“Khrushchev”, renovated in Hanseatic style. Photo by ATOR
The local “star” is, of course, the Cathedral. But no guidebook will ignore it. By the way, it’s better to look at it both during the day and in the dark – if you’re lucky, you can find this “slide meppi” (that’s the fashionable name for a beautiful backlight now). This one is called the “Amber” light design.
Illumination of the Cathedral at night. Photo ATOR
GERMAN HERITAGE is NOT ONLY IN ARCHITECTURE
The legacy of old Koenigsberg is literally everywhere here: German paving stones peek out from under the cracked asphalt in the courtyards, the wall of the same building can be “started” in German the period has already been completed by Soviet builders. From this photo, you can guess where which part is without any clues.
German and Soviet brickwork. Photo by ATOR
There are also other amazing artifacts. For example, absolutely sudden bas-reliefs, and not even on the central streets, but spontaneously, in the alleys. For example, one of these, which decorated the House of Communication.
German bas-relief on the building of the House of Communication. Photo by ATOR
One of the attractions for local fans of exploring German heritage is to find the oldest manhole made by the foundries of Steinfurt, F. Schichau GmbH or Franz Mosentin. Here, for example, one is presented almost a century ago – 1927 year of manufacture.
German manhole 1927. Photo ATOR
Another local miracle is trams. Firstly, they are narrow-gauge: the German gauge with a width of 1 m is still used here instead of the usual “Soviet” gauge of 1.52 m. Secondly, the tram in Konigsberg appeared, according to various estimates, in 1895 (in the 1890s), which makes the local tram network the oldest in Russia.
Brandenburg Gate and narrow tram track. Photo by ATOR
By the way, here is another cool transport solution that has been preserved since German times: the trees were planted extremely close to the roadway to drain and strengthen it (they were planted much earlier than the asphalt was laid). And to make it safer to drive at night, they are marked with reflective elements.
Trees with reflective elements. Photo by ATOR