!!!Kaliningrad

by Sergey Shandin, Stas Sedov and Dmitry Moiseenko,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

19 February 2016

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

The history of the westernmost region of Russia and its administrative
centre, now called Kaliningrad, began in the 13th century, when the King
of Bohemia Premysl Otakar II wanted to make his own contribution to the
Northern Crusades. In 1255 he sent his forces to help the Teutonic
Knights: that's when the fortress was founded at the mouth of the
Pregolya River.

[{Image src='01_Königsberg Cathedral.jpg' caption='Königsberg Cathedral' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='675'}]

The fortress that got the name Königsberg (Latin: Regiomontium, meaning
"King's Mountain") in honour of Premysl Otakar II, initially had been
built out of wood, but in the two following years was replaced by a
stone construction. In due course three different neighbouring towns
were united by this name, though until 1724 each of them had been
administratively independent: every town had its own town hall, a
burgomaster, a court, etc. The interesting fact is that exactly in 1724
the great philosopher and the most famous native-born of the city,
Immanuel Kant, was born here.

[{Image src='02_Kaliningrad (Königsberg), Russia.jpg' caption='Kaliningrad (Königsberg), Russia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='675'}]

11 January 1758 is the date when the Russian forces entered Königsberg,
and till the end of the Seven Years' War (1763) the city had been under
the reign of the Russian Empire. Later Königsberg grew into the capital
of the province of East Prussia. In 1871 the city became a part of the
German Empire: this change resulted in the creation of several
fortifications around the city that included 15 forts.

[{Image src='03_Fish Village.jpg' caption='"Fish Village"' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

The new stage of the city's development was caused by the completion of
the railway connecting Berlin and St. Petersburg in 1860. Later, in
1901, the opening of a ship canal between Königsberg and Pillau also
contributed to the growth of the city. In 1919 Devau Airport was opened:
it was the first civil airport in Germany and one of the first airports
for general aviation in the world. In the 20th century the city overgrew
the fortifying walls: new buildings, railway stations, churches were
built. The new architectural styles called Bauhaus and Jugendstil
(German for "Modern") started dominating in the city. Architects Hanns
Hopp and Friedrich Heitmann were the persons to influence the appearance
of the city more than others. The best example of architecture of that
time is Amalienau District, that once was a suburban quarter, but now is
a part of the Central District of Kaliningrad.

[{Image src='04_Above the Pregolya River.jpg' caption='Above the Pregolya River' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='675'}]

In August 1944, before the end of the World War II, the city of
Königsberg suffered a series of bomb attacks performed by the British
Air Forces. A lot of citizens died here, the area of Old Town was
significantly damaged, many historical monuments, including Königsberg
Castle, were ruined.

Later the Soviet forces entered the city, and this battle inflicted
further damage for the architectural heritage of Königsberg. In 1945,
according to the decision of the Potsdam Conference, the northern part
of the German province East Prussia together with its capital Königsberg
became a part of the Soviet Union. In 1946 the city's name, as well as
the name of the whole region, was changed in honour of Mikhail Ivanovich
Kalinin — the Soviet politician who died in the same year.

[{Image src='05_Fish Village at night.jpg' caption='"Fish Village" at night' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='601'}]

The third smashing attack which damaged the historical heritage of
Kaliningrad occurred in the 60s-70s. In order to get rid of the German
past, the Soviet leaders made a decision to destroy not only the ancient
structures of the city, but the ruins of the castle as well.

Only in the end of the 20th century the attitude towards German
architecture started changing, some of the buildings that had survived
the war and the Soviet period were restored. The Church of the Holy
Family, the church of Queen Louise (known as the Luisenkirche, now is
the Kaliningrad Puppet Theatre) and the Königsberg Stock Exchange (now
the Cultural Centre) are among them. Königsberg Cathedral, which had
been the main catholic cathedral until the 16th century, is now used for
museum exhibitions and concerts. This brick Gothic-style Cathedral is
one of the very few Gothic buildings in Russia. There are two organs in
the cathedral, one of them is considered to be the biggest organ in
Europe.

[{Image src='06_Victory Square (Ploshchad Pobedy).jpg' caption='Victory Square (Ploshchad Pobedy)' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='675'}]

Nine more historical cathedrals have been preserved in Kaliningrad.
Juditten Church dated the 13th century (now is St. Nicholas Cathedral)
is the oldest building in the city. There are also several reminders of
the ancient battles that took place here: the elements of the Second
Defensive Belt dated 1850s, the fort structure dated the 19th century
and the King's gate built during the Seven Years' War. In 2005, during
the preparations for the 750th anniversary of the city, the King's Gate
was restored and became the major symbol of the celebration.

[{Image src='07_Königsberg Cathedral.jpg' caption='Königsberg Cathedral' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='601'}]

There are certain modern monuments in Kaliningrad: a 28-meter high
Triumphal Column and the new Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, both
located near newly-reconstructed Victory Square (former Hansaplatz, the
Square of Hansa). Fortunately, despite all the losses of the 20th
century, this city still has something to show you. Just open the
panoramas and see it yourself!

[{Image src='08_In the zoo.jpg' caption='In the zoo' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='793'}]

This virtual tour was made with the financial support the Russian
Geographical Society.

\\ \\
[25 Panoramas of Kaliningrad|Geography/Asia/Russia/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Kaliningrad]










[{SET customtitle='Kaliningrad (AP)'}]                          

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