The Royal Castle of Koenigsberg is the sad history of our state. Koenigsberg as a fortress Koenigsberg Fortress

Königsberg Castle or Königsberg Castle (German name Das Königsberger Schloß) is the symbol and pride of Königsberg. It was from this castle that the birth of Königsberg began.

The name of this castle (“Königsberg”) gave the general name for the city that arose near the castle walls - Königsberg (now Kaliningrad).

Königsberg Castle is also called the Royal Castle.

Once upon a time, Königsberg Castle, along with the Cathedral, was the most important and oldest landmark of the city.

The castle has a very long and very rich history, but, unfortunately, the castle has not survived to this day. Currently, on the site of the once majestic and, without a doubt, beautiful Royal Castle, only a small part of the ruins remains (archaeological excavations):

Fragments of the castle dungeons;

A fragment of the South Terrace of the Royal Castle, which can be seen from Moskovsky Avenue.

The southern terrace of the castle was equipped in the 19th century. To build the terrace, a complex of old buildings in the northern part of Altstadt was demolished. A portal with a niche was made in the wall, where a sculpture of King Friedrich Wilhelm I, the work of I. Meisner (1730), was installed. In the summer, tubs with exotic plants were placed along the retaining wall. The southern castle terrace was a popular place for walks and recreation for townspeople.

Now, we can see the past greatness and beauty of the castle only from the few surviving photographs, some of which are on display in the permanent exhibition.

Castle courtyard

Northeast corner of the castle

Also, the royal castle is depicted on the model of Koenigsberg in 1937, the author is the artist-architect of the Kant Museum - Dyryshchev Albert Mikhailovich. The layout is in .

Foundation and history of Königsberg Castle

At the end of the 12th century, the Teutonic Order was founded in Palestine during the Crusades, along with other monastic orders. The Crusaders in Palestine were defeated by the Muslims and were forced to leave the Holy Land and return to Europe.

By the beginning of the 13th century in Europe, only the population of the South-Eastern Baltic region (the ancestors of the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian peoples, as well as the ancient Prussians) remained pagans. The Polish prince Konrad of Mazowiecki, who fought with the Prussians, called on the Teutonic Order for help. Having secured the support of the Pope, the Teutonic Order began the forcible Christianization of the Prussians. The systematic conquest of Prussian lands began, stretching from the mouth of the Vistula to the mouth of the Neman. During the campaigns, the knights founded castles, relying on which they moved further.

In December 1254, detachments of volunteer knights led by the Czech king Otakar II Přemysl and Margrave Otto II of Brandenburg set out to help the defeated knights of the Order.

At the beginning of 1255, the united army of knights reached the area called Tuvangste by the Prussians. According to legend, it was here, on the high bank of the Liptsa River (German name - Pregel, Russian - Pregolya), King Otakar advised the knights of the Order to build a castle and left “rich gifts” for this. In memory of the king, the castle was named “Königsberg” (“Royal Mountain”).

Construction of the fortress lasted several decades. The castle turned into the center of the command of Königsberg, which included the north-eastern lands of Prussia, and, along with the military, the castle also performed administrative functions.

Since 1323, Königsberg Castle became the residence of the Supreme Marshal of the Order and the organized center of the crusades against Lithuania that continued until the end of the 15th century.

Since 1457, Königsberg Castle has been the seat of the Grand Master, the head of the Teutonic Order.

In 1525, the order state was transformed into the Duchy of Prussia, and the castle housed the court of the Duke of Prussia.

In the second half of the 16th century, the convention house (the western part of the castle) was demolished, and construction of an outbuilding began in its place. This defensive structure had two powerful round towers on either side, the wall between which was reinforced with buttresses. A gate was made to exit into the castle courtyard.

The outbuilding had basements for storing food supplies and, later, ammunition. On the first floor there were service premises, on the second - the castle church.

In 1697, within the walls of a large celebration hall, which was located on the third floor of the castle, then Elector Frederick III received the Great Moscow Embassy, ​​which included Tsar Peter I. Perhaps it was after this reception that the hall received the name “Muscovite Hall”.

In 1701, the coronation of the first Prussian king, Frederick I, took place within the walls of the castle.

After the First World War, the provincial museum “Prussia” moved to the castle, and weapons collections were presented in the Muscovite hall. The round towers housed office space, workshops and libraries.

In August 1944, as a result of air raids, the castle was damaged, calling into question its continued existence.

Photo of Königsberg Castle after the Second Pestilence

The ruins of the castle survived until the second half of the 1960s, when the regional authorities decided that it was impossible for them to continue to be located in the city center and that it was inappropriate to restore an object of a different, non-Soviet, culture.

The ruins were demolished; the foundation was covered with Kaliningrad Square slabs; the remains of the retaining walls of the southern terrace were gradually dismantled to restore other city objects, and at the turn of the 1970s-80s the lower retaining wall was finally dismantled, while the small remaining fragments of the upper retaining wall were covered with concrete and lined with limestone slabs.

This is exactly how, sadly, the full history of Königsberg Castle ended.

Fragments of the dungeons and southern terrace of the castle were discovered during archaeological excavations in 2001 - 2005 and 2016.

In 2018, landscaping work was carried out on the territory of the former castle, funded by a private investor, in preparation for the FIFA World Cup. Conservation of the remaining remains of the castle has been carried out.

Approximately on the site of the southeastern part of Königsberg Castle, the House of Soviets, which was built (and unfinished) during Soviet times, currently stands.

The Amber Room and Königsberg Castle

Königsberg Castle is the last precisely known location of the legendary Amber Room (1942-1945).

During the assault on Königsberg by Soviet troops in April 1945, the Amber Room disappeared without a trace. Her further fate still remains one of the mysteries of history.

Some researchers of the location of the room believe that it is still located in the basements of the castle, although no reliable sources have been found to confirm this information. The search for the amber room was one of the goals (not the main one) of the castle excavations carried out in 2001-2008 by the German magazine Der Spiegel.

There are also other versions related to the location of the amber room (its remains and parts). Some suggest that it was taken to Berlin, then transferred to the United States, other versions say that the room was taken out and buried in the northern part of the Jutland Peninsula, or even hidden in one of the caves near Dresden, or perhaps it was simply dismantled into small parts and transported to various parts of the world.

