Island Kant Cathedral. Kant's grave in Kaliningrad. The inscription on the grave of Kant. Immanuel Kant. Large and small organs

Kneiphof Island, Grosser Domplatz 58
there is no official name now; applied by Kneiphof
In the western part (tower) today: an Orthodox chapel, an Evangelical chapel, the Cathedral Museum and the Kant Museum.
After restoration, the nave is to be used in a multicultural way.

Construction history:

The predecessor building was erected after the foundation of the Samland Cathedral Chapter in 1286 on the outskirts of the Altstadt between Pregel and Löbenicht (sometime between 1297 and 1302). Bishop Johannes Clare (1322-44), for whom this church seemed too small, began around 1327 on the eastern half of Kneiphof transferred to him, the construction of a walled episcopal courtyard, to which later a covered gallery and a shelter building were added in the southern part. Further towards Pregel, the episcopal chamber and, to the east of it, a school (later becoming a university), as well as a hospital, grew up. It is impossible to establish the exact date of the beginning of the construction of the Cathedral; in 1320, there is mention of the intention to build, probably the Bishop of Claret started the work sometime in 1332, at the latest in 1333. His original intention to make the Cathedral in the form of a fortified church is evidenced by the eastern wall of the choir built first of all, having a thickness of 3 m. A wide passage for the defenders was also to be built on top of this massive wall, and corner towers should be attached to it. And the construction of the northern wall was initially carried out up to a height of 2.75 meters with the same thickness. But further construction in such a massive manner failed due to the protest of the owner of the territory, Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Duke Ludger von Braunschweig. Therefore, the upper part of the northern wall, as well as the south wall, which had not yet been erected at that time, had a thickness of only 1.28 m.

Between 1335 and 1340 the church choir was closed with a "half-timbered" wall as a temporary measure. After that, the temple of God began to be used as such. At this time, the famous frieze arose high above in the choirs, starting at the northern wall, passing further along the eastern and ending on the northern (it also disappeared completely, you can read about it in Seidel's book).

Presumably, only at that moment the western towers were erected (it is this explanation that lends itself to a slight displacement / breakage of the main axis visible in the plan). Both towers were built in 1344. Images of their appearance have not been preserved. They most likely arose on the model of Kulm or Kulmsee. At the same time, work on the longitudinal nave, laid out in the form of a basilica, progressed so much that it was possible to begin the construction of a wooden ceiling and roof (the roof was completed in 1351). But before the Cathedral was rebuilt, under the Grand Master Winrich von Kniprod (1351-82) perestroika had already begun: it was decided to build a hall church with three naves. Rebuilding with the construction of vaults lasted until 1382. At the same time, the windows in the middle nave disappeared, and the windows of the side aisles increased in height.

In 1544, both towers burned to the ground. Their re-erection took place during the Renaissance; a superstructure with 12 corners was added to the south tower, in which bells were hung. The north tower remained in a subordinate position with simple gables on the western and eastern sides. The designs for both were carried out by the former court joiner Hans Wagener. These works were completed in 1552.

In 1564 (or 1568) a charming little tower was erected on the roof of the longitudinal nave - a horse rider.

In 1650, the library, founded already in 1629 by chancellor Martin von Wallenrodt, was moved to a still unused room in the south tower under the bells.

In 1901-07, the Cathedral was restored under the leadership of the provincial conservator Richard Detlefsen. The purpose of this restoration was to restore the previous state before 1400. Following the dictates of the times, they used all their imagination; for example, on southeast corner choir, a small fortified tower was re-created on the basis of the remains of the foundation in the wall. Inside, old frescoes were released from under the plaster. In addition, an attempt was made to counteract the poor building foundation and the lack of foundation (then a subsidence of 1.67 m deep was found under the south tower).

The bombings of August 1944 caused heavy damage. The church was completely burned out. The pediment of the north tower and parts of the vault collapsed. The remaining vaults could have been saved if conservation work and the erection of a temporary roof had been carried out in a timely manner. But for 20 years nothing happened, during which time the Cathedral was exposed to atmospheric influences, and given over to marauders; disappeared, first of all, including the remains of the monument untouched by the fire; and in general, the ruin was in a disconsolate state.

In 1972, the first maintenance work began on the structure. However, in 1975, the last span in the longitudinal nave collapsed. And only since 1976, certain conservation work began, for example, overlapping and additional laying of walls. Recovery, as such, began only in 1990.

Construction description

Western towers.

