Royal castle koenigsberg in kaliningrad. The royal castle of Königsberg, and now the ruins ...

Königsberg Castle in Kaliningrad (Kaliningrad, Russia) - exposition, opening hours, address, phone numbers, official website.

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The ruins of the Königsberg Castle still excite the imagination. And this feeling was not destroyed either by the fact that the castle was almost completely destroyed (first during the war, then by the Soviet authorities), nor by the fact that during the excavations the Amber Room was never found here. Maybe it's because it's one of the oldest castles in the region, or because the Amber Room might still be there - the excavations aren't finished, or maybe with the general feel of the place, really- very old.

Nevertheless, the ruins of the Koenigsberg (or, as it is also called, the Royal) castle are now open to visitors and can be viewed. This is a branch of the Kaliningrad Regional Museum of History and Art, and the museum itself calls it "Open exposition" The ruins of the Royal Castle "", and the townspeople - "Observation deck". Despite this local name, there is no rise to the height, everything is visible from the ground - the towers have not been preserved.

History of creation

Königsberg Castle was built in 1255 by the Knights of the Teutonic Order, and, in fact, it was from this that the city of Königsberg began, which grew out of a small village that formed around the castle. Then the castle (together with the city) passed into the possession of Prussia and was rebuilt for the Prussian kings, then it was used for the needs of Germany. Two of the Prussian monarchs were crowned here, Peter I, Napoleon and Russian emperors visited the castle. The restaurant, located under the castle in the former judicial casemate, was visited by Thomas Mann, Richard Wagner and many others.

Before the war, the castle housed banquet halls, collections of rarities and local administrative structures. During the war, the castle was almost completely destroyed, and the remains of the walls and towers were demolished in 1967, and the ruins stood half-abandoned for a long time.

the Amber Room

In 1993, excavations began from the Russian Academy of Sciences, and they were carried out until 2007. Since 2001, they were partially funded by the German concern Spiegel, because, in his opinion, the Amber Room was hidden in the cellars of the palace.

The Amber Room, as you know, was taken from Leningrad to Königsberg, and then it disappeared. Perhaps hidden somewhere, perhaps stolen, perhaps lost. As a result, during the excavations, the room was not found, and the excavations were not completed - they were frozen, but even what has already been done is impressive.

During the restoration, the underground parts were opened, everything that collapsed there during the collapse of the castle was raised, they did not find the wanted Amber Room, but they found many (several thousand) ancient objects of the 14-19 centuries, a lot decorative elements, secret underground passage and treasure - a set of astronomical objects.

exposition

Now the museum is an observation deck at the excavation site. You can see the excavation of the Western Wing, an open area where the found large architectural details are exhibited, and an exhibition dedicated to the history of the castle.

There are few well-preserved castles of such antiquity - most of them are in ruins, and there are almost none on the territory of Russia, so this option is interesting.

The best day to visit is the day when historical holidays are held here. There are a lot of them here, they are held by the museum administration in cooperation with local clubs of historical reconstruction. On such days, a medieval military camp with tents appears on the territory, knightly duels take place (clothes, weapons and methods of their use are restored according to historical literature), there is a fair of craftsmen. In addition to jousting tournaments, there are shooting competitions with medieval weapons (bows, crossbows, etc.) and historical game events for children.

Practical Information

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

Address: Kaliningrad, st. Shevchenko, 2.

Royal Castle Koenigsberg Museum of the World Ocean, photo of the museum embankment

In the Soviet Union, no one knew how to build castles, but there were people who could destroy them.

Photo taken: September 2008

The history of the city of Koenigsberg begins with this castle. The Royal Castle of Koenigsberg (German: Konigsberg, translated into Russian as the Royal Mountain, the Royal Castle is also found) was founded in 1255 by the Czech King Ottokar II Premysl and lasted until 1968. This castle of the Teutonic Order gave the general name for the city that arose near the castle walls.

