21-69-69. Double room from 1900r, accommodation + breakfast.
Guest house "Glamour", Verkhneozernaya st., 2.. ☎ +7 (4012) 53-80-20. Double room from 2000r, accommodation + breakfast.
Friedrichoff Hotel, st. Chkalova, 31A. Double room from 2200 rub. Breakfasts are paid extra.
Hotel "Tourist", st. Nevsky, 53. Double room from 2050r. Accommodation + breakfast.

Expensive
Dona Hotel, M. Vasilevsky Square, 2. ✉ ☎ +7-4012-35-16-50. Double room from 2700r, accommodation + breakfast.
Usadba Hotel, Orlovka village, Zarechnaya st., 8. ✉ ☎ +7-4012-38-48-50, fax: +7-4012-35–66–09 Double room from 2650r, accommodation + breakfast. 7 km. from the city on the way to Zelenogradsk.
Hotel "Oberteich", Verkhneozernaya st., 11. Double room from 2650 rubles, accommodation + breakfast.
Hotel "Turtle", Zoological dead end, 10. Double room from 3600r, accommodation + breakfast.
Hotel "Marton Palace" (formerly Triumph Palace), Bolshevik lane, 3. Double room from 5400r, accommodation + breakfast. Nice, but a little "tired" hotel in a quiet side street. Friendly staff, all 4 star bonuses: bathrobes, slippers, toiletries, etc. Cozy rooms, but the audibility between the rooms upsets, and the noise comes from the street. There are catastrophically few sockets in the room (ask for a tee at the reception). Breakfasts are modest but good; but the "evening" restaurant seems to be from the 1990s.
Guest house "Villa Severin", Leningradskaya st., 9A. Double room from 2700r, accommodation + breakfast.
Hotel "Skipper", st. Oktyabrskaya, 4A (in the Fish Village, near Kant Island). ☎ +7(4012) 307-237. Double room from 2800 rub. Breakfasts are paid extra.
Hotel "Heliopark Kaiserhof" (Heliopark Kaiserhof), st. Oktyabrskaya 6A (in the Fish Village near the Jubilee Bridge). ✉ ☎ +7 (4012) 592-222. Double room from 5100 rubles, accommodation + breakfast. This modern 4* hotel is conveniently located near Kant Island. The hotel has a spa center with a small pool and a restaurant. Near the hotel there is a small embankment-promenade (if you want rooms with a view of the river, specifically specify this when booking).
Hotel "Chaika", st. Pugacheva, 13 (corner of Stepan Razin street). ☎ +7 (4012) 352-211. from 3800 rub. including breakfast. A small 3-star hotel in the historic district of Amalienau, decorated in a retro style, but with all modern amenities.

 

Restaurant, taverns and where to eat

Papasha Beppe Pizzaria, Leninsky Pr. 20/26 and Baltiiskaya Ul. 12. 11AM to 11PM. Many locals consider this to be the best thin crust and thick crust pizza in town, also a wide variety of salads, pastas, risottos, and desserts. 200-600 Rubles per pizza.
Karamel, Leninsky Prospekt 30 (On the top floor of the Plaza Center; note the separate elevator to the right of the main entrance to the shopping mall.), ☎ +7 4012 53-04-61. Some of the best views from the city from this cafe. Excellent food and fairly broad range of European cuisine, approximately 500 rubles per entree.
Razgulyai, Ploshad' Pobedy 1, ☎ +7 4012 533-689. Cafeteria-style restaurant with rustic decor. Good for children.
Solyanka Cafe, 24 Prospect Mira, ☎ +7 4012-936-203. Try the solyanka, a thick, piquant soup that is either meat-based, fish-based or vegetable-based. It is cooked with preserved cucumbers, olives, capers and tomato puree that give a strong sour-salty taste to the soup. Solyanka is perhaps one of the most popular soups besides borscht (beetroot soup) in Russia, but remains unknown beyond the national boundaries. 500 rubles.
Zarya, Prospekt Mira 41/43 (Just up the street from the Moscow Hotel), ☎ +7 4012 21-39-29. A trendy, upscale restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, wide selection on the menu, excellent desserts. In the same building as a movie theater.

Drink
Twelve Chairs (Dvenadstat' Stulyev). A very chic bohemian style cafe with a decent food menu.
In the Shadows of the Castle (V Teni Zamka) (In the strip mall across from the Kaliningrad Hotel). opens at 11AM. One of Kaliningrad's longest-lasting cafes.
Local beer brands that are available in stores include Ostmark and Königsberg.

