Kaliningrad Cathedral. Old Kaliningrad: Kant Island and the Cathedral. Cathedral before the war
How to get to the Kaliningrad Cathedral on your own. Opening hours of the museum and organ hall, Kant's grave in the Cathedral.
There are many ancient monuments on the territory of this city, which annually attract antiquity lovers from all over the world. An honorable place in popularity among the attractions of Kaliningrad is occupied by Cathedral(Kreuzkirche), erected at the beginning of the 14th century under the leadership of Bishop John.
Cathedral from the time of Königsberg
The Kaliningrad Cathedral was the central temple Kneiphof district, where services were regularly held with the presence of top officials of the city and state.
Cathedral former Koenigsberg Today you can admire it in its original form!
The remains of nobles and clergy are buried in the crypts of the cathedral. The first grave belongs to the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, Lutger von Braunschweig, and has been here since 1335. The last burial was made in 1809 - it belongs to the stillborn son of Princess Marianne and Prince William. Among the legendary personalities who found their final refuge within the walls of the Königsberg Cathedral, there is more than one master Teutonic Order , some Zemland bishops, professors of the local university and other equally significant persons.
But the most outstanding person, whose grave is also located within the walls of the cathedral, was the German philosopher Immanuel Kant. His burial stands out from the rest: relatively recently (in relation to the age of the cathedral, of course), namely in 1924, in honor of Kant’s 200th anniversary, a portico was built over his grave.
Before the Second World War, the Cathedral was a model of splendor; its walls housed one of the largest libraries in Prussia, founded by Martin von Wallendorff in the 50s of the 17th century. In addition, the temple boasted one of the largest organs in Europe.
But as a result of Allied air raids at the end of the Second World War, the cathedral was destroyed and the interior decoration was lost. However, by some miracle the tombstones and epitaphs managed to survive.
Kaliningrad Cathedral
Decades later, researchers and historians who studied the ruins of the cathedral managed to find funds and obtain an order to begin the restoration of the Kaliningrad cathedral. This happened only in 1992. Thanks to an unexpected decision in those troubled times, today everyone can enjoy not only the façade of the cathedral that has risen from the ruins, but also the exhibition of the museum opened at its base. Immanuel Kant.
Map of Königsberg and souvenirs on the territory of the Kaliningrad Cathedral
The route of the tour of the Cathedral includes a visit to the Kant Institute, an Orthodox chapel, a library restored “from the ashes,” etc.
But the main achievement of the restorers is the opening of a concert hall designed for 700 visitors. The organ complex located here has no equal in Russia. It consists of a large and small organ and allows you to achieve surprisingly rich sounds. In addition, the acoustic capabilities of the Cathedral itself are said to be limitless!
One conclusion can be drawn: the architects managed to restore not only the “body” of the cathedral with precision down to the smallest detail, but also to resurrect the spirit that hovered within these walls throughout the long centuries of the cathedral’s life.
Cathedral - how to get there
The Kaliningrad Cathedral is located in the heart of Kneiphof Island (or Kant Island, as it is called), at the address: st. Kanta, 1.
You can get to the island from Victory Square by tram No. 3, 5. Stop “Fish Village”, from which you will have to walk 300 meters. If it’s closer to you Leninsky Prospekt, choose any minibus and get off near. Then cross the road and cross the road bridge towards Kneiphof - you will notice the Gothic spire from afar.
Opening hours of the museum and organ hall
Currently, Orthodox and Protestant chapels are open on the premises of the Cathedral. The following museum exhibitions are open: “The History of the Island of Kneiphof”, “Immanuel Kant and Königsberg”, “The Cathedral. Revival from Ruins", "Wallenrodt Library".
In the altar part, at the stage of restoration, there is the tombstone of Duke Albrecht, whose monument can be seen on the territory of the temple, opposite Kant’s grave.
Opening hours of the Cathedral: from 09-00 to 17-00, seven days a week.
Information can be checked on the official website - www.sobor-kaliningrad.ru. There you can also find out the schedule of organ music concerts in the Kaliningrad Cathedral.
Excursions around Kaliningrad and the region
Unusual routes organized local residents. Excursions are created by creative people who have something to tell about the city and its surroundings. They will also tell you where to spend your time and where you can save money.
