Cultural heritage of Kaliningrad Oblast
The cultural heritage of Kaliningrad Oblast is a mixture of the pre-World War II German, Lithuanian and Polish heritage, dating back to the Ducal Prussian and East Prussian periods, and the Soviet and Russian designs constructed since then.
History[edit]
Many heritage sites in Kaliningrad Oblast were damaged during World War II, or willfully destroyed in the postwar period by Soviet authorities.[1] A number of landmarks did survive, such as the gothic Königsberg Cathedral containing the tomb of Kant, or the Königsberg Stock Exchange building.[2] Already in the 1960s, a group of local architects and intellectuals began to campaign for the preservation of the region's German heritage, albeit unsuccessfully.[3]
The first Soviet housing blocks were built only in 1966.[4] The spread of Soviet-style prefabricated panel buildings eventually changed the appearance of Kaliningrad. The 1970s House of Soviets is another part of the local Soviet architectural period.[2]
Mirroring the rediscovery of pre-revolutionary history in the rest of Russia, since 1991 there have been many efforts to recover the prewar heritage sites of Kaliningrad.[1] Preservation and reconstruction efforts are hampered by a complicated property ownership situation, as during the 1990s the city administration raised cash by selling land for construction without regard for central planning.[5]
Old buildings are being restored, and new ones built in conscious imitation of the old Königsberg architecture.[3] Some local architects are cautious about the reconstruction efforts, worried that the result may end up looking too kitsch and unauthentic.[5]
Königsberg Cathedral was successfully restored from 1992 to 1998, in a joint Russian-German project.[3] The Fischerdorf development, while being a new development, is a city quarter that intentionally mirrors the prewar architectural styles.[3] A project to restore Kant's House in Veselovka was announced in 2013, and should be completed in time for the 2018 World Cup.[6]
The ruins of Königsberg Castle are being excavated, with a plan to preserve them under a transparent enclosure.[7]
Lithuanian heritage[edit]
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The Lithuanian Church in Sovetsk, traditional capital of Lithuania Minor,[8] was destroyed by the Soviets in 1951–1952. Preserved Lithuanian heritage is mostly in the eastern part of the province, within the historic Lithuania Minor region. In Chistye Prudy, there is a Memorial Museum of Kristijonas Donelaitis, author of The Seasons, the first Lithuanian poem.
Polish heritage[edit]
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The former Polish Church at Steindamm, the main Polish Church of Königsberg, was demolished by the Soviet administration in 1950. The Königsberg Cathedral was historically also a place of worship for local Poles with Polish-language services held there until the 18th century. It contains the epitaph of 17th-century Polish princely magnate Bogusław Radziwiłł and his wife Anna Maria. In 2011, a Polish-built monument with Polish and Russian inscriptions was unveiled at the site of the former Hohenbruch concentration camp where Nazi Germany imprisoned mostly Poles, especially intelligentsia.[9]
Gallery[edit]
Castles[edit]
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Excavation of the Königsberg Castle ruins in 2018
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Schaaken Castle ruins
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Balga castle ruins
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Insterburg Castle ruins
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Brandenburg Castle ruins
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Ragnit Castle ruins
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Preußisch Eylau Castle
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Labiau Castle
City gates[edit]
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Friedland Gate in Kaliningrad
Religious buildings[edit]
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Former St. Adalbert's Church
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Saint George church, Pravdinsk
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Saint Bruno Church, Chernyakhovsk
Forts[edit]
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Pillau Fortress
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Fort V "Friedrich Wilhelm III"
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Fort №1 Stein am Lauther Muhlenteich
Other pre-war sights[edit]
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Baltiysk Lighthouse
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Ozerki Lock, Masurian Canal
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Administration building in Gusev
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Palace in Saranskoe
Postwar heritage[edit]
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Monument to the 1200 Guardsmen
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Myers, Steven Lee (13 August 2002). "Kaliningrad Journal; A Russian City Digs Up Its Past and Finds Germany". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Remaking history: how Kaliningrad's new centre will look both forward and back". The Calvert Journal. 27 January 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d Savinova, Maria (Spring 2015). "KALININGRAD VS. KÖNIGSBERG: The role of the renaming discussion for the formation of the Kaliningrad regional identity" (PDF). University of Tampere. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ "Russia: Is Kaliningrad Looking For A New Identity?". Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. 10 September 2002. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ a b Beyer, Susanne (25 July 2014). "Resurrecting Königsberg: Russian City Looks to German Roots". Spiegel Online. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ "Kant's House near Kaliningrad to welcome first visitors in 2018". welcome2018.com. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ "Ruins of Koenigsberg Castle to open for 2018 World Cup tourists". welcome2018.com. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom XII (in Polish). Warszawa. 1892. p. 702.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Tam zginął Seweryn Pieniężny". Olsztyn24 (in Polish). 25 March 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
External links[edit]
- List of cultural landmarks of Kaliningrad Oblast on WikiVoyage (in Russian)
- Media related to Cultural heritage monuments in Kaliningrad Oblast at Wikimedia Commons