The koenigsberg royal castle in kaliningrad. Königsberg Royal Castle, now ruins ...

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

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The ruins of Königsberg Castle still captivate 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), or the fact that during the excavations the Amber Room was never found here. Perhaps this is due to the fact that this is one of the most ancient castles in the region, or the fact that the Amber Room may still be here - the excavations are not finished, or maybe with the general feeling of the place, in fact, very- very old.

Nevertheless, the ruins of the Königsberg (or, as it is also called, the Royal) castle are now open to visitors, and you can see them. This is a branch of the Kaliningrad Regional Museum of History and Art, and the museum itself calls it "The Open Exhibition" Ruins of the Royal Castle ", and the townspeople call it" Observation Deck ". Despite this local name, there is no rise to the height here, everything can be seen from the ground - the towers have not survived.

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 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, the castle was visited by Peter I, Napoleon and Russian emperors. The restaurant, located under the castle in the former court casemate, was visited by Thomas Mann, Richard Wagner and many others.

Before the war, the castle housed halls for celebrations, collections of rarities and local government 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 remained 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 financed by the German concern Der Spiegel, because, in his opinion, the Amber Room was hidden in the basements of the palace.

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

During the restoration, the underground parts were opened, everything that had collapsed there during the collapse of the castle, 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, a secret underground passage and a treasure - a set of astronomical items.

Exposition

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

Castles of this age have been well preserved in few places - most of them are in ruins, and on the territory of Russia there are almost none at all, so this is an interesting option.

The best day to visit is the day when historic holidays are held here. There are many 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 fights take place (clothes, weapons and methods of their use are restored according to historical literature), there is a fair of craftsmen. In addition to knightly tournaments, there are competitions in shooting from medieval types of weapons (bows, crossbows, etc.) and historical games 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 Königsberg 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 date: September 2008

The history of the city of Königsberg begins with this castle. The Royal Castle of Konigsberg (German Konigsberg, translated into Russian - Royal Mountain, also the Royal Castle) was founded in 1255 by the Czech king Ottokar II Přemysl and existed until 1968. This castle of the Teutonic Order gave the general name for the city that arose at the castle walls.

The royal castle was beautiful:

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

Coats of arms of Konigsberg

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 the Prussian coats of arms more (and not only me, by the way). Obviously, any Prussian coat of arms looks more impressive than the coat of arms of Kaliningrad, approved in 1996. Many people find it more pleasant to observe the grandeur and significance of royal symbols compared to the typical and primitive coats of arms of Russian cities.

Königsberg Royal Castle after the war

During the war, the Royal Castle received extensive damage, but survived. His condition was even better than that of the Cathedral, which suffered more damage during the bombing and storming of the city.

The ruins of the Königsberg Royal Castle were a real treasure. The ruins of the castle were not guarded, so everyone here was engaged in treasure hunting: 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 there was an amber room in it, which disappeared without a trace after the assault of Konigsberg by Soviet troops in April 1945.

From the memoirs of Kaliningraders:

“We, as 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 Konigsberg, as a "stronghold of the Prussian military clique and militarism," haunted the leadership of the Kaliningrad region.

Of "Inquiries about proposals for the conservation of the ruins of the Royal Castle in the city of Kaliningrad" of 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 accepted there. All this determines the 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, it is extremely doubtful 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.

...Rebuild 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 project of the new master plan of the city center developed by Giprogor provides for the demolition of the castle ruins and the construction of a new public buildingthat will really adorn 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 Königsberg Royal Castle, 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 Konigsberg".

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

At the entrance there are many inscriptions in German, 2008

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

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

Projectile warhead (possibly French) siege cannon 1914-1918
Exhibit of the military-historical exposition of the Muscovite Hall (4th floor of the western wing)

Treasures of the Third Reich in the undergrounds of Kaliningrad. What is the former City of Kings of Königsberg hiding?

Koenigsberg castle - the castle of the Teutonic Order in Konigsberg (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 the general name for the city that arose at 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 66.8 meters wide. 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 chant was sounded from the tower of the Castle. At 11 o'clock in the morning - "Oh, keep 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 was transformed from a residence of power into a museum complex, becoming the focus of spiritual life.

Parts 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 on the old order castle of Königsberg, destroyed by the British bombing during the Second World War. This castle is rich and interesting storywhich began back in 1257.

During his visit, he made a proposal to restore the most beautiful premises of this building, which local residents call the Castle of the Three Kings - the church, the "Muscovite hall" and others. In his opinion, this will help to 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 badly damaged during bombing 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 Konigsberg Castle. It was planned to be held in March 2011 in order to combine it with the elections to the local regional duma... However, the referendum was never held. This is far from the first unsuccessful venture to research and restore this architectural monument, as will be seen below.