Hmel Restaurant and Brewery, Pobedi Square, 10 ('Klover' Shopping Centre, 2nd Floor), ☎ +7 4012-593-377. Live music starts at 9PM every night. A gigantic brewery on the second floor churns out home-made beer. 95 rubles/glass.
Kropotkin, Teatralnaya ulitsa 30 (next to the big McDonald's near Victory Square), ☎ +7 401 266 8060. Self-made beer (100 RUB 0,5l), probably the best in town. Try the unfiltered one. Acceptable food, cosy beerhall atmosphere and business lunch. 400 RUB

 

Buy

Traditional souvenirs from Kaliningrad are amber items; there are many jewelry stores in the city center where you can buy them.

Souvenirs from the Max Preuss Manufactory. (souvenirs without amber), st. Garage, 2A. T-shirts and bags with quotes from Kant, postcards, tourist cards, and, of course, magnets. As well as books and photo albums on the history of Koenigsberg and Kaliningrad.
Glass souvenirs at the Museum of Glass, st. Oktyabrskaya, 8 (Lighthouse in the Fishing Village, 5th floor (on foot!)). Glassware made by Kaliningrad masters. There are small inexpensive souvenirs, there are more expensive and more interesting interior items.
Croissant cafe. In this chain of cafes, you can buy fresh handmade chocolates in a bright gift box with a picture of Kaliningrad sights. Shelf life of sweets is 1 month.
Victoria. A chain of supermarkets located at:
blvd. L. Shevtsova, 1. ☎ +7 (4012) 58-22-77. 07:00-02:00.
st. Gaidar, 120. ☎ +7 (4012) 32-65-00. 07:00-02:00.
Solnechny Blvd., 1. ☎ +7 (4012) 36-14-14. 07:00-02:00.
st. April 9, 9. ☎ +7 (4012) 36-92-20. 07:00-02:00.
sq. Kalinina, 28. ☎ +7 (4012) 63-00-04. around the clock.
Leninsky pr., 30. ☎ +7 (4012) 53-55-28. around the clock.
137 Pobedy Ave. ☎ +7 (4012) 35-42-04. 07:00-02:00.

Victoria-Kvartal, http://www.victoria-group.ru/ Network of stores located at:
Moskovsky prospect, 123. ☎ +7 (4012) 36-92-56. 07:00-01:00.
st. Nekrasov, 18/24. ☎ +7 (4012) 38-17-04. 09:00-24:00.
st. Krasnoselskaya, 13/19. ☎ +7 (4012) 33-17-04. 07:00-01:00.
st. Kuibyshev, 91A. ☎ +7 (4012) 33-83-46. 07:00-02:00.
61 Mira Ave. ☎ +7 (4012) 95-50-52. 07:00-02:00.
st. Belibeyskaya, 12=. ☎ +7 (4012) 46-15-56. 07:00-02:00.
st. Flour mill, 2/8=. ☎ +7 (4012) 64-18-77. 07:00-24:00.
st. Frunze, 73=. ☎ +7 (4012) 35-91-53. 08:00-24:00.
st. Epronovskaya, 1=. ☎ +7 (4012) 38-67-53. 07:00-01:00.

 

Consulates

Armenia Armenia (Honourary Consulate), Kievskaya street, 23, ☎ +7 4012 681-083, +7 4012 680-022.
Croatia Croatia (General Consulate), Dzherzhinskogo street, 244-A, ☎ +7 4012 60-05-55, fax: +7 (4012) 60-05-56.
Denmark Denmark (Honourary Consulate), Proletarskaya street, 133, ☎ +7 4012 95-76-88.
Germany Germany (General Consulate), Leningradskaya street, 4, ☎ +7 (4012) 920-218 (short-term visas), +7 (4012) 920-220 (admission), +7 (4012) 920-219 (national visas), fax: +7 (4012) 920-229, e-mail: info@kaliningrad.diplo.de. Mon-Thu, 9AM-5PM; Fri 9AM-2PM.
Greece Greece (Honourary Consulate), Ogareva street, 33, ☎ +7 4012 93-60-27, e-mail: scherbakov@avtotor.ru
Italy Italy (Honourary Consulate), Chernyakhovskogo street, 6 office 108, ☎ +7 4012 53-24-32, fax: +7 (4012) 53-24-32, e-mail: consolatokaliningrad@yandex.ru
Latvia Latvia (General Consulate), Engels street, 52-а, ☎ +7 921 107-4224, +7 411 270-6755, +7 401 256-5502, +7 8 4012 295-7441, fax: +7 (921) 232-9750, e-mail: chancery.kaliningrad@mfa.gov.lv. Mon-Fri, 9AM-6PM.
Lithuania Lithuania (General Consulate), Proletarskaya street, 133, ☎ +7 4012 95-7688, +7 4012 95-9486, fax: +7 (4012) 95-6838, e-mail: kons.kaliningradas@urm.lt. Mon-Fri, 8-30 - 12-30.
Netherlands Netherlands (Representation at the General Consulate of Sweden), Kutuzova street, 29, ☎ +7 4012 959-400, fax: +7 (4012) 959-433, e-mail: generalkonsulat.kaliningrad@foreign.ministry.se. Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, 9-00 - 12-00.
Norway Norway (Honourary Consulate at the General Consulate of Poland), Kashtanovaya Alley, 51, ☎ +7 (4012) 976-440, +7 (4012) 218-741 (visa issues), fax: +7 (4012) 976-443, e-mail: consulat@kaliningrad.polemb.net. Mon-Fri, 8-30AM - 1-00PM.
Poland Poland (General Consulate), Kashtanovaya Alley, 51, ☎ +7 (4012) 976-440, +7 (4012) 218-741 (visa issues), fax: +7 (4012) 976-443, e-mail: consulat@kaliningrad.polemb.net. Mon-Fri, 9-00AM - 2-00PM.