Hotels in the Kreuzkirche area
If you liked the location of the Cathedral, then your intuition did not let you down - if there is anywhere worth living in Kaliningrad, it is in the area of Kant Island. On the map below you will find all the hotels located in the area around Kreuzkirche.
Let's sum it up
It doesn’t matter whether you are interested in the history of the building, whether you want to admire the restored library or whether you like organ music. If you have arrived in Kaliningrad for the first time, know that you will not be able to avoid visiting the Cathedral, because it is the soul of the city.
The Master of the Teutonic Order considered new cathedral too similar to a fortress and stopped construction until the church authorities promised to give the future temple exclusively iconic look. On the north side of the cathedral you can see a ledge in the place where the masonry changes from a thickness of 3 meters to a smaller thickness - up to 1.28 meters. The foundation also had to be lightened. The image of the cathedral corresponds to the layout of the order's churches with a three-nave church for the laity and a one-nave choir for the knighthood, but without an underground chapel. The towers, which burned down in the 16th century, were rebuilt in the Renaissance style. On the square base of the southern tower a superstructure with 12 corners appeared, later topped with a spire.
The clock on the cathedral tower, despite its medieval appearance, is the most accurate in Kaliningrad, with a modern mechanism and satellite communication.
The weakness of the foundation did not allow the towers to be raised to the intended height, and the building began to sag dangerously. The northern tower deviated 45 centimeters from its axis and is a bit reminiscent of the famous Pisa Tower. By 1400, the interior of the naves was decorated with frescoes with scenes from the Holy Scriptures. The main impression that the cathedral still makes is its endless space, and this distinguishes it from the soaring late Gothic cathedrals. The length of the building is 88.5 meters, the height of the tower with spire is 50.75 meters, and the width is 30.2 meters. “The local cathedral church is huge,” Russian historian N.M. wrote in his diary. Karamzin. - With great note I looked there at the ancient weapons, armor and cone of the most pious of the Margraves of Brandenburg and the bravest of the knights of his time. Where are you, I thought, where are you, dark ages, centuries of barbarism and heroism? Your pale shadows terrify the timid enlightenment of our days..."
In 1511, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Albrecht of Brandenburg, liberated Prussia from the power of the Pope and adopted Lutheranism. The Cathedral also expected changes. It was transferred to the city of Kneiphof, and in 1560 to the Albertina University. Duke Albrecht was buried in the Cathedral, almost the entire eastern wall was occupied by a luxurious epitaph modeled on the Italian tombstones of the heyday of the Renaissance. Now only the architectural frame has been preserved from the monumental monument. In 1588, in the northern part of the altar, a burial place for professors of the University of Königsberg was founded. Most of out of a hundred tombstones and epitaphs have not been preserved, but the remaining ones are being carefully restored. In 1804, the great German philosopher Immanuel Kant found his final resting place at the north-eastern corner of the cathedral.
Cathedral in wartime
In August 1944, after raids by 600 British bombers, Kneiphof Island was practically destroyed. The walls of the cathedral survived, but the entire interior was destroyed in the fire. It is known that the Nazis forbade firefighters to put out the fire. For many years after the war, the cathedral was a majestic ruin, standing alone among the deserted island. It was saved from final destruction by the grave of Kant, who was considered in the USSR the herald of communist ideology.
The only statue from the Cathedral that survived the raid in 1944 - the image of Countess Dorothea, wife of Duke Albrecht - was found during the search for the Amber Room and is now kept in the Museum fine arts them. Pushkin in Moscow.
The Cathedral in Kaliningrad received the status of a monument of republican significance in 1960. In 1992, the tragic ruins were mothballed and work began on historical reconstruction. Despite the damage and losses, the cathedral deservedly belongs to the federal category of architectural monuments.
Kant's grave
The great philosopher Immanuel Kant was buried last in 1804 in the professor's tomb near the northern choir of the Königsberg Cathedral. In 1880, a chapel in the neo-Gothic style was erected over the grave. For Kant's bicentenary, the architect Friedrich Lars received an order to rebuild the tombstone. Visits to Kant's grave were allowed twice a year: on February 12 and April 22 - on the philosopher's birthday and death.