However, the idea of \u200b\u200brestoring and reconstructing the castle was not rejected and forgotten. She did start to receive practical implementation, albeit in a different way than originally planned. The Kaliningrad government agreed to the proposal, which came from german side, to perpetuate in bronze the architectural appearance of the old Konigsberg.

Funds for the implementation of this project - the implementation of the model of the historical center of Konigsberg in the form in which it was before the massive bombing of British aircraft in 1944 completely changed its face - were raised 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 made. It is planned to install the model 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 capable of bringing huge profits to the Kaliningrad treasury. What is this statement based on?

Castle Courtyard - West and North Wing

Report to the Central Committee of the CPSU

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

In this note, it was indicated that his studies allowed him to draw up a diagram of the main underground passages and structures of Konigsberg. There is reason to believe that they contain enormous values \u200b\u200bstolen 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 there are fragments of the Amber Room, paintings, books and much more.

The network of underground passages and structures, in which values \u200b\u200bare hidden, was built at different times, starting from the 13th century, and is located at different depths from 16 to 68 meters. It has several main directions, diverging from the city center, that is, the former Royal Castle. Also, the memo mentions a certain special room where the plans-schemes of all the dungeons of Konigsberg are kept.

The same note contains information that the central entrance to the Koenigsberg dungeons, which was located on the territory of the Castle of the Three Kings, was blown up and filled up 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 condition 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” biolocation bureau under the USSR Council of Ministers. In 1982, Ivan Evseevich Koltsov, as part of an expedition, examined the ruins of the former Konigsberg, at the same time he drew up detailed schemes of the dungeons under this city and sent his report with the above-mentioned memorandum to the Central Committee of the CPSU.

But the reaction that followed to his report was, according to Ivan Evseevich, at least strange. He was removed from participation in the State Historical and Archaeological Expedition, which after a while completely ceased to exist. As far as he knows, the schemes drawn up by him were not used in any prospecting work in the area.

Eyewitness testimony

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

At the beginning of his journey, while still in the compartment of the train, he heard a story that featured the undergrounds of this city. A fellow traveler told him that her friend's son once brought home a large piece of synthetic fabric. He said that he found her in the basements 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 being in the water for a long time, looks like new.

When my mother began to iron this shirt, the fabric flared up like gunpowder under the iron. The frightened woman went to the police. Divers were sent to the specified fort, and they found such rolls in it. In this form, the Nazis released 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 caused this lack of interest? Perhaps the internal affairs bodies simply did not believe the frightened city woman?

The researcher decided to turn to other sources as well.

Post-war literature also contains some references to the Konigsberg dungeons. In particular, Stanislav Garanin, in his book "The Three Faces of Janus", wrote about eight hundred and sixty-two blocks in the city, each of which was connected with the others by a single defensive system. Passages connected the basements of houses. Underground there 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 sewer hatch, saw an underground hall, along the wall of which there was a pier. There was a small, four meters long, submarine at this pier.

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

Former head of the department of underwater technical works Mikhail Matveyevich Leaf said that although he does not know the underground communications of Kaliningrad completely, but only in the part that concerned his work, he can say that in the area of \u200b\u200bthe former palaces and under the fortifications there are two and three-story dungeons. Most of them are flooded or littered with stones. Some of them are used as warehouses at the present time.

So these dungeons do exist? But are they so accessible to tourists? Perhaps these are just storage facilities, partially destroyed during the bombing and nothing more. But Mikhail Matveyevich also mentioned a certain 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 a circulation in the circle of his acquaintances. As if these people had found an artificial grotto in one of the lakes, the entrance to which was closed by a German anchor mine.

One of the treasure hunters soon died under unknown circumstances - he fell from the fifth floor. Another turned for help to a familiar warrant officer-sapper, who did not pay much attention to this request. But after the "treasure hunter" disappeared without a trace, having gone on one of his trips, the sapper became worried and filed a statement with the police. Unfortunately, the search for the police did not yield any results. Leaf also talked about one of his colleague and comrade, Grigory Ivanovich Matsuev, who had been in Konigsberg since 1945.