The western front is divided into three parts into the southern and northern towers and the middle structure. Both lower floors form a through basement. So on the entrance floor, three simple rooms with cross vaults appeared, connected to each other and a longitudinal nave. The middle room serves as a vestibule. It has a round, very original turret with a staircase leading to the upper floors. The middle room on the second floor was covered with a now reconstructed ribbed star-shaped vault. One floor above was the Wallenrodt Library in the south tower (directly under the belfry) and in the middle room. One of the rooms was painted, while in the other baroque figures and wood carvings were made. The room in the north tower was not previously used. All three rooms now house the Kant Museum.

The aforementioned three-part division into two towers and the middle structure has almost no effect on the facade. Rather, the façade is divided up to the bases of the towers by two narrow but noticeable decorative strips into horizontal fragments, which partially deprive the Gothic windows of the possibility of giving the impression of aspiration upwards. Below, in the basement passing under two floors, a closed brick wall prevails, which is somewhat enlivened by 11 axes of Gothic forms similar to the walls of the longitudinal nave, of which only three are real windows, and the rest are made in the form of blind arcades (of which later two were half covered with buttresses) . The second (or middle) fragment lying above is more interesting. Between two plaster belts, 18 very high and slender decorative arches are built closely to each other, overlapped lancet arches. In these high decorative arches on the second, distant level, other small decorative openings are arranged, divided into three floors. The forms vary in an exquisite way: on the sides of the towers, for example, internal decorative arches protrude over two "floors", while elongated forms, to increase the scope, stand above the short ones. And only upon closer examination it turns out that some of the decorative arches are made in the form of window openings. This shows that decorative arches were primarily a form of decoration and not meant to imitate windows.

And only above the second decorative belt is the tower zone with its middle pediment divided into five parts, two pilasters of which begin already between the decorative arches and are located in opposition to the horizontal decorative belts. Both towers could not be erected on great height due to poor building foundation. They remained tower stumps with stepped gables with gable roofs between them. These gables were demolished after a fire in 1544. On the square base of the south tower, a two-story superstructure with 12 corners was erected, on which a spire covered with flat tiles was built only in 1552. Interestingly, Gothic windows were replaced by Renaissance forms, supplemented by semicircular arches with small keystones. Yes, and the northern tower, restored with a simple pediment, shows typical forms of the Renaissance.

Longitudinal nave. By the nature of its plan, the Cathedral follows the scheme of order churches with a three-nave parish church and a single-nave choir with a direct ending, but without a crypt (underground chapel). According to the original concept, the parish church was made in the form of a basilica with high windows in the middle nave. Above it was built a simple wooden ceiling. Buttresses were not initially provided for, they were added only after the appearance of vaults.

The church, with three naves and five bays, gave the impression of space, although it did not have that upward aspiration that took place in the South and West German late Gothic. But with a height of 17 m, the width-to-height ratio of almost 1:1.5 deserves attention. The lower side aisles allow one only to guess the history of their origin from the former forms of the basilica. When the outer walls were raised, the windows were extended, and the existing decorative row was continued in the south in a vertical direction, and doubled in the north. As in the lower part of the western front, only one window was made in each span. For a more satisfactory design of the spaces between the two buttresses, decorative arches were added to the side of the windows (which had been painted over before, and during the restoration in 1907 were supplemented with decorated openwork ornamental forms). During the rebuilding for the parish church, new, richly profiled columns were erected, which were slightly elongated at the base. And only their sandstone plinths remained from the time of the original basilica. The columns passed without heels into arches, carrying a star-shaped dome of 12 parts. The domes of the side aisles had a peculiar shape: The middle rib in the form of a pear-shaped rib (*) crossed the entire space, on both sides segmental vaults adjoined it along the vaults. After 1500, the eastern span of the northern nave collapsed. During the re-erection, the star vault was again preferred. The inner surfaces of the fired brick wall and column were plastered and partly decorated. Already in 1833, wall paintings were discovered in the choir stalls and in 1863 in the parish church, others were found during restoration in 1907.

On the western end of the middle nave, an organ platform was built in 1717, which was expanded in 1833 to a singing empora. Being a little over 3 m high, at first it blocked the incoming full view of the church nave. The organ itself was made in 1721 by Joshua Mozengel.

To the east, the middle nave ended with a triumphal arch, the height of which roughly corresponds to the height of the lowest choir. Initially, a 4 m high lettner stood here, which had two passages. Later, the opening was enlarged, and in this place a renaissance altar was built, which was enlarged with the addition of baroque elements.

Choir section. Section along the longitudinal nave.

On the reverse side of the tomb to Duke Albrecht. As of 1350 (approximately)

Condition 1340-1944 (tombs from 1571)

The single-nave choir, five bays long, shows, especially today, when its powerful brick structure is not covered by anything, its character of a defensive structure. Its “defensive” function was used by the French during the occupation in 1807, when they abused it for a short time, adapting it to a military prison. After the transformation into a normal church, which the Grand Master demanded shortly after the start of construction, the southern wall probably became 2.60 m higher than the northern one. Because of this, the truss truss, which is located misaligned above the choirs, turned out to be uneven. From the very beginning, the construction of vaulted ceilings over the choirs was envisaged, as evidenced by the buttresses made together with the outer walls. The heel stones of the stellated vaults in the form of thin columns adjoined the wall for a length of 2.80 meters.

