Russian Kaliningrad is a city with an interesting history. Until 1946, it was called Koenigsberg and was one of the most important cultural and educational centers in Germany.
Unfortunately, during the battles of the Second World War, many architectural sights of the city were irretrievably lost. However, even the few that have survived are of great interest to lovers of antiquity.
The Friedland Gates are among the most interesting tourist sites in Kaliningrad. A museum dedicated to the pre-war history of the city has been operating in this building for several decades.
Gate of Koenigsberg
The first gate in the city was built in the 13th century. After 4 centuries, work was carried out on the construction of the First rampart. It also includes 8 gates. Since all these structures were wooden, after 200 years they became very dilapidated, and the King of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm the Fourth, decided to build the Second rampart. The architect Ernst Ludwig von Aster, who decided to create a complex of buildings in the English neo-Gothic style, was appointed the head of the work. The first gates he built were the Royal Gates, which were laid in 1843, and 10 years later the city was decorated with six more similar buildings: Sackheim, Rossgarten, Steindamm, Tragheim, Ausfal and Hollanderbaum. The final point of construction, which dragged on for almost 19 years, was the construction of 2 new gates of a two-arch design: Friedland and Brandenburg. The first of them got their name in memory of a more ancient structure. It was located on the road connecting Koenigsberg and the city of Friedland, which is now called Pravdinsky. Carts with provisions from villages located southeast of modern Kaliningrad entered through them.
Friedland Gate: history of construction in the 20th century
The second rampart fortification performed defensive functions for a very short time. By the beginning of the 20th century, it became clear that they were not capable of protecting the city from the new types of weapons that had appeared since their construction. In 1910, the Tragheim, Steindamm and Hollanderbaum gates were excluded from the system of military fortifications and destroyed. Three more such structures lost earthen ramparts, advanced fortifications and casemates. Only the Rossgarten and Friedland gates remained without reconstruction. However, the roads were detourned. At the same time, the structures had a new function: they turned into a luxurious framing of a pedestrian exit.landscaped Zuid-Park.
In the Soviet period of the history of Kaliningrad, the gates were laid, and construction warehouses were placed in them. In the early 1990s, during the cleaning of the fortress moats, a large number of household items from the beginning of the 20th century were found in the park. To present them to the residents of the city and tourists, an exhibition of finds was opened at the address: Dzerzhinsky Street, 30. In addition, during these years, the gate and the landscaped Zuid-Park became part of the excursion program for groups of Germans coming to their historical homeland.
Description of the structure
Like the other gates of Koenigsberg, the Friedland gates were built in the Neo-Gothic style, which repeats the features characteristic of English architecture of the Tudor times. The author of the project is unknown, but the researchers believe that, most likely, he is Friedrich Stüler.
From the side of the old town, the facade of the Friedland Gate is divided into 6 parts by five buttresses. They end with pointed gable decorative turrets and protrude above a decorative parapet with battlements. All driveways, doors and windows are decorated with portals and are made in the form of pointed arches.
The Friedland Gate in the central part has two passages 4.39 m wide and 4.24 m high. There are casemates along the edges of the structure, and a guardhouse on the outside. The surface of the facade of the gate is decorated with mesh. It is a rhombic ornament made of bricks of a different color.
Sculptures on the facade
The Friedland Gate (Kaliningrad) was decorated with a statue of Friedrich von Zollern, who was one of the most famous Grand Commanders of the Teutonicorders. Unfortunately, the original was lost during the fighting during the Second World War. Another sculpture of a knight - Siegfried von Feuchtwangen, Grand Master, who founded the Middle Castle in Marienburg - is located on the outside of the gate. Its author is the sculptor Wilhelm Ludwig Stürmer. In 2005 and 2008, work was carried out to restore these monuments, and today they, as before, take their places and are one of the most frequently photographed objects in Kaliningrad.
