Yantarny settlement (Kaliningrad region). Holidays in seaside resorts at affordable prices without intermediaries

The last day of our short trip made it possible to visually feel how changeable the weather is in the Baltic. The rain that fell at night ended in the morning, but the sky was in clouds. Having breakfast at the Croissant cafe, we watched the city residents rush to work, many put on light jackets, it was cloudy and not at all hot.

Today we had to "take" another "height" -.

The village of Yantarny, Kaliningrad Region, is located on the shore Baltic Sea. The population of Yantarny is 5.5 thousand people. The distance from to the village of Yantarny is 50 km. We drove along the so-called old roads. We drove through different villages and settlements, managed to see a little bit of the life of the "non-urban" residents of the Kaliningrad region. This road from Kaliningrad is quite busy, with good coverage, but narrow and winding. We begin to meet the famous roads with rows of trees standing on the sides - "", in dry and sunny weather the road along them looks very picturesque. At the entrance to the village meets a mermaid:

Rest in the village of Yantarny, Kaliningrad region

In Yantarny for tourists there are several hotels and a bunch of accommodation offers in apartments. In the short Baltic season, almost everything is booked. Locals say that Yantarny village is not oversaturated with tourists. We were only one day, and even then - all day on the beach, but the village (in its coastal part) seemed to me quiet, not noisy.

Becker Park in Yantarny

Here, on an elevated terrace by the sea, is the Moritz Becker Park. Becker is a German, owner of amber quarries. By his will, on the site of the old garden in 1881, a park was laid out with lindens, maples, oaks, chestnuts and rare plants brought specially from Japan and America. On the territory of the park (13 hectares) residents and guests of Yantarny walk. Becker himself was one of the owners of the Shtantin and Becker company, which developed a quarry method for extracting amber back in the 19th century. By the way, the name of the park in honor of its founder was given only in 2007, that is, in recent history Russia.

Festival "Amber Beach"

Yantarny organizes various bright events every summer. For example, a couple of days ago (we were in Poland at that time) there was an electronic music festival "Amber Beach". Concert pavilions, large screens, campsites, food courts are organized on a special territory. Musicians from Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Iceland, etc. performed there. Later we talked with the bartender on, he told how everything went - there were a lot of people, there was also a lot of good music. This year, on the last day (the festival runs for three days) in the evening went heavy rain, but none of the spectators was "washed away". It's all over in the morning.

Amber plant Kaliningrad region

In the Village there is an Amber Combine - an enterprise for the extraction and processing of amber. The Palmniken settlement on the site of today's Yantarny settlement arose in the 17th century, and the first inhabitants, in addition to traditional fishing, were engaged in the extraction of amber. And the settlement received development at the end of the 19th century, when a railway was laid here from the German Fishhouse (modern Primorsk Russia), along which the mined amber was taken away for processing to other parts of Prussia.

Amber in the Baltic pursues at every turn, and in the Baltic part of Poland, and in Lithuania, and, of course, in the Kaliningrad region.

The enterprise for the industrial extraction of amber was founded in 1947 on the basis of the former Königsber amber manufactory. On the basis of the German manufactory in Palmnikin, two stone mines were opened - "Henrietta" and "Anna". The Anna mine is also infamous for the fact that Jews who were driven here in 1945 from concentration camps in East Prussia were shot near it. In memory of this event, a monument to the victims of the Holocaust was erected in Yantarny. The Nazis flooded the quarries in Palmniken at the end of the war. The Soviet government already in 1947 took measures to restore mining, and in 1948 the first hundred tons of amber were mined! In the 90s, the amber plant changed the status of the enterprise several times, acquired debts. But it seems that the bad times are over, and now the Amber Plant is working stably, with a profit. Now there is a special hall-museum with historical data on the extraction of amber, excursions are held, there is a special excursion to the quarry where you can watch the extraction of amber. And in October 2016, Svetlogorsk will host the first Economic Forum amber industry of the Russian Federation, it is organized by the Amber Combine.

What is amber, how is it formed?

I read a lot about this stone and so I realized that there is no consensus on how amber was formed. There are many myths and legends about this. More Egyptian pharaohs and the priests carried pieces of yellow stone for decoration or for something else. There is a certain scientific version, which is considered official.

About 50 million years ago there was dry land in some part of the Baltic Sea. Pine trees grew there, which, unlike modern ones, were more resinous. Pine trees, under the influence of special physiological and various other physico-chemical processes, released resin (gum), which flowed from the trunk and formed literally clusters on the trees. Under the influence of the wind, the trees bent and broke, the resin flowed to the ground. Or birds, in search of insects, hollowed out the bark of trees, leaving holes through which the resin flowed out. One way or another, pieces of resin fell to the ground, oxidized and crusted. Then there was climate change, global warming, the convergence of huge glaciers. As a result, part of the land with pieces of amber became the sea.