The Royal Castle was beautiful:

The Königsberg Castle has evolved from a wooden structure to a brick fortress and castle, which at different times was the residence of the leaders of the Teutonic Order, the Duke of Prussia, and later became the place of coronations of the Prussian kings.

Coats of arms of Koenigsberg

Below you can see all the coats of arms of Koenigsberg from the very foundation of the city to the present day.

This is where my patriotism ends. I like Prussian coats of arms more (and not only me, by the way). Obviously, any Prussian coat of arms looks more solid than the coat of arms of Kaliningrad, approved in 1996. It is more pleasant for many people to observe the greatness and significance of the royal symbols in comparison with the typical and primitive coats of arms of Russian cities.

The Royal Castle of Königsberg after the war

During the war, the Royal Castle was heavily damaged, but survived. Its condition was even better than the condition of the Cathedral, which suffered more during the bombing and storming of the city.

The ruins of the Royal Castle of Koenigsberg were a real treasure. The ruins of the castle were not guarded, so everyone was engaged in treasure hunting here: children, adults, local party workers, and visiting expeditions.

The Royal Castle is also famous for the fact that from 1942 to the spring of 1944 it housed an amber room, which, after the Soviet troops stormed Koenigsberg in April 1945, disappeared without a trace.

From the memoirs of Kaliningraders:

“We, children, also climbed in the ruins, looked for mysterious passages, treasures, found something, broke something, but the atmosphere around the castle was always magical, mystical and romantic.”

However, the Royal Castle of Koenigsberg, as a "stronghold of the Prussian military and militarism" did not give rest to the leadership of the Kaliningrad region.

From "Information about proposals for the conservation of the ruins of the Royal Castle in the city of Kaliningrad" dated December 3, 1965:

“The royal castle in the former Königsberg was founded in 1255 by the knights of the Teutonic Order as a stronghold for aggressive campaigns against Slavic peoples on the shores of the Baltic. For centuries, this castle, being the residence of the highest ranks of the order, and later of the Prussian kings, was the personification of the predatory aspirations of the Teutonic-Prussian conquerors against the Polish, Russian, Lithuanian lands and peoples.

During the period of Hitlerism, Hitler, Himmler, Goering and other prominent Nazis were repeatedly received in it. All this determines a special attitude towards him on the part of the apologists of fascism. At present, revanchists in West Germany are writing scientific treatises on the role of the castle in the history of the creation of Prussia, regretting its destruction.

Given this, the thesis that the ruins of the castle are of cultural and historical value and deserve to be immortalized in the ensemble of the new socialist city of Kaliningrad is extremely doubtful.

...Restore castle ruins, which was a symbol of the Teutonic Order, and later Prussian militarism, Hitlerism, investing huge investments, in fact, in the construction of a new building, we consider it inappropriate. The draft of the new master plan of the city center developed by Giprogor provides for the demolition of the ruins of the castle and the construction of a new one in their place. public building which will really decorate the Soviet Kaliningrad”.

In short, the fate of the Royal Castle was tragic. The castle, which stood for 700 years, was completely destroyed in 1969.

Today, on the site of the Royal Castle of Koenigsberg, there is an observation deck of its ruins and the House of Soviets. Among German tourists, this House of Soviets is called the “new castle of Koenigsberg”.

To the left of the entrance to the observation deck of the Royal Castle, you can see a memorial plate to Immanuel Kant.

There are many inscriptions in German at the entrance, 2008

The observation deck of the Königsberg Castle is a mountain of stones, each of which has a sign indicating which part of the castle these stones and debris were.

Photo 1. Concrete lining of the balustrade of the southern promenade of the Royal Castle
Photo 2. A group of brick blocks left from the destruction of the castle walls (16-18 centuries)
Photo 3. Step into the castle church (18th century). In the background - the House of Soviets

Warhead of a (probably French) siege gun, 1914-1918.
An exhibit of the military-historical exposition of the Muscovite Hall (4th floor of the western wing)

Treasures of the Third Reich in the dungeons of Kaliningrad. What does the former City of Kings of Koenigsberg hide?