Friedland Gate Museum
This cultural institution owes its appearance to two enthusiasts - Alexander Georgievich Novik and Avetisyants Ella Petrovna. They managed to turn a small exhibition into a modern museum, where active cultural and educational work is being carried out.
In 2007 it was recognized as one of the 3 best implemented projects in 2007-2008. In addition, the institution was recognized as the winner of the All-Russian competition of museums in the technical category.
Exposure
The first exposition is called "Fortified City". Visitors are invited to take a brief tour of the history of Koenigsberg by watching a 6-minute film and getting to know the information stands. Then they are invited to a large hall, which houses the second part of the exposition, and a virtual walk through the pre-war city is held. It starts with a real cobblestone road that has been preserved inside the gate, turning into a virtual, createdby projecting onto the embedded openings. Three projectors create an optical illusion, pushing the boundaries of the real world and "removing" the walls. Sound effects add even more authenticity to what is happening: carts creak, children laugh and women's heels click. To these sounds, the tourists are transferred to Konigsberg of the late 19th - early 20th century, nicknamed the garden city and the "German Atlantis".
Virtual walk
The light and sound show lasts exactly one hour. During this time, the participants of the excursion pass through the historical center of Koenigsberg, from which, unfortunately, nothing remains in real life. There they "look" into the windows of cafes, shops and pharmacies, and also witness the bridge over the Old Pergola. At the end of the virtual trip, tourists find themselves in a real park, which was laid out at the beginning of the 20th century on the site of former fortifications, and enjoy the beauty of the nature of the Kaliningrad region.
Exposition "Echoes of War"
At the Friedland Gate Museum, visitors can experience the thrill of being in a room stylized as a World War II bomb shelter. There is an audio-visual exposition "Echoes of War". It is distinguished by a modern approach and the active use of light, sound and optical effects through the use of the latest technical means.
Knight's Hall
As already mentioned, the Friedland Gate (address: Dzerzhinsky, 30) were decorated with the symbols of the Teutonic Order. In addition, statues of him were installed on them.prominent representatives. Therefore, it is no coincidence that today the museum has an exposition dedicated to the knights of the Teutonic Order, which presents reconstructions of weapons and armor made using old technologies.
Civilization and Sewerage
At one time, the Prussian city of Koenigsberg was considered one of the most comfortable cities in Germany and the B altic region. The centralized sewerage system appeared there much earlier than in most cities of the Russian Empire. In the museum, which operates inside the Friedland Gate, visitors are invited to see an exposition dedicated to this important component of modern public utilities. It tells about the oldest sewer system, created in the middle of the third millennium BC. e. in the city of Mohenjo-Daro, located on the territory of Pakistan, about the water supply in Ancient Rome, as well as about the methods of water supply in medieval Europe and Russia. Tourists will also learn interesting information about the World Toilet Organization and the fact that November 19 is declared International Toilet Day.
![knight sculpture [1]](https://i.fashionrebelsbook.com/images/042/image-124804-6-j.webp "knight sculpture [1]")
With faith in the heart
In the Friedland Gate Museum (address see above) an exposition with this name is dedicated to the first settlers who arrived in Kaliningrad, dilapidated by British aircraft and stormed by the Red Army, from different parts of the USSR immediately after the war. Museum visitors will be shown how this city was seen by people who came to explore an unfamiliar land, as well as what family heirlooms they brought with them. In addition, they will see the workartist R. Borisovas and a collection of items used in worship, which consists of crosses, folds and icons.
Museums of Kaliningrad
There are many other interesting objects in the city that will be interesting for tourists to visit. Among them are an art gallery, FORT N 5, a collection of amber and products made from this stone, and others. By the way, many of them are located in former fortifications. For example, the Center for Contemporary Art found its home in the tower of the Kronprinz barracks, built in the 19th century.
Now you know where the Friedland Gate is. Kaliningrad is a city with a rich history and numerous sights. When visiting it, you should definitely visit 30 Dzerzhinsky Street to visit the museum dedicated to the old Koenigsberg.