What to visit near the ruins of the Royal Castle in Kaliningrad

On which are located: the Cathedral, the Honey Bridge connecting the island with the Fishing Village, Kant’s grave and the sculpture park.

Konigsberg Castle in Kaliningrad could be considered one of the most majestic cultural monuments of our country. This castle was the symbol of Konigsberg. Was and is, although no longer exists. Despite this, his image is still printed on souvenirs, people talk about him and write about him.

Königsberg Castle was finally destroyed several decades ago. The castle received critical damage during World War II; the Soviet authorities made no efforts to restore it. At the same time, the castle (or rather what remains of it) is one of the most popular places in modern Kaliningrad. Another architectural creation that competes with Königsberg Castle in popularity is House of Soviets(there will also be a little about him at the end of the article). The House of Soviets was built under Brezhnev, ironically, next to the remains of the castle, next door, not destroyed, but also not put into operation until now!

Images and symbols of Königsberg Castle can be found everywhere in the city: in photographs hung on city streets, in the offices of local companies, in cafes and restaurants. The debate about whether it should be restored continues. Some see it as history, others as a symbol of Nazism. It's difficult to argue here, really.

Königsberg Castle. Story

The royal castle was founded shortly after King Ottokar's campaign in Sambia in 1255. That campaign may not have had anything heroic, because it was part of the bloody epic of the struggle against the pagans who did not want to accept the faith of Christ. Originally the castle was wooden. It had a rectangular shape.

Soon, in 1262, an external defensive wall of stones was built. The wall covered the entire perimeter of the castle. Later, inside, a second row of walls appeared, about 2 meters thick and up to 8 meters high.

Large boulders were laid into the foundation of the castle, and then masonry was made of ceramic bricks and field stones (called “Vendian masonry”). A special mortar held the walls together. The defensive walls ended with a crenellated top.

There were several towers:

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• 4 large towers on the north side of the castle,
• in the northwest there is a corner tower,
• one powerful quadrangular Lidelau tower in the east. Further to the east there was another large quadrangular tower - it was called “At the Grain House”.

Subsequently, the Royal Castle was rebuilt every now and then. Something was changed, something was completed. The castle was gradually expanded and decorated. As a result, Königsberg Castle in the Middle Ages was a powerful and impregnable fortress. At some point in history, when the castle walls became weak against cannons, it housed a collection of works of art and valuable libraries. Gradually the castle became the cultural center of the Prussian lands.

During the capture of Königsberg, the castle was almost completely destroyed; the towers and remains of the main walls remained, which were demolished in 1967; the ruins themselves remained abandoned for a long time.

They looked for the Amber Room here, but, as is known, they never found it.

The Amber Room and Königsberg Castle

Passions for the Amber Room do not subside. According to historical reports, such a room was taken from Leningrad to Königsberg. This is where she disappeared. In 1993, the Russian Academy of Sciences decided to begin excavations. They were conducted until 2007. Of course, they had looked for the room earlier, immediately after the liberation of the city from the Nazis. There were many littered rooms and dungeons left in the castle itself, and this is where the final searches were directed. Since two thousand and one, research has been sponsored by the German concern Spiegel, which for some reason decided that the Amber Room is still located in the basements of castles.

As a result, the room was never found during the excavations, and the excavations were simply suspended. But the work was done impressively. In the underground part, they found and raised up what had fallen through and collapsed. Many rare items from the 14th to 19th centuries and decorative elements were found. In addition, they found old, secret underground passages and a real treasure.

How Konigsberg Castle was finally destroyed

According to eyewitnesses, the Royal Castle was destroyed in stages after the war. Immediately after the war, bricks were mined on its territory. On the night of December 14-15, 1952, the upper floors of the main tower collapsed directly onto the roadway. After some time, the authorities ordered to blow up the tower, along with the entire southern wing of the castle, which disappeared forever. This was in 1953 and they blew it up more than once, step by step.

The western wing still remained. But at that time the fate of the Royal Castle was not completely decided. On the one hand, dismantling buildings (not just the castle) in the city center and in the region could produce about two billion bricks, thanks to which investments in the construction of brick factories can be saved. On the other hand, in the early 50s, complete clearing of rubble began in the city center, and Leninsky Prospekt was being developed.

The castle, reduced to ruins, stood for several more years. Their fate was decided by the then Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR Kosygin, who came to the Kaliningrad region. The first secretary of the regional committee of the CPSU, Konovalova, suggested that Kosygin restore the castle and open a local history museum in it. To which Kosygin barked: “Museum for what?!” Prussian militarism?! May he not be here tomorrow!”

What will you find now at the site of Königsberg Castle?

In 1966, a decision “On the detailed planning project for the city center” appeared, in which it was proposed to build the same House of Soviets that I mentioned at the beginning of the article on the site of the castle. As a result, the House of the Soviets was built nearby and anyone can now visit the place where Konigsberg Castle stood and see the remains of the ruins with their own eyes.

What was left of the historical building became a branch of the Kaliningrad Regional History and Art Museum. The official name of the site is “Royal Castle Ruins”, and locals call it “Observation Deck”. Despite the last name, there is no high place here. This is a flat area and everything is clearly visible from the ground.

The site is open from May to October, daily, from 10:00 to 18:00, ticket price is 150 RUB.

Address: Kaliningrad, st. Shevchenko, 2.

Excursions are available by reservation, call +7 (40-12) 45-38-44.

And finally for the “neighbor” of the observation deck. The building of the House of Soviets, located nearby, is another popular landmark of the city, which most can only look at from the outside. Not because access there is limited and someone in the building is constantly consulting. The House of Soviets building is closed.

Construction of the house began back in 1970. An innovative project that was supposed to become a new symbol of Kaliningrad. And so he did. Now the House of Soviets, unfinished and with broken windows, stands quietly. If you wish and are lucky, then for a reasonable fee the watchman will allow you to visit this construction site of the century and you will have the opportunity to capture Kaliningrad from an unusual angle of a building that was built but never put into operation.

There is such an unusual place in Kaliningrad - the ruined Konigsberg Castle and the unfinished building of the House of Soviets, which seemed popular for completely inexplicable reasons.

Kaliningrad is generally very rich in attractions; on the website you will find many offers for excursions around this ancient city with a centuries-old history.

The Royal Castle in Warsaw is a castle in the Baroque and Classicist styles, located in Warsaw at Castle Square 4. The palace is a museum and a visiting card of the city.