Königsberg Castle- Castle of the Teutonic Order in Königsberg (Kaliningrad), also called the Royal Castle. It was founded in 1255 by the Czech king Ottokar II Přemysl and existed until 1968. Until 1945, various administrative and public institutions of the city and East Prussia were located within its walls, there were museum collections and halls for ceremonial receptions. The name of the castle gave a common name for the city that arose near the castle walls. Along with the Cathedral, it was the most important and ancient landmark of the city.

The building had maximum length 104 meters and a width of 66.8 meters. The tallest building in the city - the Castle Tower, 84.5 meters high, was rebuilt in 1864-1866 in gothic style. Twice a day, a choral sounded from the castle tower. At 11 o'clock in the morning - "Oh, save your mercy", at 9 o'clock in the evening - "Peace to all forests and fields."

The castle was rebuilt many times, and combined a variety of architectural styles(Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo). Changed in accordance with the periods and its purpose. The original fortress acquired the features of a castle. The castle from the residence of power turned into a museum complex, became the center of spiritual life.

Components of the castle

German historian Dr. Gunnar Strunz recently paid a visit to Kaliningrad, the former capital of East Prussia, Königsberg. He visited this city with a series of lectures about the ancient order castle of Koenigsberg, destroyed by British bombing during the Second World War. This castle has a rich and interesting story which began in 1257.

During his visit, he made a proposal to restore the most beautiful premises of this building, which the locals call the Castle of the Three Kings - kirhu, "Muscovite Hall" and others. In his opinion, this will help attract tourists to Kaliningrad and increase their interest in the historical heritage of this city.

Coronation of Frederick I in the Castle Church, 1701

In 1944, the building was severely damaged during the bombings carried out by British aircraft, and in the early 60s of the twentieth century, by order of the Kaliningrad regional committee of the CPSU, the ruins of this castle were finally demolished.

In 2010, the Kaliningrad authorities announced preparations for a referendum on the restoration of the Koenigsberg Castle. It was planned to be held in March 2011 to coincide with the elections to the local regional duma. However, the referendum was never held. This is far from the first unsuccessful venture to explore and restore this architectural monument, as will be seen below.

However, the idea of restoring and reconstructing the castle was not abandoned and forgotten. She started getting practical implementation, albeit in a different way than originally planned. The government of Kaliningrad agreed to the proposal, which came from German side, perpetuating in bronze the architectural appearance of the old Koenigsberg.

Funds for the implementation of this project - the implementation of the layout of the historical center of Königsberg in the form in which it was before the massive bombing of British aircraft in 1944 completely changed its face - were collected by former residents of the capital of East Prussia. The project is a bronze copy of the architectural ensemble of the old city with a diameter of 3 meters, where the Castle of the Three Kings will also be built. It is planned to install the layout on the island of Kant near the restored Cathedral.

But this is data only about the outer part of the castle. There are also numerous dungeons and passages located under the Castle of the Three Kings. They are completely walled up and well preserved. And, according to the Moscow archaeologist Ivan Koltsov, they will not require much effort and money to restore. In addition, they are able to bring huge profits to the treasury of Kaliningrad. On what is this assertion based?

Castle courtyard - west and north wing

Reporting to the Central Committee of the CPSU

Russian journalist Sergey Turchenko studying in the Central State Archive Russian Federation archival documents containing information about cultural property stolen by the Germans in former USSR, found a memorandum from dowsing engineer Ivan Koltsov, sent to the Central Committee of the CPSU and dated May 8, 1982.

This note indicated that his research allowed him to draw up a diagram of the main underground passages and structures of Koenigsberg. There is reason to believe that they contain huge valuables stolen by the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War. According to assumptions, this is a large amount, amounting to tens of tons of gold, silver, amber, and precious jewelry. Perhaps it is there that the fragments of the Amber Room, paintings, books and much more are located.

The network of underground passages and structures, in which valuables are hidden, was built at different times, starting from the 13th century, and is located at various depths from 16 to 68 meters. It has several main directions radiating from the city center, that is, the former Royal Castle. Also, the memorandum mentions a certain special room where the plans-schemes of all the dungeons of Koenigsberg are stored.