Inside, the choirs were separated by a lattice: two eastern spans formed a high choir; since the burial of Duke Albrecht, a princely crypt has appeared here. The three remaining bays were accessible to all and formed the lower choir, there were also seats for the choirs.

Externally, the south side of the choir was made with less decoration, most likely, there used to be a covered gallery here. But the north side, overlooking the Altstadt, was made using large funds with profiled windows and buttresses. The upper completion of the side walls in its division corresponded to the originally planned covered gallery. In the north, these were semi-circular, in the south, decorative lancet rows. Together with a new roof structure, they were restored in 1997 and 1998.

a common part

Lengthwise cut.

Status for 1907 - 1944

Königsberg Cathedral is hardly a building structure that could impress with its particularly successful proportions or uniform decoration. The significance of the Cathedral is more evident as a powerful order church, which - in accordance with the requirements of the time - was constantly rebuilt and shaped in a new way from the Gothic to the Baroque, until at the beginning of the 20th century it underwent a thorough restoration in the manner appropriate to that time.

Striking in the eye long length 98 m, which was best viewed in 1994, when the towers again reached their former height, and the longitudinal nave and choirs joined them in the form of a “low” ruin, which stretched and stretched in length. Due to the newly restored very high roof, this impression of “infinity” is blunted, and the power of the building can now be perceived in its entirety. In particular, the southern tower with its spire, which until 1997, due to its height, was presented in a certain sense even in a more favorable light, gives the impression of being crushed, subordinating to the long church nave.

In the fantasy-filled times of rebuilding and new design at the end of the 19th century, there were projects for the erection of both towers in the “Gothic” sense, that is, higher (which has already happened in other places, but fortunately not in Königsberg). It is impossible to imagine that tall towers were able to create balance with a very elongated nave. So the tower side with the spire and the trench is just a showcase in the best sense of the word: starting with the Gothic aspiration to the sky with high rows of windows and narrow decorative arches above them presented at the top in the Renaissance, this aspiration is calmed down by the wide pediment of the north tower and compact semi-circular windows. south tower. Well, then, as a dot above the “i”, everything is dodecagonal superstructure of the southern tower with its sharp pyramidal roof - elements that are once again tied to the Gothic aspiration to the sky.

Outbuildings

Like all medieval churches, the cathedral in Königsberg acquired several extensions:

The baptismal chapel was added in 1595. The two buttresses of the northern wall of the longitudinal nave were connected to each other, and the entire room was covered with a wooden vault. As a dividing wall from the side nave, a form typical of the Renaissance was taken: on the parapet, eleven slender Ionic columns with an ancient system of beams were placed in two rows. The opening in the middle was crowned with a semicircular arch.

The sacristy was built in the corner between the south wall of the side nave and the choirs. It consisted of the sacristy itself with a vault and an auxiliary room, access to which was possible only from the outside. On the walls of the base of both rooms, an auxiliary room for technical devices has now appeared, made of bricks of a different type.

Professor's tomb. Since 1558, all professors of the university opposite had the right to be buried in an open gallery along the northern wall of the choir. Immanuel Kant was in 1804 the last one who solemnly found his eternal rest here. In 1809 an open promenade gallery was erected, but due to poor condition it was demolished in 1880. A small hall with two pediments was erected over the burial place of Kant. gothic style, which, however, soon also fell into disrepair. And only on the great anniversary of Kant in 1924, a new worthy building was erected on the same place.

Today's state

Exterior view of the cathedral through restoration work for the most part restored (if you do not take into account the condition of the brick wall, unsatisfactory work to improve it and not always the right choice of shape and material for covering the buttresses, the roof, the spire of the tower and the sacristy). The final restoration of the outer part of the wall began in 1999, while the places that were not well executed during the early restorations should also be updated.

In the inner part of the choirs and the parish church (both covered with a roof of a light metal structure, the side walls are fixed with a steel structure) one could see the horrifying state in which the Cathedral was back in 1976 when the conservation work began or in 1990, when the restoration itself began.

All the very rich interior decoration burned down in 1944, the vaults collapsed one after another, the baked brick walls appear to be bare without plaster, the side walls, although they still exist, stand crookedly and, at a height of 17.7 m, deviated from the vertical up to 42 cm Even the initially preserved floor was destroyed during the first conservation work. The epitaphs on the walls, which came out of the war relatively intact, were destroyed beyond recognition only in subsequent years.