Royal Castle in Warsaw. Photo from the East-West highway

History of the Royal Castle

At the end of the 13th century, during the reign of the Mazovian Duke Konrad II Czerski, a wooden-earth castle was built, called the “Small Estate” (lat. Curia Minor). The next prince, Casimir III, in 1350 decided to build the first brick building in Warsaw - it became the Great Tower (lat. Turris Magna) (today it is the Grodskaya Tower). Between 1407 and 1410, the Warsaw prince Janusz Mazowiecki built a castle, the floors of which were made in the Gothic style, and called it the “Great Estate” (lat. Curia Maior). The style of the new residence of the Polish princes and its size (47.5 m by 14.5 m) determined the new status of the castle, which since 1414 functioned as a ducal court. Since 1526, when the last princes of Mazovia, Stanisław I and Janusz III, died, the castle became the royal residence, and after the transfer of powers to govern the capital to the Warsaw princes, also the seat of the Sejm and the Senate. After the creation of the Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569, the castle was expanded to include the New Royal Court, designed by the Italian architect Giovanni Baptista di Quadro. October 29, 1611 In the Senate Hall of the castle, the Tsar of Russia Vasily Chuisky, captured by Hetman Stanislav Zholkiewski, took a solemn oath to the Polish King Sigismund III. In 1622, the area of ​​the castle was significantly expanded thanks to the construction of a modern pentagonal courtyard.

On May 3, 1791, in the Royal Castle, the Four-Year Diet adopted. During the November uprising on January 25, 1831, the Sejm decided to overthrow the Russian Emperor Nicholas I from the post of King of Poland. In retaliation for this act, the Russians remodeled two halls: the Marble Cabinet and the Senatorial Chamber. From 1926 to 1939, the castle was the residence of the President of the Second Polish Republic, Ignacy Moscicki.

After the outbreak of World War II, all movable parts of the castle were moved to the National Museum. During the rescue operation, the curator of the castle's collection, Casimir Brockl, was killed. The castle was seriously damaged during artillery fire on September 17, 1939 - the roofs and helmets of the towers, and the roof of the Great Hall were destroyed. After the shelling began at about 11:15, the clock on the Chronos statue in the Knights' Hall of the Sigismund Tower stopped, engulfed in flames. This time became a symbol for the Castle. And now every day at this very time you can hear the hejnal (precise time signal) from Sigismund's tower.

After the Germans entered Warsaw, it was decided to blow up part of the castle in the place where, according to the “Pabst Plan”, the Hall of Fame (German) was to be built. Volkshalle). At the turn of 1939 and 1940, about 10,000 holes were made in the castle for laying dynamite. However, the castle was not blown up at that time because the shock wave could have destroyed the Kerbedza Bridge, which was needed to transport German troops to the east. It was only in 1944 that the castle was blown up during the events of the Warsaw Uprising.

Nowadays, fewer and fewer people realize that the castle we see today is simply a building rebuilt after World War II. In the few photographs taken in 1945, only small fragments of walls are visible against the sky. The reconstruction of the Royal Castle, in fact construction from scratch, began in 1971, when Edward Gierek became the first secretary of the Central Committee of the PUWP, and was completed in 1981, when he retired. After World War II, almost nothing remained of the old Royal Castle. Only about 2% of the materials used in its reconstruction are original.

The Royal Castle is one of the most famous buildings in the world, not because it looks particularly impressive, but because it is over 700 years old, was a former royal residence, and because Shakespeare used history in his play The Winter's Tale which actually happened in the castle. The uniqueness of the castle lies in the fact that for 37 years it actually did not exist, and yet it was reborn like a phoenix from the ashes. It was destroyed, being a symbol of Polish statehood, and as a symbol of statehood it was restored.

How to get to the Royal Castle for FREE?

Interiors of the Royal Castle

The interiors of the castle were most shaped during the reign of Stanisław August Poniatowski. Much of the equipment and furniture salvaged during World War II is from this period, although there are also many post-war gifts from around the world.

The most interesting room in the castle is the former Chamber of Deputies, located on the ground floor, on the ceiling of which is the coat of arms of the voivodeship:

On the ground floor are the New Chamber of Deputies and the Senate Chamber, where in a later period the Sejm was located and where the Constitution was adopted on May 3, 1791. It was there that Tadeusz Reitan lay down before leaving the room with the words: “Kill me, don’t kill the Fatherland!” In the Senate Hall in 1831, the Decree on the dethronization of Nicholas I was adopted. Later, in retaliation for this resolution, the chamber was divided into smaller rooms by the Russian princes.

On the second floor of the Royal Chambers of Stanisław August Poniatowski there is the Knight's Hall, which houses portraits of prominent Polish scientists and artists, as well as statues of Glory and Chronos with a clock on their back. In another room - the Marble Cabinet - there are portraits of Polish kings. Both rooms introduce visitors to Polish history before they enter the throne room, furnished and decorated by Jan Christian Kamsetzer. Also on the second floor is the Great Hall, designed by Dominique Merlini and Jan Christian Kamsetzer.

How to get to the Royal Castle?

Opening hours in summer (May - September): Monday - Wednesday: 10:00 - 18:00, Thursday: 10:00 - 20:00, Friday - Saturday: 10:00 - 18:00, Sunday 11:00 - 18:00.

Opening hours in winter (October - April): Tuesday - Saturday: 10:00 - 16:00, Sunday: 11:00 - 16:00.

Entrance fee: 30 PLN, children under 16 years old: 1 PLN.

Additional facts

• A model of the Royal Castle can be seen in Minimundus Park in the Austrian city of Klagenfurt, where there is a fine collection of models of the world's most famous buildings (including a model of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the Pyramid of Giza and the now defunct World Trade Center tower in New York). .
• Original fragments of the castle's cornices and windows, created at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, can be seen in the Warsaw Uprising Museum.
• In honor of the dramatic events that took place in September 1939, the Hejnal of the Royal Castle is heard every day at 11.15 am from the Clock Tower. The melody, written by Zbigniew Bagiński, is based on the motifs of “Warsawian Woman”. Hejnal is repeated three times to emphasize Poland's core patriotic values: God, Honor and Fatherland. Hejnal was first performed on May 3, 1995, and since 2008 it has been the official time signal in Warsaw.

