Federal Districts: North West | Central | Volga | South | North Caucasus | Ural | Siberia | Far East
The capital city of Kaliningrad oblast.
Kaliningrad is a city in Russia, the capital of the Kaliningrad region. It is the most western regional center of the country. Before 1255, it was known as Tuvangaste, from 1255 till 1946, the name of the town was Kenigsberg (Konigsberg).
The population of Kaliningrad is about 453,000 (2015), the area - 225 sq. km.
The phone code - +7 4012, the postal codes - 236000-236040.
In 1255, Teutonic Knights built Konigsberg castle. In 1457, Konigsberg castle became the headquarters of the Teutonic Order. In the period from 1773 to 1945, the town of Konigsberg was the center of East Prussia. In 1919, Devau airport was opened in Konigsberg. It was the first airport in Germany and one of the first airports in Europe and the world.
During the World War II, in 1944, the town suffered heavy damage from Allies air attacks. The historic center of Konigsberg was completely destroyed including the castle, cathedral, churches, and universities.
Konigsberg became the part of the Soviet Union in 1945 (as part of the Russian SFSR). The city was renamed Kaliningrad. It happened after Mikhail Kalinin (the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR) died in 1946. The remaining German residents were expelled from the city and it was repopulated with Russians.
The authorities didn’t pay any attention to the legacy of German culture. The old town was not restored and the castle ruins were demolished in the late 1960s, despite the protests of architects, historians, ethnographers and just city dwellers.
Kaliningrad was rebuilt and went through industrialization and modernization. Kaliningrad region was one of the most western territories of the USSR. As it was a strategically important area during the Cold War, it was closed to foreign visitors.
Since 1991, Kaliningrad is open to international cooperation with foreign countries, especially with Germany and Poland in the field of business, culture and education.
Today, a lot of foreign institutions operate in the city providing information, administrative and visa support.
4 matches of FIFA World Cup 2018 were played in Kaliningrad.
Kaliningrad street view
Kaliningrad city view
Kaliningrad scenery
The city is a major transport hub: railways and highways, sea and river ports, Khrabrovo International Airport. Kaliningrad is the headquarters of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy.
Kaliningrad was repeatedly recognized as the best city in Russia (in 2012, 2013 and 2014). It is one of the most beautiful cities in the country and the best city in Russia for doing business according to the rating of Forbes magazine.
The climate is transitional from maritime to continental. Due to the influence of the Gulf Stream, winters are warmer than in continental regions of Eurasia. The average temperature in January is minus 1.5 degrees Celsius, in July - plus 18.1 degrees C.
Today, Kaliningrad has more than 100 hotels of different categories, more than a dozen of them are four-star hotels and more than 30 - three-star hotels. In the coming years, in preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, it is planned to build 15 new hotels, including one five-star hotel. Due to low prices and high quality of service in hotels, Kaliningrad is one of the most attractive cities for travelers.
Khrabrovo International Airport offers flights to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Murmansk, Berlin, Barcelona, Kiev, Minsk.
The city is a large center of machine-building. Metallurgy is developed as well as light, printing and fishing industries. Industries absolutely new for Kaliningrad region were formed in the oblast, for example, the automobile plant “Avtotor” (1996) which produces cars licensed by BMW (Germany), KIA (Korea), General Motors (USA).
Kaliningrad is the only Russian Baltic Sea port that is ice-free all year around. Oil terminals located in Kaliningrad sea canal provide export of over 2 million tons of oil product a year from Russia to the countries in western Europe and Scandinavia.
The general architectural outlook of the city is one of the attractions of Kaliningrad. Unfortunately, there are almost no pre-war buildings in the center. The German constructions remained close to the outskirts.
At the end of the 20th century, the attitude towards German architecture changed, some German buildings were restored. Later, the Cathedral church was restored, as well as the historical Konigsberg House of Engineering.
In 2008, the program on restoration of the historical center of Kaliningrad was adopted. It was suggested to reconstruct the pre-war buildings in the central part of the city and to construct the new Konigsberg castle on the old foundation.
King’s Gate in Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad city architecture
Kaliningrad square
By the end of the 20th century, the Cathedral church was fully restored. Today, it is a cultural and religious center. One can listen to concerts of spiritual and organ music there. The church has 2 organs. One of them, the largest in Europe, was restored using old drafts.
Orthodox and Lutheran chapels are located in the church towers, as well as exhibits devoted to Kneiphof island history, the philosopher Immanuel Kant and the Cathedral church itself. The church is one of the main places of interest in Kaliningrad now (Kant Street, 1).
Besides the Cathedral church, nine pre-war churches are retained in Kaliningrad. Juditten Kirch (St. Nicholas church), constructed in the 12th century, is the oldest preserved building in Kaliningrad. All the rest survived churches of the German time are much younger and are referred to the end of the 19th - early 20th centuries.
Peter the Great monument
Tank T-34 monument
Church of St. Andrew
Christ the Savior Cathedral in Kaliningrad
ask a question about Kaliningrad city to our Expert
contact us by email, if you have any proposals
Rate this page:
The comments of our visitors