In addition to philosophy, Immanuel Kant taught such unusual disciplines as fortification and pyrotechnics at the Albertina University.
Wallenrodt Library
Two rooms with Baroque paintings, decorated with amazing wooden carvings, on the second floor of the south tower, have housed the famous Wallenrodt Library since 1650. Founded by Chancellor Martin von Wallenrod and his son, by the 20th century it consisted of 10,000 unique books collected throughout the world. Only some of the rare volumes survived in the university library; the rest of the priceless books were lost in the cathedral fire.
Organ
In the Cathedral you can attend organ concerts. The Council regained its voice in 2008. The system of the Large and Small organs was restored by German craftsmen according to pre-war drawings using modern fiber-optic and computer technologies. The decorative part of the largest organ in Europe is decorated by Kaliningrad craftsmen with filigree carvings and moving figures.
Euler problem
The Cathedral Bridge between Alstadt and Kneiphof stood only 50 years after the construction of the Cathedral began. There are seven bridges left in the city, spanning the river that washes the island and diverges into two branches. Is it possible to walk around Königsberg, crossing all the bridges without crossing any of them twice? Mathematician Leonid Euler's problem about the bridges of Königsberg underlies graph theory, which still helps in the study of transport systems, optimization of cargo delivery and data routing on the Internet.
Belfry tower
During the construction of the roof of the longitudinal nave at the end of the 16th century, an error was discovered in the layout of the building: the tower part turned out to be displaced relative to the central part. To correct it, medieval builders found an elegant solution - at the place where the roof curved, they erected a camouflaging small belfry tower.
The Nazis dug up Kant's grave in an attempt to measure his skull to prove he belonged to the Aryan race.
Peter I, while studying the Wallenrodt Library, discovered an ancient Radziwill Chronicle telling about Ancient Rus'.
The ruins of the Cathedral can be seen in the films “Zhenya, Zhenechka and Katyusha” and “The Kerosene Man’s Wife.”
Cathedral in Kaliningrad (Russia) - description, history, location. The exact address and website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.
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The Cathedral (also known as the Koenigsberg Cathedral) is one of the main attractions of Kaliningrad, it is from here that everything starts tourist routes, This oldest church in the city and its business card. Today there are no services here, but organ concerts are regularly held; the cathedral's concert hall with excellent acoustics is the largest in the region.
The Königsberg Cathedral houses the Immanuel Kant Museum and his tomb.
A little history
The cathedral was first mentioned in documents in 1333. By 1380, it was decorated with frescoes and officially opened to parishioners, but the appearance was supplemented with various details until the 1640s. At the beginning of the 16th century, the temple was converted into a Lutheran one, and then the University of Königsberg was founded, and the cathedral became the university church. Then the Wallenrod Library and the “professor’s tomb” settled here, where Immanuel Kant, the most famous resident of the city in its entire history, was buried.
Cathedral today
During the Great Patriotic War, the cathedral burned down; its new appearance in the German Gothic style is the result of restoration. Only a few stone epitaphs have survived from the pre-war interior decor. Restored famous watches on the tower, bells, inner hall. A colonnade was erected over Kant's sarcophagus of dark granite, and the main hall of the church was turned into a concert hall.
Several rooms are occupied by the Immanuel Kant Museum. In other rooms there is an exhibition telling about the history of the cathedral and the island of Kneiphof, as well as about famous townspeople. Here you can see a collection of coins and banknotes, a carved wooden library and a mini organ.
Inside the tower clock there is a modern mechanism that sets exact time by satellite.
Practical information
Address: Kaliningrad, st. Kanta, 1. Website.
Opening hours: daily, except January 1; from October to April - from 10:00 to 18:00, from May to September - from 10:00 to 19:00.
Entrance: to the Kant Museum - 250 RUB for adults and 100 RUB for schoolchildren and students, to the organ hall - 100 RUB for adults and 50 RUB for schoolchildren and students, concert - from 350 RUB, guided tour of the museum and concert complex of the Cathedral guide - 500 RUB for adults and 300 RUB for schoolchildren and students. Prices on the page are for February 2019.