Legends and were of the Royal Castle of Königsberg

Komsomolskaya Pravda has prepared a special project dedicated to the main virtual attraction of Kaliningrad

762 years ago, according to the German chronicler Peter of Dusburg, Königsberg Castle was founded on the high bank of the Pregel River. The appearance of the castle, and subsequently the city of the same name, is associated with the King of Bohemia, Ottokar II Przemysl, who at that time led a crusade against the pagan Prussians. Many historians also say that Königsberg (translated from German as King’s Mountain) received its name thanks to Ottokar. However, there are different versions on this matter. Be that as it may, today Königsberg Castle, which stood until the early 1970s, when it was finally blown up, in Kaliningrad, and not only is called Royal.

Several decades have passed since the castle does not physically exist, but despite all this, it is one of the two most popular buildings in modern Kaliningrad (the second building is, of course, the House of Soviets). They constantly talk and write about him, his photographs are hung on city streets and in the offices of Kaliningrad companies, experts, politicians and ordinary people argue frantically over whether the castle needs to be restored. One opinion: it is necessary - it will again become the architectural dominant of the city center. Other: in no case, because the restoration of the castle is nothing more than an act of “creeping Germanization.” And these disputes, it seems, will not subside soon. More precisely, they will calm down when the castle is either finally restored, or another shopping center (or something similar) appears in its place.

Be that as it may, the Royal Castle still exists in the minds of Kaliningrad residents, it is constantly discussed and written about. We write too. Today, for example, exactly 762 years after the moment when Ottokar and his comrades laid the first stone on the Royal Mountain (this happened in winter, and the construction itself started six months later), Komsomolskaya Pravda presents to your attention a small special project dedicated to this important, but virtual landmarks of our city.

Castle with royal status

As in any other self-respecting medieval city in Europe, the most important first defensive, then administrative, and then simply tourist attraction in Königsberg was the castle. Which, accordingly, was called Koenigsberg. It was already in Soviet folklore that they began to call him Royal. Although, to be fair, there is a certain logic in this. Although Kaliningrad archivist Anatoly Bakhtin, a major specialist in the history of the Teutonic Order, there are doubts about the “royal” origin of Königsberg Castle.

Castle yard. On the right is the once popular restaurant "Blütgericht".

In the footsteps of Ottokar II

But what, Anatoly Pavlovich, because according to the most popular version, the castle was called Royal because it was founded on the personal orders of the Czech king Ottokar II, who led the next crusade to Prussia?

No one can reliably confirm this, although such a mention is made by the famous chronicler Peter of Dusbrug in his “Chronicle of the Prussian Land”. But I doubt that Ottokar was even here. Most likely, his army, returning along the ice of the frozen river from Tapiau (modern Gvardeysk. - Ed.), did not go along the now known channel, but along a different one and went straight to the bay. The king himself, after the goal of the campaign was achieved: several fortresses were taken and the Prussian tribes were brought into submission, probably remained in the Rudau region (the current village of Melnikovo. - Ed.), where he met with local princes who converted to the Christian faith and received gifts and privileges for this. However, this is just a hypothesis. Be that as it may, later a well-known legend (the authenticity of which can be debated) took shape and took root among the masses. This often happens in history.

- But there are no doubts about the date of foundation of the castle?

Not the slightest. In the winter of 1255, the territory was captured, and in the summer they began to build a fortress. Again, it is not known for certain whether, as they say, there was a Prussian sacred grove in this place, there was an ordinary fortification, or there was nothing there at all. Perhaps the archaeological excavations currently underway at the site of Königsberg Castle will bring some clarity. But for the construction of a strong point, the protruding part of the steep bank above the Pregel floodplain was ideal. Since it was already surrounded by river waters on three sides, all that remained was to dig up the base of this small peninsula with a ditch. Then build a defensive rampart, crowning it with a palisade. This fortress itself was of modest size - less than 100 by 100 meters. But the order immediately set its sights on a larger site next door, to which they soon began transporting stones for a more substantial castle. Although its construction, I think, began only 15-20 years later, because it took time to procure the required amount of building materials, then the Second Prussian Uprising broke out...

- By the way, the rebels were never able to take Königsberg Castle then?

- Failed. It so happened that no one could ever take him. The stone castle was never even stormed. Based on the fact that the usual construction period for a castle was at least a decade, it was only by the 90s of the 13th century that the entire perimeter was made of stone. But by that time, the order’s possessions had already expanded so much that Königsberg Castle was far from the borders on which the fighting took place. The Lithuanians sometimes reached it during their raids, but, of course, they did not dare to undertake a long and difficult siege of such an impressive structure. In size, Königsberg Castle was second only to Marienburg, although later it seemed to be surpassed in this regard by Ragnit (modern Neman. - Ed.). The base, about three meters high, was made of wild stone, on which brick walls and towers rose.

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Königsberg Castle had the usual rectangular shape for these buildings of the Teutonic Order - in this case, elongated from west to east. It was surrounded by a double wall with four corner towers - two on the north and south sides. Of these, only the octagonal Haberturm (that is, the Oat Tower) in the northeastern corner of the fortress remained until modern times. Built at the end of the 14th century, the main Schlossturm tower crowned the entire architectural ensemble. Inside the fortress, in the western half of the castle courtyard, the Convention building was located. It contained a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary and a refectory. Adjacent to the inner ring of the fortress wall was a hospital, a shelter for elderly knights - a firmarium, a small barn and other premises. There was a well in the center of the courtyard.

When lime is stronger than stone

- Were the bricks for such a large-scale construction made right there, on site?

Yes. Clay was dumped into the dug ditches, filled with water and left to settle for several years, stirring occasionally. This was necessary in order to remove lime impurities - if this is not done, the lime will then simply explode the brick. When the mixture reached the required conditions, we began to form bricks.

They say that the traces of animals and people found on order bricks are connected with some mysterious rituals practiced by the builders of Teutonic castles?

Complete nonsense. They simply dried the brick right there, next to the housing. Children, dogs, various domestic animals were running around the site - no, no, someone was stepping on the still plastic clay. I myself came across bricks, for example, with traces of bird feet. In general, no magic or other cabalism, just ordinary everyday moments.

But what about the bonding solution, which was allegedly mixed with blood, egg yolks and other exotic ingredients - also lies?