Visa Centers
Estonia Estonia (Estonian visa service provided by the Consulate of Lithuania), Proletarskaya street, 133, ☎ +7 4012 95-7688, +7 4012 95-9486, fax: +7 (4012) 95-6838, e-mail: kons.kaliningradas@urm.lt. Mon-Fri, 8-30 - 12-30.
Hungary SloveniaHungary and Slovenia (Hungarian and Slovenian visa service provided by the Consulate of Latvia), Engels street, 52-а, ☎ +7 921 107-4224, +7 411 270-6755, +7 401 256-5502, +7 8 4012 295-7441, fax: +7 (921) 232-9750, e-mail: chancery.kaliningrad@mfa.gov.lv. Mon-Fri, 9AM-6PM.
Sweden Sweden (Swedish visa service provided by the Consulate of Poland), Kashtanovaya Alley, 51, ☎ +7 (4012) 976-440, +7 (4012) 218-741 (visa issues), fax: +7 (4012) 976-443, e-mail: consulat@kaliningrad.polemb.net. Mon-Fri, 9AM - 2PM.

 

Geography

The city is located on both banks of the Pregol River near its confluence with the Kaliningrad Bay of the Baltic Sea. The terrain is flat, but the northern part of the city is located on a higher bank. There are many hydrographic objects in the city: the Lower, Upper Ponds (Two streams flow into the Upper Pond. The Blue Stream (German Wirrgraben - Steep Ditches) flows into the pond in the area of the Yunost Park. The second stream - Molodyozhny Stream (German Beydfitter River) flows into the pond in the area of ​​Tolstoy Street.), Float, Lake Lesnoye, a chain of former quarries near the village named after Alexander Kosmodemyansky (Dump, Lake Beloe), Summer Pond, ponds in South Park, on Gvardeysky Prospekt and others; many streams. The Park Stream flows from the Upper Pond, which is a tributary of the Pregolya. Part of the water from the Upper Pond flows through the cascade into the Lower Pond.

Geographical position
Timezone
Kaliningrad is in the MSK-1 time zone. The offset of the applicable time from UTC is +2:00. In accordance with the applied time and geographic longitude, the average solar noon in Kaliningrad occurs at 12:38.

 

Climate

The climate of the city is transitional from maritime to continental. The Köppen climate classification is Dfb. Due to the influence of the Gulf Stream, winters are warmer than in the continental regions of Eurasia. As a rule, spring comes earlier, and autumn is somewhat slower than in mainland areas at the same latitude. The spring season in Kaliningrad is long and usually begins in late February-early March, when the average daily temperature begins to regularly exceed 0°C. Due to the proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, summer in Kaliningrad is moderately cool and comes, on average, on June 11th. Climatic autumn comes in early September and coincides with the calendar in time. It is also protracted. In mid-December, the average daily temperature drops below 0°C, autumn ends and a mild Baltic winter sets in.

The average annual temperature is +7.9°C, but in recent years there has been a steady upward trend, and in 2001-2018 it was already +8.6°C.
Average annual wind speed 2.2 m/s
Average annual air humidity 79%

 

Ecological situation

The region ranks 70th (out of 85 constituent entities of the Russian Federation) in the Environmental Rating of the Russian Federation in 2020.

Hydrosphere
After the end of the Second World War, 296,103 tons of chemical weapons were discovered in the occupied territory of Germany. At the Potsdam Peace Conference of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition in 1945, a decision was made to destroy it. As a result, 267.5 thousand tons of bombs, shells, mines and containers were dropped into the Baltic Sea, its bays and straits, which contained 50-55 thousand tons of 14 types of chemical warfare agents belonging to the Wehrmacht. The burial of chemical warfare agents in the Baltic significantly worsens the ecological state of the environment. Hundreds of thousands of mines, shells, aerial bombs, containers and barrels are stuffed with 14 types of poisonous substances (OS), including mustard gas, lewisite, diphosgene, phosgene, adamsite, supertoxic tabun, sarin and others.