The same note contains information that the central entrance to the dungeons of Koenigsberg, which was located on the territory of the Castle of the Three Kings, was blown up and littered with debris to a depth of at least 16 meters. But the author of the note believes that at a greater depth the corridors are in a state suitable for research and are not flooded. He also believes that there were other entrances to the dungeons.

Sergey Turchenko managed to find the author of this note - Ivan Evseevich Koltsov, who in the 80s of the last century was an employee of the "closed" dowsing bureau under the Council of Ministers of the USSR. In 1982, Ivan Evseevich Koltsov, as part of an expedition, examined the ruins of the former Koenigsberg, at the same time he drew up detailed schemes of the dungeons under this city and sent his report to the Central Committee of the CPSU in the above-mentioned memorandum.

But the reaction that followed his report was, according to Ivan Evseevich, at least strange. He was suspended from participating in the State Historical and Archaeological Expedition, which after some time completely ceased to exist. To the best of his knowledge, the charts he had drawn up had not been used in any search operations in the area.

eyewitness testimony

The conversation with Koltsov left more questions than answers. Can we trust his data on the dungeon system near Kaliningrad? If possible, how much? Do other sources confirm these data? Sergey Turchenko decided to look for answers in Kaliningrad itself.

At the beginning of his journey, while still in a train compartment, he heard a story in which the dungeons of this city appeared. A fellow traveler told him that the son of her friend once brought home a large piece of synthetic fabric. He said that he found her in the cellars of one of the flooded forts, where he climbed with friends. From that fabric, her friend sewed a shirt for her son, surprised that the fabric, despite the fact that it had been in the water for a long time, looked like new.

When the mother began to iron this shirt, the fabric flared under the iron, like gunpowder. The frightened woman called the police. Divers were sent to the indicated fort, who discovered the sweetness of such rolls in it. In this form, the Nazis produced gunpowder. The history of further searches in this direction remained unknown. As will be seen from further eyewitness accounts, the authorities continue to show surprising indifference to such facts. What is the reason for this lack of interest? Perhaps the internal affairs bodies simply did not believe the frightened townswoman?

The researcher decided to turn to other sources.

Some references to the dungeons of Koenigsberg are also contained in post-war literature. In particular, Stanislav Garanin in his book "Three Faces of Janus" wrote about eight hundred and sixty-two quarters in the city, each of which was connected with others by a single defensive system. Transitions connected the cellars of houses. Under the ground were power plants, ammunition depots, hospitals.

Also in the same literary work, a situation is described in which some heroes who descended into the dungeons through manhole, saw an underground hall, along the wall of which there was a pier. At this pier stood a small, four meters long, submarine.

But this - literary work, which cannot claim documentary accuracy. The data presented in it strike the reader's imagination, but raise questions about their reliability. It was necessary to find evidence of real eyewitnesses.

The former head of the department of underwater technical works, Mikhail Matveyevich Leaf, said that although he does not fully know the underground communications of Kaliningrad, but only in the part that concerned his work, he can say that in the area of \u200b\u200bformer palaces and under fortifications there are two and three-story dungeons. Most of them are flooded or littered with stones. Some of them are used for warehouses and at the present time.

So these dungeons still exist? But are they really accessible to tourists? Perhaps these are just warehouses, partially destroyed during the bombing and nothing more. But Mikhail Matveyevich also mentioned some kind of underground aircraft factory. But this plant is also flooded and littered with stones. He also told a story about some home-grown "treasure hunters", which once had circulation in the circle of his acquaintances. As if these people found a grotto of artificial origin in one of the lakes, the entrance to which was closed by a German anchor mine.

One of the treasure hunters soon died under unclear circumstances - he fell from the fifth floor. Another turned for help to a familiar midshipman-sapper, who did not attach much attention to this request. But after the "treasure hunter" went missing, having gone on one of his trips, the sapper became worried and filed a complaint with the police. Unfortunately, police searches did not yield any results. Leaf also spoke about one of his colleagues and comrades, Grigory Ivanovich Matsuev, who had been in Koenigsberg since 1945.