Well, maybe eggs and other things were added somewhere to increase strength, since they write that. But the builders of the Teutonic castles did not particularly need this, since they had at their disposal the best lime in all of Europe, which was delivered from Sweden. Over the years, not only did it not crumble or weather, but, on the contrary, it only became harder. Its quality can be judged at least by this fact. While working on Balga, I needed a cobblestone. On a stone that had fallen out of the old wall, there were remnants of medieval lime, which I decided to chip off. But in the end the stone itself split, but the lime remained intact...

- What was Königsberg Castle like at the first stage of its existence?

According to the statutes of the Teutonic Order, the permanent presence of 12 knights plus the commander in the castle was quite sufficient. Although here everything depended on the size of the fortress. Since Königsberg Castle was quite large, from 40 to 80 order brothers could live in it at the same time. Therefore, the purpose of the castle in those harsh times was purely utilitarian; it did not shine with special beauty. A kind of stone box with narrow loopholes instead of normal windows. The basement and first floor were allocated for storage of various equipment and products. On the second floor there was a refectory, a meeting room and bedrooms - a kind of knightly dormitory. On the topmost - third (sometimes fourth) floor, away from dampness, grain reserves were usually stored. Along the perimeter there was a military passage with embrasures both outside and inside the castle. The latter was done in case the besiegers broke through into the castle courtyard. There was also a pre-castle fortification - a fort, where other premises could have been arranged, say, for the Supreme Marshal of the Teutonic Order, who had a residence here. A two-story building was built for such an important leader.

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After the reform of the order's administration in 1309, Königsberg became the residence of the order's marshal. And above the extensive cellars, where the famous Königsberg wine restaurant “Blütgericht” was later built, a so-called marshal’s house with residential and service premises was erected. When the Supreme Master moved in there in 1457, the entire building began to be called the Hochmeister wing. Later, the court court, the budget ministry, the chamber of military and state property, and the state archive of East Prussia were located there. The exhibition collection of the Königsberg State Library was also kept there.

Where does the underground passage lead?

Well, what would a medieval castle be without an underground passage! They say that there were several of these in Königsberg, including one that stretched under the river bottom to the island of Kneiphof?

Alas, only one underground passage is reliably known - the same one that was rediscovered during archaeological excavations several years ago. Which for some reason has not yet been cleared, which, I must admit, surprises me extremely. But this can be done even by volunteers, if there is not enough money. Even in response to my questions, representatives of the historical and art museum, in whose jurisdiction the object is located, referred to the need to obtain various permits for work and other bureaucratic red tape. But it seems to me that no one simply wants to seriously get involved with this work. We also know about a secret communication linking the castle with the fort. But it was a relatively short and shallow underground passage, and it was probably destroyed already in Soviet times, when the Central Square with its fountain was being developed.

It is known that over the centuries-old history of its existence, Königsberg Castle was rebuilt several times. How significant were the changes in his appearance?

Well, by the 18th century, or even earlier, from the medieval Gothic there, in addition to the basements, only small fragments remained in the northern wing. During the Thirteen Years' War, the southern wall was badly damaged. There was a period at the beginning of the 19th century when a significant part of the castle was completely destroyed - either after a fire, or as a result of some other incident. This is even reflected in the engravings. And in this completely unsightly form it existed for quite a long time, although at that time it was still considered royal. Intensive restructuring began during the reign of Duke Albrecht, who no longer needed a military castle, but a secular palace.

In which there are not cramped cells, but spacious rooms, not narrow loopholes, but wide windows. Then came the time of the Baroque, when Gothic was generally considered barbaric architecture. They rushed to plaster everything, all the castles: Brandenburg, Insterburg... even the Cathedral on the island was also plastered. It was only in 1911, when a large-scale reconstruction was carried out, that the plaster was finally knocked down. Then another restructuring followed. Let's say, if we take the most popular view, thanks to postcards, from the side of the facade, then the huge window in the center was replaced by many smaller openings.

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After the secularization of the Prussian possessions of the Order by Albrecht of Brandenburg in 1525, Königsberg Castle became the property of the Duke of Prussia and was once again reconstructed. In 1697, the Elector of Brandenburg and the Duke of Prussia, Frederick III, received the Grand Embassy of Peter I at the castle. The so-called Muscovite Hall remained in memory of this event. The coronation of the first Prussian king, Frederick I, took place in the castle church in 1701.

Royal status

Despite all these upheavals, Königsberg Castle invariably remained the most status object for the city?

Without a doubt. Since the 18th century, Prussian kings have always been crowned here. After the unification of Germany in 1870, the Prussian kings became Kaisers (emperors). But before becoming the ruler of the empire, he first had to receive the title of King of Prussia. It should be noted that Soviet architects were well aware of this status, because Moscow specialists insisted on the conservation of the ruins and the subsequent restoration of the Königsberg Castle. It was the local party elite that somehow managed to insist on its complete demolition. Even under the Germans, in order to achieve a beautiful view of the castle, entire streets of houses that surrounded it closely were demolished on the southern and southwestern sides. There were even many extensions directly to the castle walls - especially from the north. Archaeologists working at the castle site recently stumbled upon the foundations that remained from them. They didn’t even immediately understand what it was...

- How realistic are the plans to recreate Königsberg Castle?

If desired, this can be done without any problems. Although medieval technologies, of course, will no longer be used. But there are many other ways. Of course, restoration on the original foundations is unrealistic. Perhaps there should be a concrete base, lined with boulders at the bottom and brick at the top, as it once was. As for the form in which the castle should be restored, this is, without a doubt, in its condition in 1944 - this is the most recognizable form. I do not rule out that in the first few years many, especially inveterate aesthetes, will spit in disgust when they look at the “remake.” But think how quickly Kaliningraders got used to the same Fish Village! And then, in this part of the city an architectural dominant is needed, which could serve as the basis for the planned restoration of the cities of Altstadt and Kneiphof. The House of Soviets is clearly not suitable for such a role.

Where to look for the treasures of the Royal Castle

Over its 700-year history, Königsberg has accumulated so many cultural artifacts that it would be more than enough for several cities. Today in Kaliningrad we have only a small fraction of what was in the city before the war. The most valuable things were either swept away by the fire of war, or dispersed to unknown places, or moved to other cities and already there delight curious tourists.