But the curvature of the interior walls is not the result of a lack of maintenance work, it is a problem that has been troublesome since the beginning of the cathedral's construction work in the 14th century. The building soil of the island on Pregel consists of an earth embankment, a 3-4 meter layer of peat, and under them there is sludge and quicksand. These layers are by no means load-bearing. The outer walls stand on arched devices, and only the columns most likely stand on stilts.

Interior

Monument to Duke Albrecht as of 1945

It's me.))) This is how our generation remembered him............

The mentioned rich interior, which was constantly enriched from the 14th to the 19th century, was in 1944 and in the first post-war years it was almost completely destroyed. Only parts of individual epitaphs and crypts in the wall remained.

Almost the entire eastern wall is still occupied by a monument to Duke Albrecht (it remained almost undamaged after the bombing, but then all the figures, coats of arms, columns and other decorations were taken away, today only a bare architectural frame remains - 11 m high, 12.5 m width). This monument is considered one of the main works of the sculptor Cornelis Floris of Antwerp (1513 - 1575) and was made in Antwerp. Duke Albrecht died in 1568, the year 1570 is on the monument, and it was erected in 1571. The Italian graves of the heyday of the Renaissance served as a model, which in turn are rooted in ancient Rome.

The middle part is formed by a large semi-circular niche, surrounded on the sides by four small niches, in front of which there are Corinthian columns with a ceiling structure. A luxurious sarcophagus stood in a large niche, on its slab the duke knelt, praying in front of the altar. Allegorical figures stood in the side niches. Under the pediment that completed everything was a very realistic image of the Last Judgment. The figures were made of white alabaster, the architectural parts were made of Belgian limestone.

Of the more than 100 epitaphs formerly located on the outer and inner walls, only a few have survived. Inside, in addition to the monument to Albrecht, only the remains of two epitaphs can be seen on the choirs on the south wall. Plate for the epitaph to Prince Bogislav Radziwill (died in 1669) and his wife Anna Maria, nee. Princess Radziwill (two large wreaths with inscriptions and two full-size busts are missing); then the architectural framework of the epitaph to Duchess Anna Maria, second wife of Duke Albrecht (died 1568); and there is a lack of inscriptions and figurative decorations.

The round stair tower shown below in the entrance hall has already been mentioned. Square columns make it possible to see a spiral staircase. In the lower part and under the roof, semicircular vaults are so intertwined with each other that they form small lancet vaults. Boetticher wrote: “The turret is so original that it is impossible to put anything similar next to it.” Arches intertwined in the form of lancet vaults are one of the inventions of Norman architecture in Sicily in the 11th and 13th centuries.

epitaphs

better preserved on the outer walls, since they mostly do not contain any luxurious architectural details and no figured decorations, but are simply set into the wall in the form of slabs. They were restored and mothballed in 1995/96.

Let's start with south side cathedral:

Outside, on the last, eastern span of the longitudinal nave, in the lower part of the decorative window, there is a simple tablet in honor of Sarah Bregelia; it consists only of an inscription framed in a frame.

Further, already on the outer wall of the choirs in the second bay (to the east of the extension of the former sacristy) there is a well-preserved (albeit broken in three places) epitaph of Suzanne von Kalkstein. Above the inscription are two coats of arms; the slab is framed by a saying in the form of a frame on all four.

At the fifth and last aisle of the choirs is the epitaph of Chancellor Johann von Kreutzen and his wife Jeofemia, née Damerau; above the inscription, the couple itself is visible, he is wearing knightly armor, and she is wearing a long dress and a necklace around her neck; above a row of coats of arms.

Now let's move on to the eastern wall of the choirs: there hangs, near the Kantian portico, a well-preserved epitaph of Ursula von Pudlitz, nee von Grünberg, wife of the noble Mr. Wedigo Raymar zu Pudlitz, year of death - 1612. Both coats of arms are set above the inscription in the recess.

Other epitaphs are on the side facing the city north side Cathedral. In the penultimate bay (next to Kant's tomb) on the outer wall is a heavily blurred epitaph of Albrecht Baron von Kittelitz, regent and landhofmeister (you can hardly recognize the figures with folded hands).

The next epitaph is located on the wall of the choir and is better preserved; it is dedicated to Koelestin Kowalewski (the medallion located above the inscription is now missing).

Well, in the end, in the second span, we see the well-preserved epitaph of Andreas Fabricius. It is decorated richer with a coat of arms in the middle, framed by a vault of the Renaissance. There is also a saying on it, which encloses the entire slab like a frame on four sides.

