Top Historic Sights in Kaliningrad, Russia
Explore the historic highlights of Kaliningrad
Königsberg Cathedral
Königsberg Cathedral (Königsberger Dom) is a Brick Gothic-style cathedral in Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg. Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945, and the easternmost large German city until it was conquered by the Soviet Union near the end of World War II. In 1946 the city was renamed Kaliningrad. The construction of the cathedral is considered to have begun in 1333. The ...Rossgarten Gate
The Rossgarten Gate is one of seven surviving city gates of Kaliningrad. Named after the district Rossgarten, the current gate replaced a previous version of the gate from the beginning of the 17th century. It was constructed between 1852-1855 under the supervision of Wilhelm Ludwig Stürmer. The gate was damaged after the war, but restored afterwards and currently houses a café-restaurant called Solnetsnyy Kamen ('Solar ...House of Soviets
The House of Soviets is a building located in the city of Kaliningrad and was built on the original territory of Königsberg Castle. The castle was severely damaged during the bombing of Königsberg in World War II. Following the war, as the city came under the control of the USSR, the site of the castle was redeveloped as part of the reconstruction of the city. Construction began on the House of Soviets in 1960, ...Bunker Museum
This bunker was the underground command post of the German general Otto von Lasch during the Battle of Königsberg in 1945. A museum of the city"s German past (which lasted 689 years) and Soviet 'liberation' of the city, including several interesting dioramas of events during the days of the battle.Wrangel Tower
Wrangel Tower is named after Field Marshal F. E. H. von Wrangel. He arrived in Königsberg in 1809 as commander of the privileged Cuirassier Regiment. Wrangel Tower was built in 1843 as part of a defensive bastion of the ring of Königsberg. Water tower is surrounded by a moat, thick brick walls and ceiling to within three meters. Within 30 years, in connection with the development of long-range artillery, the con ...King's Gate
The King"s Gate is one of the former six gates that were built during the 19th century around Kaliningrad. It was originally the Gumbinnen Gate, built in 1765 at the edge of the district Neue Sorge. In 1811 it was renamed the King"s Gate and was the terminus of the Königstraße boulevard. The gate was redesigned by Friedrich August Stüler in 1850. The west facade has three sandstone statues, made ...Grolman Bastion
Grolman Bastion was part of the Königsberg fortification system. Named after General Karl Wilhelm von Grolman, it was finished in 1851. It was strengthened with casemates and caponniers inside its wall and consists of lesser Oberteich and Kupferteich Bastions. The Bastion was considerably damaged by Soviet Army in the World War II. There was a vegetable storehouse in the Bastion during the Soviet time. Nowadays this fort ...Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate is one of few surviving city gates in Kaliningrad. It was built in the south-western part of Königsberg in 1657, with the strengthening of the city walls at the intersection with the road leading to the castle of Brandenburg (now the village of Ushakovo). Due to lack of funds a mere wooden gate was erected. Some hundred years later the gate was torn down and replaced by a brick structure by order of ...Astronomical Bastion
The so-called Astronomical Bastion was part of the Königsberg fortification system. It was built between 1855-1860. The name was inherited from the adjacent observatory built by F. Bessil in the 1813. After the construction of the railway station in the 1910, the part of the bastion was destroyed.Kreuzkirche
The Kreuzkirche was designed by architect Arthur Kickton and built between 1930 and 1933 for the evangelical community of Königsberg. Between the two towers a monumental cross from Kadyny maiolica is situated. The church was only lightly damaged in World War II and became a garage and a factory for fishing equipment thereafter. After a fire it was decided in 1988 to use the building as a church again, now for the Kalinin ...Fort Friedrichsburg Gate
Construction of the Fort Friedrichsburg or Feste Friedrichsburg began in 1657 during the Second Northern War by the order of Frederick William of Brandenburg-Prussia. The only remnant of the former fort is the Friedrichsburg Gate. The fort was built in place of a tollhouse on the southern shore of the Pregel River at the western edge of Königsberg. It was included within the new ring of Königsberg fortifications ...Juditten Church
Juditten Church is an originally Roman Catholic, later Protestant, and currently Russian Orthodox church in the Mendeleyevo district of Kaliningrad. Juditten was the name of Mendeleyevo when it was a quarter of Königsberg, Germany. One of the oldest churches of Sambia, the fortified church of was built in the Catholic state of the Teutonic Order between 1276 and 1294-1298 or c. 1287-1288. In 1402 it was mentioned in ...King Friedrich Wilhelm I Fort
The King Friedrich Wilhelm I Fort (Fort Nr. 3), originally known as Quednau, was the largest fort of Königsberg fortification system. The fort was situated at the top of a height and surrounded by dry ditch. There were embrasures for defensive fire. In time of Kongsberg Storm the Fort was of severe resistance. Garrison remains was captured on the 9th of April 1945. After the WWII there was the army division in the Fo ...Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings
Historic Site of the week
Château de Foix
The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.
In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians. The county became a privileged refuge for persecuted Cathars.
The castle, often besieged (notably by Simon de Montfort in 1211 and 1212), resisted assault and was only taken once, in 1486, thanks to treachery during the war between two branches of the Foix family.
From the 14th century, the Counts of Foix spent less and less time in the uncomfortable castle, preferring the Governors' Palace. From 1479, the Counts of Foix became Kings of Navarre and the last of them, made Henri IV of France, annexed his Pyrrenean lands to France.
As seat of the Governor of the Foix region from the 15th century, the castle continued to ensure the defence of the area, notably during the Wars of Religion. Alone of all the castles in the region, it was exempted from the destruction orders of Richelieu (1632-1638).
Until the Revolution, the fortress remained a garrison. Its life was brightened with grand receptions for its governors, including the Count of Tréville, captain of musketeers under Louis XIII and Marshal Philippe Henri de Ségur, one of Louis XVI's ministers. The Round Tower, built in the 15th century, is the most recent, the two square towers having been built before the 11th century. They served as a political and civil prison for four centuries until 1862.
Since 1930, the castle has housed the collections of the Ariège départemental museum. Sections on prehistory, Gallo-Roman and mediaeval archaeology tell the history of Ariège from ancient times. Currently, the museum is rearranging exhibits to concentrate on the history of the castle site so as to recreate the life of Foix at the time of the Counts.