Having retired from military service, Matsuev remained in the underwater technical work detachment. He has dozens of dives in the Pregol River and lakes. He just said that at that time the upper floors of the cellars of the Royal Castle had not yet been flooded. This is very interesting and echoes what Koltsov said. Could these floors have been flooded later, after the research carried out by the historical and archaeological expedition, which included Koltsov?

But let us return to the story of Mikhail Matveyevich Leaf about his comrade. Special attention causes one story. Grigory Ivanovich once told that once, not far from the ancient city gates, a large hatch was discovered in the floor of a fortification. When it was opened, they saw that the tunnel, the entrance to which it closed, was completely flooded with water. Matsuev dived there and saw big room With large quantity racks on which lay many rolls of unknown material.

Several of them were raised to the surface. Further analysis showed that it was gunpowder. Perhaps Germany, bound by the Treaty of Versailles, did not have the right to produce weapons and explosives in excess of the allowable quantity. Therefore, the gunpowder, which was made in Koenigsberg, was camouflaged under the fabric. But again, not a single mention of treasures. And that these passages may be available for visits. The researcher found it necessary to continue his search. What were Koltsov's assertions based on?

Archived data

Sergey Turchenko felt that this information was not enough, and he decided to return to the archives and continue his search there. Multi-month and painstaking work in the Central Archive of the Russian Federation was not slow to bear fruit. He found there several documents that attracted his attention and confirmed the existence of extensive dungeons near Kaliningrad.

They discovered history reference authorship of the German researcher F. Lars about the Royal Castle. It said that the construction of the castle began in 1257 and continued until 1810. During this long six-century construction, the castle was rebuilt several times. Extensive underground work was also carried out. Professor Heidekk, who conducted geological excavations under the Royal Castle in 1889, mentioned 7-8-meter strata of "cultural" deposits. He also mentioned the ancient dungeons that stretch under the Castle Church, former home Convention and the restaurant "Blutgericht" (" Last Judgment"). But all these researchers mentioned only the dungeons of the first tier. For some unknown reason, deeper excavations were not carried out. Perhaps the limited technical capabilities of that period.

But such work was not carried out in 1945. Although, in order to search for cultural property that may have been hidden in Koenigsberg, a special commission was created under the leadership of General Bryusov. His diary has been preserved, in which he kept a detailed account of the activities of this expedition. From this diary, we managed to find out the following interesting detail. A certain doctor Alfred Rode, who was the curator of the Koenigsberg museums and did not have time to leave the city when it was liberated by Soviet troops, actively dissuaded the expedition from excavations in the southern wing of the castle.
Rode argued this by the fact that during the war there was a hospital that was bombed and littered with stones. And nothing in these rubble, except for corpses, can not be found.

After the mysterious disappearance of Rode, his deception was revealed. Military experts who studied the characteristics of the blockage of the southern wing of the castle proved that the explosion did not occur from above, as it should have happened if an air bomb hit this wing of the castle, but from below, which makes one think about its artificial origin. Dr. Strauss, who arrived in Koenigsberg at the call of the commission and was a former assistant to Rode, categorically denied the presence of any hospital in the southern wing of the castle. He confidently stated that museum values have always been concentrated there. Why did Roda arrange such a deception? To hide valuables? So that they do not fall into the hands of the Soviet expedition? For whom did he save them and where did he disappear to?

Already one such contradiction should have attracted increased attention to the excavations in the castle area. But, surprisingly, they were carried out superficially. After examining only part of the dungeons of the first tier, the Bryusov commission found more than 1000 museum exhibits stolen by the Nazis from the museums of Leningrad and Moscow. These were priceless works of silver, bronze, porcelain, paintings and furniture. Perhaps, if the excavations had been continued and carried out more carefully, more valuables could have been recovered?
Also in the archive, the researcher managed to find records of testimonies of former Soviet and foreign military personnel that were related to Koenigsberg, the competent authorities regarding the burial of cultural property by the Nazis.