Back in January 1945, Stalin issued a decree “On the procedure for using captured national economic property,” which stated what to do with what, says Sergei Yakimov, director of the Historical and Art Museum. – The decree did not say a word about cultural values! Therefore, the attitude of the Red Army military leaders towards them was appropriate.

The royal castle boasted rich collections of weapons and military equipment.

The Mystery of the Amber Room

The most valuable exhibit of Königsberg was, of course, the Amber Room, which the Nazis took from the Catherine Palace in Pushkin. They have been searching for it throughout the post-war period; they have dug up tons of East Prussian soil, but so far the search has not been crowned with success. Recently, the version that the room does not exist in Kaliningrad has become increasingly popular - either it was taken outside of East Prussia, or it burned down during one of the many fires in the Royal Castle.

General Smirnov, the first commandant of Koenigsberg, writes that during the examination of the Royal Castle, many books, paintings, carpets, dishes and other valuable items from Petrodvorets and Gatchina were found, continues Sergei Yakimov. – There, in one of the rooms of the southern wing, a book of records of the castle museum was discovered, in which the Amber Room was listed as number 200. I can tell you as a museum worker that if museum objects are transported somewhere, then so are the accounting books.

It turns out that the Amber Room was not moved anywhere? So she died in a fire?

“I read documents from that time in which there is not a word about the fire,” continues the museum director. – The fire happened, I suspect, later.

The chair from the Tiled Hall of the Royal Castle and the frame of the crown with the scepter of King Frederick I of Königsberg are now in Charlottenburg Palace. And books from the Silver Library of Duke Albrecht ended up in the university library of Toruń.

Sergei Yakimov told a story about the keeper of the amber room, Professor Alfred Rhode. In his opinion, if the Amber Room had been taken away, then Rode would certainly have left - such is the fate of all curators of museum collections: they follow their collection like a thread following a needle. However, the professor remained in Königsberg and one day came to the military commandant’s office. “My name is Professor Rohde,” he said. “Last night your soldiers raped my wife and stripped me.”

Along with Professor Rohde, the mystery of the Amber Room perished. Many have no doubt that it is still stored somewhere in the Kaliningrad region. Or another version is that the room was taken out in a hurry, and after that there was a fire in the castle.

If at least some mention remains of the Amber Room, then the fate of the entire two museums is covered in deep darkness. We are talking about the Museum of the Teutonic Order in Lochstedt Castle, the ruins of which are located near Primorsk, and the Pillau Museum.

There was an interesting story with Lochstedt,” says Sergei Yakimov. – When our troops took the castle, they found there exhibits of the Vilnius Historical Museum, which the Germans had taken away at the beginning of the war. And - not the slightest trace of the Order Museum. No books, no paintings, no knight's armor - nothing!

This is what the historical center of Königsberg looked like in the late 1930s.

There was an interesting story with Lochstedt,” says Sergei Yakimov. – When our troops took the castle, they found there exhibits of the Vilnius Historical Museum, which the Germans had taken away at the beginning of the war. And - not the slightest trace of the Order Museum. No books, no paintings, no knight's armor. Nothing!

Sergei Yakimov suggests that the exhibits of the Lochstedt Museum were packed into boxes and hidden somewhere some time before the Soviet offensive on Pillau.

"Silver Library" and the "Prussia" collection

In the Royal Castle, which at the beginning of the last century the Germans turned into a museum complex, and in addition to the Amber Room, there was a huge amount of cultural property. It is enough to mention the extensive collection of amber, which was collected over centuries, a collection of royal regalia, ceremonial portraits of Prussian kings and other paintings, weapons. The castle housed the famous “Silver Library” - 20 volumes of ancient books in silver bindings, the richest archaeological collection of the Prussia Museum... Most of these treasures were lost during a British air raid in August 1944 - then the castle, like the entire central part of Königsberg, suffered greatly. The Germans managed to take something to the interior of Germany. The rest disappeared in an unknown direction and was collected bit by bit in the post-war period. I managed to collect, admittedly, not much.

A huge part of the cultural property was exported as trophies, but this was not recorded as cultural property, says Sergei Yakimov. “They disappeared into the vastness of the vast Soviet Union. They also settled in the apartments of Kaliningrad residents. But something still remains hidden underground.

The fate of the archaeological museum "Prussia" - a collection of antiquities from the times of Prussian tribes and Teutonic knights - is characteristic. Before the advance of the Red Army, the collection was dispersed in different places. It is assumed that one part of it, stored in the basements of the Royal Castle, burned down during a fire back in August 1944, the other was discovered in the post-war period in Poland in the city of Kętrzyn. Well, the biggest surprise awaited the search engines at the turn of the millennium. A significant part of the Prussia Museum, already plundered by black diggers, was found in the casemates of one of the Königsberg forts. Now it is exhibited in the Historical and Art Museum.

The famous Königsberg libraries have also been preserved. Now, however, they are far from our city.

Most of the “Silver Library” (14 volumes) was discovered in the Polish city of Torun, and now unique books are in Warsaw. As for the collection of books from the 16th – 18th centuries, the so-called. The Wallenrod Library, which was located in the Königsberg Cathedral, the remaining part of it is scattered in different corners. 291 bindings from a unique 10,000-strong collection were discovered in 1981 in the Uzkoye estate near Moscow and then transferred to Kaliningrad State University. However, the lion's share of surviving books today is in various collections in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Poland and Lithuania.

Excavations at the castle site have been taking place since the 90s of the last century. Something has come across, although there are no sensational finds yet.

They collected 1,500 boxes of extremely valuable property! - says Sergey Yakimov. “Only among the collected scientific equipment was there something that was not produced anywhere else and that could not be bought for any money.

And yet the valuable cargo was appreciated. Its approximate cost was about 10 million rubles in gold... And this was only what they managed to find immediately after the assault, what did not have time to burn, was not hidden and did not become personal trophies immediately after the capture of the city by the Red Army.

A huge part of cultural property was taken out as trophies, but this was not recorded as cultural property, says Sergei Yakimov. “They disappeared into the vastness of the vast Soviet Union. They also settled in the apartments of Kaliningrad residents. But something still remains hidden underground.