On the northern wall of the longitudinal nave on the fifth eastern span, there are two epitaphs at once: the first is not identified and consists only of a frame. The second row, richly decorated, is dedicated to Matthias Stoius. This one is reminiscent of its division into two parts and a small pediment on top of the epitaph in the church premises.

The last epitaph is located to the left of the window of the 4th bay (the bay east of the baptismal chapel) and is dedicated to Christopher Preuss and his wife Jeofemia Stolpiana. It is framed by an eye-catching frame.

Inside the choirs on the floor there was a tombstone of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Luther von Braunschweig (at first it was temporarily surrounded by boards). This plate with inscriptions is broken in several places. In 1998, she was photographed for restoration.

Kant Island and located on it Cathedral, Kant's grave, Kant's museum - the most visited sights of Königsberg (Kaliningrad).

Kant Island

Kneiphof Island, or Kant Island is insular part city, which is located in the center of Kaliningrad and is surrounded by the waters of the Pregol River. On the territory of the island in a spacious park rises the Cathedral.

Once upon a time insular territory there was a whole city. Its existence was first mentioned in XIV century. By 1944, the city had 305 houses, 27 streets, a cathedral and a town hall. The island was connected to mainland five bridges. Trams ran through the streets. But in the summer of 1944, during the bombing, the town was completely destroyed.

In the 70s, a park was set up on the island. They cultivate the territory and place the Sculpture Park (they were taken from the museum's storeroom), mark the paths and paths of the park.

In the early 1990s, the Cathedral was restored. Three religious denominations were housed in the chapels, it is currently inactive.

The island park is favorite place walks, recreation and cultural pastime of citizens and tourists.

There is something to see here. In addition to the Cathedral, you can visit the Kant Museum, his grave, sculpture park. In the cathedral you can relax from the bustle of the city and listen to the organ.

Cathedral

The Königsberg Cathedral, or currently the Cathedral of Kaliningrad, is located in the historical center of the city, on its island part.

Here the first cathedral was built at the end of the 13th century and was the only temple of the city on the island of Kneiphof. In the middle of the 14th century, it was demolished and the construction of a more spacious temple began, using the bricks of the destroyed cathedral. The date of completion of construction is considered to be 1380, but the design work continued for some time.

The cathedral was originally Catholic, but in 1519 the last Catholic mass was held here, and a few years later the first evangelical service took place - in German. The cathedral turned into a city Lutheran church.

Some time later, a building of the Albertina University building was built nearby.

After that, the cathedral began to serve as a university church, its southern tower was used as the Wallenrod Library.

In 1558, a professorial tomb was built at the cathedral, in which they began to bury university teachers.

Immanuel Kant was the last to find eternal rest here. After 200 years from the date of his birth, a portico dedicated to the philosopher was installed on the eastern side of the cathedral.

At the end of the 17th century, an organ appeared in the cathedral, and in 1888 another one was brought and installed.

During the Anglo-American bombing of 1945, the cathedral was badly damaged, there was a strong fire on the island. People extinguished it on their own, but they failed to save the historical decoration of the cathedral and most of the residential buildings.

After the end of the war the cathedral long time remained in ruins. It was not demolished only thanks to Kant's grave, which is located near its walls.

The first attempt to restore the cathedral was made in the 70s, but it did more harm than good. The pediment of the northern tower was accidentally destroyed and the floor epitaphs were badly damaged.

Seriously approached the issue of restoration of the cathedral only in the early 90s. But these works also cause a lot of criticism from historians. The restorers restored the cathedral, but not in exact accordance with its pre-war predecessor.

Currently, the Cathedral is one of the decorations of the city and its symbol.

He is inactive. Regular services are not held here, the building is used for organ music concerts, to house the expositions of the cathedral and the Kant Museum.

But at the cathedral there are Orthodox and Evangelical chapels.

The first service was held here on Easter 1992, in 1995 a common service was held for Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants.

At the northeast side of the cathedral there is a memorial open gallery with columns. It was built on the burial place of the German philosopher Immanuel Kant.

Kant's ashes were buried in the professorial tomb in 1804. In 1880, a chapel was built over the grave, but in 1918 it was destroyed, and a gallery was erected in its place in the form of a columned hall with a cenotaph (sarcophagus) on a pedestal.

After the bombings in 1944, Kant's grave in Kaliningrad survived completely, and the cathedral was badly damaged, leaving only ruins. During the years of Soviet power, the grave of the philosopher saved the cathedral from total destruction.

In 1960, Kant's memorial grave became an object under the special protection of the state, currently it is an object of cultural heritage.

The inscription on Kant's grave is very modest. His name and years of life are engraved.

Kant's grave is located in the park area of ​​the island and is one of the most famous sights of Kaliningrad.