A prisoner of the Warsaw prison A. Vitek told the following: during the war he was sent to forced labor in Koenigsberg. From the work camp in which Vitek was stationed, the Germans took people to work every day. The interrogated person got into a group that took out equipment from houses and institutions and brought it to the Wilhelm Castle (Royal - author's note) on Kaiser-Wilhelm-Straße. There things were sorted for subsequent shipment to Germany.

The prisoner helped pack the requisitioned equipment into boxes. He testified that he saw a large number of boxes marked with the same numbering. These boxes were in the right wing of the castle. The boxes were strictly guarded. Their safety was checked by Gauleiter Erich Koch himself. After that, the prisoner saw how bricks were brought into the palace of the castle and masons were called. The prisoner testified that the boxes had disappeared, but Vitek does not recall that the boxes were taken from the castle grounds. He suspects that the boxes were hidden in the castle cellars.

Professor G. Klumbis, a colleague and former associate of Dr. Rode, recalled that there was an old mine not far from the wine cellar of the palace. It is closed and has not been used for several centuries. No sign of her existence has been preserved, but Dr. Rode was aware of her presence in the indicated place. According to him, the mine the best place to hide various valuables in wartime. If necessary, their transportation could be quickly carried out with small forces and imperceptibly. It was on this that his assumption was based that the basements of the castle contained cultural values exported from the USSR.
This point of view is shared by the former chief architect of the city of Kaliningrad D. Navalikhin. He believes deeper mines are possible. He himself descended into the dungeons of the castle and saw the mine inclined at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. This event took place in 1948.

In 1973, researchers came across another confirmation of the existence of dungeons under the Royal Castle. It consists in the fact that during the construction work, which consisted in the construction of the pile foundations of the House of Soviets, four piles up to 11 meters long were sunk into the ground to the full depth. No more than 4 centimeters of the pile was visible above the surface. Based on this, the participants in the construction work considered that there could be a bunker or an underground passage under this building. They allowed for the possibility that the Amber Room or other valuables stolen by the Nazis could be stored in this bunker.

But the memorandum of S. Kuleshov, who noted this fact, was followed by a strange reaction. The piles were ordered to be removed, the holes from them to be filled with concrete, and construction works spend elsewhere.

It seemed to the researcher that these facts were enough to treat the words of Ivan Koltsov with confidence. The existence of dungeons can be considered proven. But do they contain the very values that the Nazis took out of the occupied territories? The results of Bryusov's expedition provide sufficient grounds for considering this to be true. But the presence in these cellars of the main Nazi warehouse of stolen valuables and the presence of the Amber Room there still remain a mystery.

Ivan Koltsov gives a fairly clear answer to this question. According to him, special equipment can determine what is underground - water, oil, ore or metals. And in this case, he believes, the equipment was not mistaken. Even now he is ready to show several entrances to the dungeons of the Royal Castle and places where, according to him, there are warehouses with mothballed equipment, cars, commissary property. with exploration of the dungeons of the Royal Castle in Königsberg. Perhaps the legendary treasures of the Third Reich still lurk there and wait in the wings.

For several hundred years it has been a symbol of the city. His image is printed on postcards, photos and other souvenir products, despite the fact that only ruins remained from the building for a long time.

Physically, the castle has not existed for several decades. However, this place is still shrouded in secrets and mysteries. In the ruins of the royal castle, they are looking for lost wealth, and the building itself is associated with both tragic and joyful events in the history of our country. The fate of this legendary castle is directly connected with the world history of mankind.

Landmark history

Construction of the Koenigsberg Castle

famous landmark was built in 1255. The Czech king Ottokar II decided to build a castle in order to strengthen the conquered land. The building was named Koenigsberg, which in German means "Royal Mountain".

Königsberg Castle was built wooden, its original dimensions were small. It took about 15-20 years old. After the Prussian uprising, there was a need to strengthen the castle. Around Königsberg was built 2 stone walls. The foundation of the building was reinforced with huge stone boulders, on which they laid ceramic bricks.

