“Damn my education, I can’t find the words to say for all the things
caught in my mind” – Noel Gallagher.
Kaliningrad was a magical place – it was to be my final travel venture before deciding to settle in Gdańsk in Poland. No need to cry.
“Shed a tear cos I’m missing you” – Guns’n’Roses.
An end of an era
I crossed the border from Poland to Kaliningrad and I was back on Russian soil for the first time in nine years. I ended up at the Ibis Hotel in Kaliningrad city centre for a night and later headed out into a residential neighbourhood to spend a couple of nights at the Crazy Dog.
Kaliningrad city is huge so you will need a few days to see the main attractions.
Ploschad Pobedy (Victory Square)
Cities like Minsk and Bishkek also have Victory Squares, and here, it is a sombre and relaxing place to hang out.
Upside Down House ( перевернутая комната), Yunost Park
My Polish friend Ola had shown me a photo of the crazy upside in Kaliningrad and so I had to find it — it’s based in Yunost Park.
Crazy Upside Down House ( перевернутая комната), Yunost Park – viewed from the Ferris Wheel
For 150 Rupees (£2) you can go inside and take some wacky photos taken to make it look like you are walking on the ceiling!
Crazy Upside Down House ( перевернутая комната), Yunost Park, Kaliningrad
Ferris Wheel, Yunost Park
It is rare for me to get into a Ferris Wheel on my travels because typically they are have long queues and are never worth the time.
The view itself was worth taking a ride for….
View of Kaliningrad from Ferris Wheel, Yunost Park
View of Kaliningrad from Ferris Wheel, Yunost Park
Wrangel Tower
Historically speaking, the city used to be called Konigsberg and was protected by inner walls and outer walls. Many of the bastions, towers and walls still remain.
Wrangel Tower and city walls
Peace Lane (Пусть мир возобладал на земле), Yunost Park
Пусть мир возобладал на земле – Peace Lane
Grey Palace (Center for Development of Interpersonal Communication, Yunost Park)
Sometimes on my travels, I just admire buildings. You cannot help but notice charming buildings scattered throughout Kaliningrad. The Grey Palace (as I called it) is opposite the crazy house in Yunost Park. I discovered that it is used for the development of Interpersonal Communication.
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
At the bottom of Victory Square, you can visit the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. It’s a Russian Orthodox church with golden domes and green rooves. It is the largest church in the whole of the Kaliningrad region. The smaller building to the right is also a place for prayer and can house 3,000 people and it is 73 metres high.
House of Soviets
How I love buildings like this. The “House of Soviets” is a textbook Soviet Union era Lego Black building! The local people often refer to it as “buried robot” because its appearance resembles the head of a giant robot which is buried in the ground up to the shoulders. The chief architect was Yulian L. Shvartsbreim. It was built on the original territory of the Konigsberg Castle. Similarly to the crazy Ryuygong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea, this building was never properly finished and now sits a bit lonely on your walk through the city!
Kaliningrad Regional Government Building
As Kaliningrad is an autonomous and geographically separated region of Russia, there is a regional government building here, but it’s not so obvious and I didn’t even see it the first time I walked past. This was originally used at the financial administration of the East Prussia region, which ended its existence in 1945.
Frederick Schiller Monument
The monument by Cauer is an important part of Kaliningrad history. According to legend, after the assault on Konigsberg an unknown Russian soldier wrote on it “don’t shoot. He is a proletarian poet”, and as a result the monument remained intact.
Fighting Bisons Sculpture
The sculpture by August Gaul was presented to the city in 1912 and became one of the symbols. Konigsberg citizens once called the two bisons “Prosecutor” and “Advocate” as it sits outside the courts.
Lenin Statue
On Lenin Boulevard sits a statue of the man himself. I visited the city 99 years after the Revolutions of 1917! I do draw some comparisons between Bishkek and Kaliningrad in fact and the fact that both have a Lenin statue is one of them. I still dream of visiting Ulan Ude to see the world’s biggest Lenin head.
Drama Theatre
One of my loves of touring ex Soviet Union states is about the architecture in their theatres. This one is not dissimilar to the theatre in Tiraspol in Transnistria.
Oktyabrskaya Street (Fishing Village)
The English name of this place as a Fishing Village confused me somewhat, as it’s not really a fishing village but a street with a lighthouse by the river and with some nice buildings, coffee shops and a bridge with locks on it.
Oktyabrskaya Street (Fishing Village)
Nizhnee Lake
Kaliningrad reminded me a bit of Stockholm as it is a city with lots of rivers and lakes within it. The one nearest my hostel was a huge lake – Nizhnee Lake. Again it’s good for strolls and very peaceful. Locals tend to go jogging here.
Queen Louise Church
Another church on the list and worth checking out is the Queen Louise Church – this is now used as a puppet theatre and while you are here, you can also enjoy the leafy central park of culture and leisure. Within the park is a House of Artists and some statues of famous people from Kaliningrad.
Park Pobedy (Victory Park)
Victory Park is different from Victory Square, and just a 10 minute walk down towards the river. It is known as Park Pobedy and also features an eternal flame for the unknown soldiers. It is a war memorial for the Second World War.
Konigsberg Cathedral and Imannuel Kant Museum
Head over to Kant island and check out all the sights here. It is mainly the large Konigsberg Catherdal, which also houses the tomb of Immanuel Kant, one of the greatest philosophers.
Commemorative Token to Countrymen Cosmonauts
The Soviet Union was massive on space exploration back in the days of Yuri Gagarin and the Cold War and moon race with the Untied States. Kaliningrad played its part here too – Aleksey Leonov, Viktor Patsaev and Yuriy Romanenko all hail from the city. There’s a cool monument to mark this on Prospekt Mira Street.
First World War Monument in Kaliningrad City
Kaliningrad was the only part of Russia that experienced the First World War (or the ‘Great’ War) and as such a monument is here to remember those who died in the Battle of Kaliningrad.
Kutuzova Street District
Visit the famous old district of Kaliningrad, Kutuzova Street. Although there’s not much to do or see here, it is very lush and green.
Jonny Blair is a self confessed traveling nomad who founded and blogs at Don’t Stop Living. He sees every day as an adventure. Since leaving behind his home town of Bangor in Northern Ireland ten years ago he has traveled to all seven continents, working his way through various jobs and funding it all with hard work and an appetite for travel. Don’t Stop Living, a lifestyle of travel’ contains over 1,000 stories and tips from his journeys round the globe. He wants to show others how easy it is to travel the world, give them some ideas and encourage them to do the same but most of all he aims to constantly live a lifestyle of travel. He is currently based in Hong Kong and on Twitter @jonnyblair.