Biography of the German Philosopher

The life and work of the great philosopher are closely connected with Königsberg, the university, the island of Kneiphof, where he found his eternal rest.

Immanuel Kant was born in Königsberg in 1724 into a poor family of a craftsman. After graduating from high school, he entered the university. Due to the death of his father, he was unable to complete his studies, he was forced to become a home teacher for 10 years.

In 1755 he defended his dissertation, which gave him the right to teach at the university.

From 1755 to 1770 he taught mathematics, physics and philosophy at the university.

He died in 1804 and was buried in the professorial tomb of the Königsberg University.

Kant Museum

The Philosopher's Museum is located on the fourth floor of the Cathedral, several exhibition halls present expositions: "Kant and his entourage", "Kant and Russia", "Memorial Hall".

The history of the life path of the German philosopher is presented in the memorial hall. Here you can learn about his hobbies, scientific activities, works, people who surrounded him and whom he loved. The museum tells in detail about the local Freemasons and the customs of the Masonic lodges of the 18th-19th centuries. The windows of the museum are decorated with stained-glass windows with Freemason symbols.

Exhibited in the museum museum expositions, which tell about the history of Kneiphof Island (Kant Island), about the Wallenrodt Library and Königsberg University, with which Kant's scientific activity is closely connected.

How to get to Kant Island (Kaliningrad)

You can get to the island along Leninsky Prospekt or Oktyabrskaya Street. Two bridges lead to the island.

By car, you should move to the address Oktyabrskaya street, house 2.

To the stop "Fish Village":

• fixed-route taxi No. t92, t72, t80;
• bus number 45.

To stop SK "Yunost":

• fixed-route taxi No. t75, t93t72, t80, t77, t87, t65;
• trolley bus No. 2, 7;
• bus number 49 and 45.

To the stop "House of Culture of Sailors":

• bus No. 23.7, 44, 37, 108, 11, 27, 106, 12, 14, 8, 17, 9, 19, 1, 21, 18, 30, 10, 36, 49, 159, 3;
• trolleybus No. 5 and 1;
• fixed-route taxi: t64, t93, t85, t66, t89, t67, t69, t87, t71, t90, t77, t62, t83, t86t70, t84, t88, t63;
• tram number 5 and 3.

Where is Kant's grave located: how to get there?

The main landmark in the search for the grave of the German philosopher is the Cathedral. The grave is located at the northeast corner of the cathedral.

You can get to Kant's grave by car, taxi, public transport to the Honey Bridge, cross the river to the Cathedral.

In addition to Kant Island, where the memory of him is immortalized and where his memorial grave is located, in his honor in the city of Kaliningrad there are installed:

• a monument next to the university;
• personalized Kant's bench near the Museum of the World Ocean;
• an office in the building of Kaliningrad University (formerly Albertina University).

Thoroughly steeped in history. Every stone here is a landmark. The center of everything that this region is famous for is the capital, the city of Kaliningrad. Photos, attractions, lists of routes, descriptions interesting excursions are widely available.

One of the tourist meccas

The birthplace of Immanuel Kant is a popular tourist attraction. richest history of the city, founded in 1255 by King Přemysl II of the Czech Republic and Master of the Teutonic Order von Wertgaint, is captured in numerous buildings of various times. Each of the objects is a historical or architectural monument of some era. The city organically combines all styles and is one of the most beautiful "open-air museums" in Europe and the whole world. Therefore, the map of Kaliningrad with attractions is very popular. The main treasures of the city include the Museum of Amber and the Church of the Holy Family, the Brandenburg Gate and the New Liberal Synagogue, the Holy Cross Cathedral and the Lower Pond, the grave of the founder of German classical philosophy Immanuel Kant and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Visiting card of the city

But perhaps the main attraction is the Cathedral in Kaliningrad, a city that until July 4, 1946 was called Koenigsberg. Its name is medieval locality, which arose on the site of the current hotel "Kaliningrad", received from the knight's castle of the same name. A settlement of German colonists Altstadt was formed near its walls ( Old city), where from 1297 to 1302 the first cathedral of Königsberg was built by the efforts of Bishop Siegfried, which was quite small in size. And therefore, already in 1327, at the request of the new Bishop Johann, the master of the Teutonic Order allocated a plot of land on the island of Kneipkof (a peculiar feature of the city is its partial location on the islands) for the construction of the main church.

The uniqueness of the cathedral

The sluggishness of the island soil and the times when every house was a fortress explains unique architecture temple, which was originally planned as a prayer house exclusively for the knights. And only an extension to the one-nave part, which has the name "High Choirs", a three-nave building ("Lower Choirs"), the church became accessible to ordinary residents of the city. It should be noted that during its existence, the Cathedral in Kaliningrad was assigned other functions in addition to the main one. So, for a long time it was a church at the University of Albertina.