Gradually, the appearance and size of Koenigsberg changed. By the 15th century, the small castle had become impregnable stone fortress, capable of withstanding a long siege in the event of an attack by enemies. However, in 1525 Königsberg became the seat of a secular ruler. From a powerful military structure, the Königsberg Fortress turned into an elegant palace, the cultural center of Prussia.

In 1701, King Frederick III made Königsberg his main residence. Works of art and unique books were brought to the castle. Kings and other dignitaries became frequent guests of the Königsberg castle. Wikipedia indicates that magnificent receptions, coronations and even executions were held in this place.

The building had a rectangular shape. There were towers in every corner of the palace. The highest of them was called the Castle Tower, it was made in the Gothic style. The architecture of the building was constantly changing. Therefore, the castle had buildings that differed in their style. Some of them were made in the Gothic style, others in the Renaissance, a little later in Koenigsberg the Baroque and Rococo styles prevailed. Now these luxurious buildings can only be seen in old photos that were taken before the war.

War and post-war years

The purpose of the Royal Palace changed shortly before the war. In 1918, a revolution took place in Germany, during which the emperor was overthrown. Königsberg ceased to be a residence and it was reorganized into a huge museum complex. Before the outbreak of World War II, the palace housed:

Art Gallery;
Museum of Prussia;
Exposition of the Prussian Order;
Department of culture, which was engaged in the protection of monuments.

In 1942 they brought to Kaliningrad part of the looted Amber Room. She was placed just in the building of the palace. Until 1944, the Royal Palace remained unscathed.

Toward the end of the war, Königsberg was subjected to intense aerial bombardment by Anglo-American aviation. The structure was badly damaged, the castle was on fire, but the main structure still survived.

After the end of the war on the territory of the Royal Palace worked stone crusher. The bricks and stones from which the structure was erected were crushed to form dust. Due to constant vibrations, rain and wind, the upper floors of the main tower collapsed.

In 1966, one of the most controversial decisions in the history of Kaliningrad was made. The Soviet authorities signed an order to blow up Koenigsberg, that is, to completely destroy it. The palace was destroyed, stones and bricks were used for the construction of new facilities, and the hill on which the Royal Castle stood was torn down.

On the site of the legendary landmark, the construction of a new building began - Houses Soviets.

In 2001, German experts carried out large-scale excavations on the territory of the castle. During the work, the ruins of some parts of the structure were discovered. However, the work was not completed. The excavations were stopped due to lack of funding.

Now on the territory of the Konigsberg Palace there is a branch of the Historical and Art Museum of Kaliningrad. Every tourist who comes to the city has the opportunity to visit an open exposition called "The Ruins of the Royal Castle".

During the tour you can see:

Excavated remains of the West Wing;
An open area where large architectural objects are located;
An exposition dedicated to the history of the Königsberg Palace;
I. Kant's name plate. It is located near the Observation deck of the Konigsberg Palace.

The castle history museum is open daily. It is located at Kaliningrad, st. Shevchenko, 2.

Landmark restoration

The possible restoration of the castle has been discussed since 1990. As part of the reconstruction program for the center of Kaliningrad, it was planned to build the Western and Eastern wings of the palace. Public figures and the population of Kaliningrad took this decision ambiguously.

On the one hand, the restored attraction will attract tourists, and this will economic development district. On the other hand, it is almost impossible to reconstruct a castle that was completely destroyed. The result of the work will be the so-called remake, which will have nothing to do with the original Koenigsberg Castle. In addition, some figures in the field of history and architecture say that the attraction has nothing to do with Russian history. Therefore, the object, according to some experts, is not of particular value.

The authorities of Kaliningrad decided to hold a referendum. However, after the change of leadership, this event was forgotten.

Architects have developed detailed designs and plans for the reconstruction of the Royal Castle. However, due to lack of funding, work has not yet begun.