Andrey Przhezdomsky

Koenigsberg was not only a transit point for valuables transported by the Nazis, but also had its own cultural, historical, scientific and technical resources. The city had dozens of museums, research and educational institutes, laboratories, libraries, archives, and financial institutions. Each of these objects contained hundreds and thousands of exhibits, tomes, paintings, objects of decorative and applied art, unique scientific instruments and what is usually stored in bank safes, says the researcher. - During the war years, these collections were significantly replenished with trophies exported by the Nazis from the occupied territories of Poland and the Soviet Union, material assets confiscated from Jews sent to their deaths in Auschwitz, Majdanek, Treblinka and other concentration camps. Considering that from the beginning of the war in 1939 until mid-1944, Königsberg, unlike most cities in Germany, was the calmest city, since it was not subject to Allied bombing (our two raids in 1941 do not count), various items of Nazi plunder were concentrated here from Central and Western Europe - from France, Benelux, Czechoslovakia...

A painting by the Bohemian artist Matthias Zwischek, which was kept in the Royal Castle, is now in Berlin.

So, what was stored in Königsberg? Let's start with what was kidnapped by the Nazis on Soviet territory. These are exhibits of Belarusian museums (about 12 thousand) - paintings by outstanding artists, icons of Russian and Western European painters (at least 1.7 thousand), antique furniture by Russian masters, collections of artistic porcelain by Russian, Chinese and Western European masters, carpets and tapestries. The Nazis took no less number of trophies to Königsberg from the territory of occupied Ukraine: over 1.5 thousand exhibits from the Museum of Russian Art in Kyiv; more than a thousand paintings, including paintings by Aivazovsky, Vasnetsov, Vrubel, Kramskoy, Shishkin; about a thousand icons from the Kiev Pechersk Lavra; folding icons, Caucasian sabers and daggers from Taganrog museums, etc. And the suburban palaces of Leningrad in Pushkin, Pavlovsk, Gatchina! The Nazis plundered them completely. There are park sculptures, tens of thousands of volumes of rare books and manuscripts, paintings by artists Spielberg, Zegers, Corrado, Bessonov and many others, French grandfather clocks, crystal chandeliers, porcelain vases and thousands of other exhibits.

Koenigsberg treasures from museums and private collections also make up a considerable part of the valuables lost during the war. The Silver Library of Duke Albrecht, a significant part of the collection of the Amber Collection of the Geological and Paleontological Institute, gold and silver jewelry, ancient porcelain and earthenware, Limoges enamels, many sculptural works and paintings disappeared. And there is no need to talk about precious metals and stones, bars of gold and platinum, gold and silver coins, as well as thousands of gold crowns knocked out from prisoners, living and dead. A huge number of them were stored in safes and special underground shelters.

How the witch was drowned in the cat's stream

Despite the fact that only dungeons remain of the Königsberg Castle, it is the most famous landmark of modern Kaliningrad. At least those that have not survived to this day. It is worth adding that many mysteries and secrets, legends and tales, as well as quite scientific assumptions and disputes are associated with the Koenigsberg Castle.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the witches who lived in Königsberg looked something like this.

Nomadic Fortress

To begin with, the very foundation of the fortification, around which the city of Königsberg later grew, still raises many questions. It is known for certain that the castle owes its origin to the King of Bohemia, Ottokar II Przemysl, who in December 1254 led another crusade to Prussia to help the Teutonic Order, which was exhausted in a difficult struggle with the pagans.

Concentrating his forces on Balga, on the morning of January 9, 1255, Ottokar moved across the bay to Medenau (the modern village of Logvino in the Zelenograd region). “...The king entered Sambia with his army near the volost called Medenov, and, having burned everything that could be taken by fire, and taking captive and killing many people, he spent the night there,” writes the order’s chronicler Peter from Dusburg. - The next day he came to the Rudov volost (the village of Rudau - now Melnikovo. - Ed.) and took the castle with a powerful blow. And such a massacre of the Sambian people was done there that the nobles offered hostages to the king, asking him ... not to destroy the entire people.”

Further, Ottokar’s bloody path lay through Waldau (Lower Guryevsky District), Kaimen (Zarechye) and Tapiau (Gvardeysk). “... So that he would not inflict the same massacre on them (the Prussians) as on the others, each of them (the Prussian leaders) gave their sons as hostages, pledging, under pain of death, to humbly obey the demands of the faith and brothers,” continues Peter from Dusburg. “When all this was duly accomplished, the king... having walked to the mountain where the Koenigsberg castle now stands, he and his brothers decided to erect a castle there to defend the faith and left them wonderful royal gifts to help build it.”

After this, considering his pilgrim mission completed, the king left for home. That is, it may well turn out that Ottokar never visited the mountain itself on the banks of the Pregolya, only from afar appreciating the benefits of the place and advising to build a castle here. Following this advice, according to Peter of Dusburg, “the master and brothers successfully prepared everything necessary for construction and, taking with them the Prussians loyal to themselves, with a large army they went in the year of our Lord 1255 and in the place that is now called the old castle, built Königsberg Castle." According to the chronicler, the Prussians called the high hill Tuvangste from the name of the forest that covered it (possibly a sacred grove). Peter does not mention a word about any Prussian fortress. The Teutons had already erected a powerful wooden-earth fortification, leaving Burchard von Hornhausen as commander there “with many brothers and squires.” Plus, initially the castle was not located where the order’s dungeons gape today. Only later was it “transported to the place where it stands now, on that mountain, and surrounded by two walls with nine stone towers.”

Hordes of wolves rushed at the gate...

The construction of the very first Königsberg Castle is associated with a mystical story about an old she-wolf who appeared every evening at the construction site and watched people, keeping within the distance of a crossbow shot. The order's brothers felt so uncomfortable under the wolf's gaze that they decided that one of the Prussian wolf sorcerers had turned into a beast. The she-wolf was nicknamed Guerra. They said that her lair was not far to the east of the castle, and the Teutons did not even dare to look in that direction.

Either wolves attacked Königsberg Castle, or werewolves... This is how medieval artists depicted werewolves.

The winter of 1256 turned out to be fierce. In the vicinity of Königsberg, packs of wolves were rampant, and people often became their prey. And then one day the wolves approached the very walls of the fortification. Having lured the animals closer with pieces of meat that were thrown through loopholes, the Teutons shot the “children of Guerra” with crossbows. That night, a deafening howl was suddenly heard, and hordes of huge wolves surrounding the castle began to rush at the gate, scratching them with their claws. The entire order brethren was gripped by horror.