The multifunctionality of the main temple

In addition, the cathedral is the tomb of significant historical figures, such as the first Prussian ruler and the last master of the legendary Teutonic Order - Duke Albrecht. A fragment of the tombstone of his grave has survived to this day.
Here, Lutter von Braunschweit, the founder of the cathedral, found peace. Professors from the Albertina University, the oldest in Prussia, were also buried here. The last of them was the Professor's Tomb, which links the cathedral with the university, which is also famous for its Wallenrod Library, which is a unique collection of old manuscripts and scrolls.

born again

Needless to say, being in the very center of Europe, the Cathedral in Kaliningrad was repeatedly captured by opposing forces, destroyed, burned and rebuilt. After the Allied bombing (British aviation) in 1944, which destroyed all supporting structures and ceilings, the temple, like the entire Kneipkoff, was destroyed. Few walls of the cathedral, some underground rooms have been preserved. The old organ, restored in 1905, was also destroyed. The temple itself was completely restored only in 1992. He also got a new organ. Nowadays, the musical complex of the cathedral, consisting of two organs (large and small), has no analogues. It is the largest in Europe. The advantage and uniqueness of the complex is the ability to play two instruments at the same time. The large organ is the largest in Russia, it has 90 registers. It is crowned by a Phoenix - a bird, which is a symbol of rebirth, in this case both the organ and the cathedral.

Rich history

Major destruction, as well as extensive restoration work, as a result of which the cathedral was transformed or enriched, the symbol of the city endured much earlier. The history of the cathedral is very eventful. For its initial construction, a bridge was built in a new place, called the Cathedral. It was used to deliver building materials to the island from dismantled old church, because the new temple was partially built from them. The Cathedral in Kaliningrad is now inactive, it is a cultural and religious center. But at one time it was the main Catholic church of the city, and after the Reformation of the 16th century, the main Lutheran cathedral not only of the city, but of the whole of Prussia.

The fate of the organ is also unique

Over the course of a long life, the cathedral was renovated. After the first major restoration in 1833, a new organ appeared here. (Kaliningrad) has had several of these instruments in its history. The first of them was installed in 1695, the second - in 1833, the current complex - in 2008. A lot has been written about this religious and cultural center, it is rightly considered a symbol of the city, its hallmark. But there is another cathedral in Kaliningrad - the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. This is an Orthodox church. Despite its more than young age (it was consecrated by Alexy II on September 10, 2006), the cathedral, built in the city center on Victory Square, has its own history and, of course, is a landmark of the city. Its lower part, in which the "Memel" iconostasis donated in 1996 is installed, is a temple military glory.

Temple-monument

The German Holy Prince Vladimir Brotherhood handed over the iconostasis created during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) in Memel (Klaipeda) in honor of the fallen Russian soldiers. Now, at the suggestion of the chairman of the brotherhood, Mr. G. A. Rahr, the lower part with the iconostasis is a temple-monument to all Russian soldiers who died on the territory of Prussia both in the Seven Years War and in the Napoleonic, First and Second World Wars. chief Orthodox church area is rightly proud of Kaliningrad. Christ the Savior, made in the style of Vladimir-Suzdal architecture, 73 meters high, organically fit into the architecture of the ancient European city. Literally, one can talk endlessly about every object of the capital of the Amber Region. But it is better to see the beauty that Kaliningrad is so rich in. Photos, the sights of which are depicted in the most favorable angles, are the best recommendations for visiting the city.

The westernmost territory of Russia

It should be noted that the originality of the Kaliningrad region, located in Central Europe, lies in the fact that it is a semi-exclave Russian Federation having access to the sea, but not having a common land border from RF.

Naturally, such a unique location adds to its other advantages an aura of attraction for many fans. Western world". AND travel agencies this is taken into account. For residents of Russia, the city of Kaliningrad-Koenigsberg is full of attractiveness. He and the capital of the amber region, where the beaches are periodically covered, as it was quite recently, with these precious seafood, he is the center of historical and architectural monuments Europe. And all this is located on the territory of Russia. For the older generation of residents of the CIS countries, Koenigsberg is one of the symbols of victory over Nazi Germany. The great artist Vladimir Etush, among numerous military awards, also has a medal "For the Capture of Koenigsberg". Among other advantages, this city is one of the symbols of Russia's military glory.

In short, there are many reasons to visit this extraordinary city. A map of Kaliningrad with sights will allow you to give in advance a certain idea of ​​how best to organize your acquaintance with this unique city of Russia, outline for yourself the most desirable objects, find out their location, the presence of hotels, food outlets near them and the most convenient entrances to them, both public and and personal transport.