Since ancient times, it has been connected with the Royal Castle many legends, myths and rumors. In the Middle Ages, in the cellars of Königsberg were located torture chambers. There were many legends about cruel methods of torture and famous criminals.

In calmer times, on the site of the most famous torture chamber, a restaurant. A special place was designed in the institution, which was called the “chamber of martyrs”. Portraits of tortured criminals were hung on the walls of the institution.

However, it is not legends and tales that annually attract a large number of people to this place. romantic adventurers. Adventurers are attracted by rumors about the huge wealth that is stored in the underground passages of the castle. These rumors do have a certain basis.

During the Second World War, Kaliningrad was a transit point for the Nazis, who brought looted valuables from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Most of the paintings, unique books, jewelry and part of the Amber Room were temporarily placed in the Königsberg Palace. This fact is evidenced by entries in the Museum Book.

However, during the excavations, only a small part of the valuables was found. Therefore, treasure seekers from all over the world do not stop looking for the "Nazi treasure" to this day.

No one knows where the Amber Room and other valuables disappeared. However, there are several assumptions. The first is based on the fact that the jewelry was taken out of Kaliningrad before its capture. Based on the second point of view, the Amber Room simply burned down during a fire after a long aerial bombardment. This is evidenced by the found fragments of the door and copper elements from the Amber Room.

There is also a third point of view. Its supporters claim that the jewels were safely hidden by the Nazis in numerous underground passages x, which are now flooded with water and littered with stones.

Large-scale work to search for valuables in the ruins of the castle has not yet been carried out. This makes the place even more mysterious and attractive.

"Royal Castle" - simple, beautiful and fascinating card game on attentiveness, memory and logic. In it, 2-4 players will have to build a wall for the royal castle! The game is perfect for both children and older people. Children can also be taught to count up to 46 - the cards in the game are parts of the wall with a certain denomination. To correctly position the card, you need to know which of the numbers is larger. It will be interesting for adults to play even according to simplified rules, since the game itself perfectly trains the memory - the game mechanics are a bit like the legendary "Memory". Extended rules will offer you many different characters, add elements of strategy and planning.

Game process

The basic rules are as follows. Each player receives a start card with a flag (the beginning of the wall with a face value of 1) and places it in front of him. The remaining 45 cards should be placed face down on the table in front of you in any order you like.

The players take turns. On your turn, you must turn over any card in the center of the table and choose one of two actions:

Or you turn this card back face down and put it back in its original place;
Or you can take this card and add it to your wall. This action can only be taken if new map has a higher value than your rightmost card directly in the wall. That is, you can build a wall only in the direction of increasing the face value.

After choosing an action, the player's turn ends and proceeds clockwise.

The expanded rules greatly transform the game and add new strategic depth to the game. Your goal now is to earn as many points as possible before the end of the game. All cards are worth one point each, but some cards have a special effect:

King and Queen - these cards are simply worth three bonus points at the end of the game;
Wizard - allows you to add this card between two already existing maps walls. For example, a wizard with a face value of 17 will fit perfectly into, for example, your 15 and 20 already lying on the table. The usual rules allow you to put a card with a face value above 20 only;
Prince and Princess - if you have a pair of prince and princess on the wall, at the end of the game you will receive one extra point. Moreover, they should not be directly next to each other, and there may be several pairs themselves;
Cannon - allows you to discard one card from the enemy wall, except for towers and those cards that are located between the towers in the wall;
Tower - towers, respectively, allow you to defend yourself from enemy cannons. It is enough to enclose your most valuable cards between two towers and their safety will be guaranteed!
Crow - Each raven is worth one victory point, up to a maximum of five for one player. Crows alone can't win the game!

Who has won?

According to the basic rules, the winner is the player who is the first to be able to build a wall of ten cards, including the first starting one. If there are cards with a lower face value on the table and it is no longer possible to complete the walls, then the player with the largest and strongest wall on the table wins. this moment. If there is a tie, then the player with the highest value card wins.

According to the extended rules, the player with the most victory points wins, which means that it can be extremely unprofitable to end the game if you are inferior in points to your opponents.