After retiring from military service, Matsuev remained in the underwater technical work unit. On account of his dozens of dives in the Pregolya River and in the lakes. He just said that at that time the upper floors of the basements 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 one story evokes. Grigory Ivanovich once said that once, not far from the ancient city gates, a large hatch was discovered in the floor of a fortification. When they opened it, they saw that the tunnel, the entrance to which he was closing, was completely flooded with water. Matsuev dived there and saw large room from big amount 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 Versailles Peace Treaty, did not have the right to release more weapons and explosives than the permitted amount. Therefore, the gunpowder, which was made in Konigsberg, was camouflaged under the fabric. But again, not a single mention of the treasure. And that these moves may be available for visits. The researcher found it necessary to continue his search. What were Koltsov's statements based on?

Archived data

Sergei Turchenko found little of this information, and he decided to return to the archives and continue his searches there. Multi-month and painstaking work in the Central Archives of the Russian Federation was not slow to bear fruit. He found several documents there, which attracted his attention and confirmed the existence of vast dungeons near Kaliningrad.

It was 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 lasted until 1810. During this long six-century building, the castle was rebuilt several times. Extensive underground work was also carried out. Professor Heideck, who carried out 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 Convent and the Blütgericht restaurant ( Last Judgment"). But all these explorers mentioned only the dungeons of the first tier. For some unknown reason, no deeper excavations were carried out. Possibly limited technical capabilities that period.

But similar work was not carried out in 1945 either. Although, to search for cultural property that may have been hidden in Konigsberg, 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 discouraged the expedition from excavating in the southern wing of the castle.
Rode argued that during the war there was a hospital there, which was damaged by bombing and littered with stones. And nothing in these rubble, except the corpses, can not be found.

After Rode's mysterious disappearance, his deception was revealed. Military experts who investigated the characteristics of the dam on the southern wing of the castle proved that the explosion did not occur from above, as it should have gone if an aerial bomb had hit this wing of the castle, but from below, which makes one think about its artificial origin. Dr. Strauss, who arrived in Königsberg at the call of the commission and was a former assistant to Rohde, categorically denied that there was any hospital in the southern wing of the castle. He confidently stated that museum values \u200b\u200bhave always been concentrated there. Why would Rode arrange such a deception? To hide the values? To prevent them from falling into the hands of the Soviet expedition? For whom did he keep them and where did he disappear?

This controversy alone should have drawn increased attention to the excavations in the castle area. But, surprisingly, they were superficial. Having studied only a part of the undergrounds 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 were continued and made more thoroughly, more values \u200b\u200bcould be returned?
Also in the archive, the researcher was able to find records of the testimony of the former Soviet and foreign military, which were related to Konigsberg, the competent authorities regarding the burial of cultural values \u200b\u200bby the fascists.

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

The inmate helped to pack the requisitioned equipment into crates. 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 castle palace and the masons were summoned. The prisoner testified that the boxes had disappeared, but Vitek does not recall that the boxes were removed from the castle grounds. He suspects that the boxes were hidden in the basements of the castle.

Professor G. Klumbis, a colleague and former associate of Dr. Rode, recalled that not far from the wine cellar of the palace there was an old mine. It is closed and has not been used for several centuries. There are no signs of her existence, but Dr. Rohde knew about her being in the specified location. In his opinion, the mine - the best place to shelter various valuables in wartime. If necessary, their transportation could be quickly carried out with small forces and unnoticed. It was on this that his assumption was based that the basements of the castle contained cultural values \u200b\u200bexported from the USSR.
The former chief architect of the city of Kaliningrad D. Navalikhin adheres to this point of view. He believes that deeper mines are possible. He himself descended into the dungeons of the castle and saw a mine tilted at an approximately 45 degree angle. This event took place in 1948.

In 1973, researchers came across further confirmation of the existence of the dungeons under the Royal Castle. It consists in the fact that during the construction work, which consisted in the arrangement of the pile foundations of the House of Soviets, four piles up to 11 meters long were taken underground 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 admitted the possibility that this bunker could contain the Amber Room or other valuables stolen by the Nazis.

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

It seemed to the researcher that these facts were enough to take the words of Ivan Koltsov with confidence. The existence of the dungeons can be considered proven. But do they contain the same values \u200b\u200bthat the Nazis took out from the occupied territories? The results of Bryusov's expedition give sufficient grounds to consider this to be true. But the presence of stolen valuables in these basements of the main Nazi warehouse and the location of the Amber Room there still remains 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. He is now ready to show several entrances to the dungeons of the Royal Castle and the places in which, according to him, there are warehouses with mothballed equipment, cars, and quartermaster property. with investigations of the dungeons of the Royal Castle in Königsberg. Perhaps the legendary treasures of the Third Reich are still lurking there and waiting in the wings.

It has been a symbol of the city for several hundred years. His image is printed on postcards, photos and other souvenirs, despite the fact that only ruins have long been left from the structure.