Located in the westernmost part of Russia picturesque city Kaliningrad, known for its mild climate, amber jewelry, interesting history and attractions. Until the middle of the 13th century, it was called Tvangaste and was a Prussian fortification. After the conquest of these territories by the crusaders, in 1255 the Czech monarch Přemysl II Otakar ordered the foundation of a fortress in its place, called Koenigsberg, that is, royal. Soon a city was formed around it, and at the beginning of the 14th century, a magnificent building was built near it - the Königsberg Cathedral. Today this building is one of the main decorations and the most frequently visited tourist sites of the city.

Construction

The temple was founded in 1333 by Bishop Siegfried. However, he soon died and construction continued under the direction of Johannes Clare. Initially, it was planned to build a church-fortress. However, by decree of Grand Master Luther of Brunswick, it was ordered to build just a large temple.

Work began on the altar and was completed by 1335. Then the construction of two towers and a longitudinal part, which was intended for parishioners, began. In total, the Königsberg Cathedral (Kaliningrad) was built over fifty years, until about 1380. The building was 101 meters long, 36 meters wide and 58 meters high, taking into account the size of the towers. However, during a fire in the middle of the 16th century, both of them burned down, and only one, the South, was restored, decorated with a high spire, and a pediment was built on the North side.

Konigsberg Cathedral (Kaliningrad): history

Buried in 1344 in the altar of the building, Bishop Johannes Clare did not live to see the consecration of the church, which took place in 1351.

The temple existed as a Catholic church for only about 170 years, until the time when the ideas of the Reformation penetrated the territory of Prussia. As a result of the victory of Protestantism, already in 1523, Johann Brismann read the first evangelical sermon in German in the church, and the Lutheran confession was recognized as the official religion. After 5 years, the church building was given into the possession of the city of Kneiphof, and around the building itself a settlement of clergy was formed with cathedral square, school, housing for the abbots of the temple, the bishop's house and outbuildings.

University period

In the 1530s, a building was built next to the temple, which housed the Albertina University. Since that time, the Königsberg Cathedral began to serve as the church of this famous educational institution, and since 1650, the Wallenrod Library, which is a magnificent collection of scientific and religious manuscripts, began to be located in its south tower. In addition, in the same period, a professorial tomb appeared in the church, in which he was buried.

The history of the temple during the Second World War

Until the bombings of 1944, the Königsberg Cathedral stood undamaged. Unfortunately, during the hostilities, he was very badly damaged, and later was devastated. The rich decoration of the temple was almost completely burned. Only a few stone gravestones have survived, including a monument to Duke Albrecht of Hohenzollern by the Flemish architect and sculptor Cornelis Floris.

After the war, the building stood without a roof for a long time and slowly fell into disrepair.

Restoration of historical heritage

In the early 70s of the last century, it was decided to restore the Königsberg Cathedral. The first phase of the restoration of the temple was more of a cosmetic renovation, and full-scale engineering work began only in 1992.

Since the cathedral is located on peaty soil, the foundation sinks several millimeters every year. Since the founding of the temple, he sank more than one and a half meters, and the angle of the walls was more than forty centimeters. To combat these phenomena, false windows were made back in 1903, but they did not help either, so the restorers had to work hard to restore the structure's strength. In addition, four bells were installed in the 90s, as well as a spire and a clock on the South Tower. Thus, the temple acquired a form close to the original.

Description

The Konigsberg Cathedral (Kaliningrad), whose photo is decorated with many tourist prospectuses, was built in the Baltic Gothic style. In the architectural board, it is remarkable inner tower With spiral staircase and with its arches inherent in the Sicilian architecture of the 11th-13th centuries.

In October 1998, the museum of Immanuel Kant was opened in the building of the temple, part of the exposition of which is devoted to the history of the building itself. On this moment work is underway to turn the Königsberg Cathedral into an important cultural and religious center.

The building houses Evangelical and Orthodox chapels, as well as regular concerts of classical and religious music and international organ competitions.

Some interesting facts

Directors liked to shoot films about the war in the historical center of Kaliningrad, so similar to pre-war Germany, and the Cathedral more than once fell into the frame.

On the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the founding of the city, a postage stamp was issued depicting its sights. One of them turned out to be The view of this temple is also imprinted on the jubilee coin of ten rubles, which is included in the series "Ancient Cities of Russia", issued in 2005 with a circulation of five million.

In 2007, the Koenigsberg Cathedral was a contender for the title of one of the "Seven Wonders of Russia", and the next year it was recognized as the main symbol of the Kaliningrad region as a result of summing up the results of the action "Seven Wonders of the Amber Region".

Konigsberg Cathedral (Kaliningrad): address

It is very easy to find this temple, as it is located on one of the island's historical centers of the city - on the surrounded one.