House of Soviets, Kaliningrad, Russia

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, and was intended to be the central administration building of the Kaliningrad Oblast.

Continuation of development was stopped in the 1980s after the Regional Party Committee lost interest in the project and cut off funding. The building was left unfinished for many years, and earned notoriety as one on the worst examples of post-war Soviet architecture.

In 2005, for a visit by President Vladimir Putin, the exterior was painted light blue and windows were installed. However, the interior remains unfinished and unusable. A German consultant has recommended tearing down the entire structure and building anew as cheaper and safer than attempting to repair and finish the existing shell.

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User Reviews

Stellar Tears (5 years ago)
It's just a terrible and worthless attraction - at the sight of such a blood runs cold, how can you smash the ruins of a historic castle and build this on the bones !? Not only does this landscape not decorate, it also has no functionality! One can only hear the barking of security chants in the wasteland and the howl of the wind in the broken windows.

Elena Avet (5 years ago)
An ugly building, like blowing up a castle. It is unpleasant to pass by and spoils the view of the city.

Marina Sedykh (5 years ago)
Monument to the "ennobling" hand of the USSR. Parking around and traces of a destroyed castle

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Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

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