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

Sights history

Construction of the Konigsberg 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 Königsberg, which translated from German means "King's Mountain".

Königsberg Castle was built made of wood, its original dimensions were small. It took about 15-20 years old... After the Prussian uprising, it became necessary to strengthen the castle. Around Königsberg, 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 turned into impenetrable stone fortresscapable of withstanding a prolonged siege in the event of an enemy attack. However, in 1525 Koenigsberg became the seat of a secular ruler. From a powerful military structure, the Konigsberg 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 pompous receptions, coronations and even executions were held in this place.

The structure was rectangular. Towers were located in each corner of the palace. The tallest of them was named the Castle Tower; it was made in the Gothic style. The architecture of the building was constantly changing. Therefore, there were buildings in the castle, differing in their style. Some of them were made in the Gothic style, others in the Renaissance, a little later in Königsberg 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. Koenigsberg ceased to be a residence and was reformed 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 plundered Amber Room... She was placed just in the palace building. Until 1944, the Royal Palace remained intact.

Towards the end of the war, Koenigsberg was heavily bombed from the air by the Anglo-American aircraft. The structure was badly damaged, the castle was on fire, but the main structure survived.

After the end of the war, she worked on the territory of the Royal Palace stone crusher... Bricks and stones from which the structure was erected were crushed until dust was formed. Due to constant vibration, 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 USSR authorities signed an order for the explosion of Koenigsberg, that is, for its complete destruction. The palace was destroyed, stones and bricks were used to build new facilities, and the hill on which the Royal Castle stood was torn down.

The construction of a new building began on the site of the legendary landmark - Houses Councils.

In 2001, German specialists 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 excavation was stopped due to lack of funding.

Now on the territory of the Konigsberg Palace there is a branch of the History 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:

The excavated remains of the Western Wing;
An open area where large architectural objects are located;
An exposition dedicated to the history of the Königsberg Palace;
I. Kant's nameplate. It is located near the Königsberg Palace Observation Deck.

The Castle History Museum is open daily. It is located at Kaliningrad st. Shevchenko, 2.

Landmark restoration

The discussion of the possible restoration of the castle has been going on 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 perceived this decision ambiguously.

On the one hand, the restored landmark will attract tourists, and this will entail 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 a so-called remake, which will have nothing to do with the original Konigsberg 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 of little value.

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

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

It has been associated with the Royal Castle since ancient times many legends, myths and rumors... In the Middle Ages, the basements of Königsberg were located torture chambers... There were many legends about cruel methods of torture and famous criminals.

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

However, it is not legends and legends that attract a large number of people to this place every year. romantic adventurers... Adventurers are tempted by rumors about the enormous wealth that is stored in the castle's underground passages. These rumors do have some basis.

During the Second World War, Kaliningrad was a staging post 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 housed in the Konigsberg Palace. This fact is evidenced by the entries in the Museum Book.

However, during the excavations, only a small part of the values \u200b\u200bwas 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 removed from Kaliningrad before its capture. From the second point of view, the Amber Room simply burned down during a fire after a prolonged bombardment from the air. 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 argue that the jewels were safely hidden by the Nazis in numerous underground passagesx, which are now flooded with water and littered with stones.

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

"Royal Castle" - simple, beautiful and fun card game on attentiveness, memory and logic. In it 2-4 players 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 to 46 - the cards in the game are pieces of a wall with a certain denomination. To position the card correctly, you need to know which of the numbers is higher. It will be interesting for adults to play even according to simplified rules, since the game itself perfectly trains memory - the mechanics of the game are a bit like the legendary "Memori". 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 starting card with a flag (the beginning of the wall with a 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 convenient order.

Players take turns. On your turn, you must turn over any card from those that lie in the center of the table, and choose one of two actions:

Either you turn this card back face down and put it in its original place;
Or you can take this card and add it to your wall. This action can be performed only if new card has a denomination higher 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 is passed on in a clockwise direction.

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 by the end of the game. All cards are worth one point, but some cards have a special effect:

King and Queen - these cards simply bring 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 denomination of 17 will fit perfectly, for example, into your 15 and 20 already on the table. The usual rules allow you to put a card only with a denomination higher than 20;
Prince and Princess - If you have a pair of prince and princess on your wall, you will receive one extra point at the end of the game. 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 against enemy guns. It is enough to enclose your most valuable cards between two towers and their safety will be guaranteed!
Raven - Each raven is worth one victory point, up to a maximum of five per player. Crows alone cannot win the game!

Who has won?

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

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