“And with the first ray of sunshine they saw Guerra in the castle courtyard,” says the legend. “And no one could raise the crossbow or draw the sword.” They opened the gate, allowing the old she-wolf to leave. But long after this, murdered brother knights were found on the river bank: some with their faces eaten away, others with terrible wounds, and many completely torn to pieces. No one else saw Gerra herself, only her traces in the vicinity of the castle, which plunged even the bravest warriors into horror.”

Gallows on the mountain

Unlike the legend of Guerra, the so-called. The Second Prussian Uprising is a historical fact. It lasted for 12 years, and began after the knights suffered a severe defeat at Durban on July 13, 1260. Then one hundred and fifty order brothers, led by Master of the Livonian Order Burchard von Gornhausen and Marshal Heinrich Botel, fell at once. Here is what Peter from Dusburg writes about this: “...The Prussians, seeing that the brothers suffered losses in this battle in brothers, squires, horses, weapons and other things necessary for battle, heaping evil upon evil and misfortune upon misfortune, again abandoned the faith and Christians and slipped back to their former errors, and the Sambas of one person named Glande, the Nattangi - Heinrich Monte, the Warmians - Glappo (or Glappe - Ed.), the Pogezans chose Auttum, the Barts chose Divan as leaders and leaders of their army.”

His associates were no less talented military leaders. It is known that Divan died during the siege of the Shensee fortress. Heinrich Monte managed to be taken by surprise at one of the sites with a small number of soldiers. The “vile traitor” who caused so much trouble was first hanged by the enraged Germans, and then pierced with a sword. Glappe was betrayed by one of his close associates named Steinov. He advised to besiege one of the castles in Sambia, and in the meantime he informed the Koenigsberg commander about the whereabouts of the leader. Suddenly attacking the Prussians besieging the seaside castle, the Teutons killed everyone. “But he (the commander) took Glappo with him to Königsberg and hanged him on the mountain, which is still called Mount Glappo after his name,” the chronicler informs.

It is, of course, impossible to determine today with an accuracy of one meter where that gallows stood. It is only known that the place of execution was chosen on a gentle hill opposite the castle: historians believe that in modern landmarks it is somewhere in the area of ​​the House of Communications - Kopernik and Zhitomirskaya streets.

Ghost of the Iron Maiden

The Cat Creek once flowed near Königsberg Castle - it is believed that it was on the site of modern Zaraiskaya Street. This waterway also appears in several ancient legends.

One of the legends tells about two witches who, as is customary among this category of representatives of the witchcraft workshop, loved to turn into cats. Taking on an animal form, the inventive friends climbed into the brewing kettle and, as if in a boat, rode in it not only along the stream, but even went out into the river. Having had a fun night, the cats became women again when day came.

The witches were let down by their inherent immoderation in sexual relations. Regular rafting in the beer cauldron and other entertainment left almost no time and energy for housekeeping. And the friends hired a boy to serve them. Apparently, the young man was not only hard-working, but also handsome, and maybe the aforementioned hypersexuality of the sorceresses had an effect. Be that as it may, they soon demanded intimate services from the boy.

With witches and sorcerers in the Middle Ages, the conversation was short: a passionate conversation and a fire. Miniature from 1447.

The young lover tried his best in bed too. Again, we can assume that at first he even liked it. But then the boy got tired of the constant harassment of his employers, and he came up with a way to get rid of the villainous women. Watching when they once again turned into cats, the servant locked them both in the notorious cauldron, which he put on the fire, boiling the witches alive.

Moral: pedophilia, even in the Middle Ages, did not bring anyone any good in the end.

Another legend tells of a beautiful girl who was suspected of witchcraft. Such an accusation was verified simply: the alleged witch was placed in a bag and thrown into the water. If she didn’t drown, it means she became a victim of slander, but this, it seems, never happened. Our heroine also died, drowned in Cat Creek. And then she returned from the other world dressed in armor, and even clutching a sword in each hand! This ghost was known in Königsberg under the name of the Iron Maiden.

Good wine for a suicide bomber

It is a rare story about Königsberg Castle without mentioning the restaurant “Blütgericht” - translated from German as “Bloody Judgment”, located in one of the basements of the order’s stronghold. Until the 17th century, there was a prison with numerous torture chambers, to which the drinking establishment, which arose in 1827, owes its name. In memory of the prison, a “Chamber of Martyrs” was installed in the restaurant, where the Martyr’s Passage led with maliciously grinning faces painted on the walls.

And here we cannot do without a fragrant legend. They say that one Koenigsberger, sentenced to death for his passion for black magic, on the way to the scaffold persuaded the executioner and the convoy to go to the Blutgericht and drink a glass of good wine No. 7. It was unthinkable to refuse the suicide bomber’s last request. As a result, the whole company got completely drunk, with the exception of the condemned man, who was either being cunning or experiencing such fear that he couldn’t get drunk. The master of affairs and the guards fell asleep, some at the table, some under it, and the condemned warlock safely took off.

Who knows how reliable this whole story is. But it is known for sure that the popular restaurant was willingly visited, for example, by the famous writer Ernst Amadeus Theodor Hoffmann. And he even wrote one of his poems right in the wine cellar, which is called “Blütgericht.”

The Mystery of the Amber Room

If we move from fairy tales to stories, it is necessary to mention that Königsberg Castle, among other objects, is indicated as a possible storage location for the Amber Room. Her search became one of the fetishes of the second half of the 20th century and does not stop to this day. It has been practically proven: at least for some time, the famous “amber cabinet”, disassembled into parts and packed into boxes, was indeed stored in the northern wing of the castle along with other works of art. Most likely, he died there in a fire after the carpet bombing of the city by British aircraft in August 1944.

An employee of the brigade of the Committee for Cultural and Educational Institutions under the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR, which, after the capture of Königsberg by Soviet troops, worked on the territory of the castle, Alexander Bryusov in his diary mentions the found copper pendants and burnt carved moldings from the doors of the Amber Room, as well as iron plates with screws, with which parts of the cabinet were attached to the walls of the drawers. Nevertheless, the fact of the destruction of the treasure, to the delight of treasure hunters, adventurers, fiction writers and journalists, was never finally proven. Therefore, sensational reports continue to appear from time to time about another possible hiding place with an Amber Room inside. And in this regard, they are in no hurry to completely discount the Königsberg Castle.