There are deposits of stone in Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Mexico, Azerbaijan, Romania, Sakhalin (!), in Japan, in the Dominican Republic. And in the area of ​​​​the village of Yantarny in the Kaliningrad region in Russia, it turns out that there is one of the most big places deposits of amber. 90% of the world's amber reserves are mined on its territory, you think about it - 90%! Stone deposits (layers) are located at a depth of fifty meters, the main part of this layer is in the sea, but part is on land, on the coast. It is possible to get amber before and now in Yantarny, just walking along the coast and picking up pebbles.

Amber mining methods

There were several ways of extracting amber: from simply "catching" pieces with a net from a boat from the depths of the sea to the construction of such peculiar amber mines or pits. Since the middle of the 20th century, amber mining has become more technologically advanced. Amber is found in nature in various forms and types. In Kaliningrad, in the Amber Museum there is a specimen weighing more than 4 kg, and in London, in the Museum natural history there is a "pebble" weighing more than 15 kg. By the way, in July 2016, a piece of amber weighing about 2.5 kg was found in the Kaliningrad region, which last years hasn't been for a long time. And the most expensive specimens are inclusions: in the stone there are insects or small animals frozen thousands (or maybe millions) years ago. Presumably, insects or animals literally stuck to the pieces of resin and stayed there forever. The cost of such a piece with a frozen lizard, for example, reaches several tens of thousands of dollars.

The deposit in Yantarny is unique in that raw materials are mined here in the marine and coastal-marine parts, and here, in the village, it is processed at the Yantarny plant. In addition, it is curious that amber is washed ashore by storms on its own: about two tons were carried out near the village of Yantarny at the end of the 19th century, and in Solnechnogorsk in 1914, after a storm, about a ton of amber was found on the shore. Statistics show that in the Kaliningrad region about 40 tons of amber is taken out of the sea per year. But, of course, the main part is mined in an industrial highly mechanized way.

Hi all! Today I will tell you about one of the most important sights of Kaliningrad and the region. This is amber - an ornamental stone, which is a petrified resin of ancient coniferous trees. It so happened that about 90% of this golden stone is concentrated in our region and there is the only amber processing plant not only in Russia, but also in the world.

Excursion to Yantarny

I recently learned that the Amber Combine, located, by the way, in the village of Yantarny, conducts excursions for everyone, and last weekend I went there with my friends to tell you how it is and what.

So, here you can get on 2 excursions. The first is carried out in an organized manner on the territory of the plant at the address. Balebina, d. 1. Tours are held every hour (at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00) every day. Ticket price - 150 rubles. To get on the tour, you need to go to the entrance of the plant, report that you are tourists, and follow the guard, who will lead you to a special room, where they lead the tour.

To be honest, I was a little disappointed. I thought that they would show us how amber is mined, how it is processed, maybe they would give us a glimpse into some shop. But no. We were simply told about production, explored deposits, the history of the plant, and so on, but they were not shown. In this excursion room, you can watch a film about amber mining, look at amber of different colors, take pictures on an amber throne under an amber chandelier and look at numerous amber creations of Soviet and Russian masters. However, if you know absolutely nothing about amber, I would advise you to look here.

navigate_before

navigate_next

The second excursion is an independent visit to the quarry where amber is mined. It is located at the other end of the village, to the right of the mermaid, which marks the entrance to Yantarny. It seems to me that it is better to go there by car or at least by bicycle, otherwise you will have to walk for quite a long time.

Tickets are sold at the checkpoint and cost 180 rubles. Together with the ticket, each visitor is given a diploma of an amber prospector, in which all that remains is to enter his name.

On the observation deck of the quarry, you can actually look at the quarry itself, what is happening in it, what is the general scale of what is happening.

In addition, there is the Amber Pyramid, a gallows for amber stealers and a sandbox, in which the kind workers of the plant generously poured small amber - spades are freely available for everyone who wants to find their own pebble. Here we liked much more.

After seeing the quarry and going on a tour, do not rush to leave Yantarny. For here is one of the best beaches in the area - wide, spacious, there is enough space for everyone. And along the sea there is a wonderful wooden promenade, its length is almost 2 kilometers and it is very cool to walk along it.

The only point is that Yantarny is not very good with catering, so I recommend that you take food with you or go to a local supermarket and then have a picnic right on the beach, because you will be here in August, when hot weather is most likely, and after the conference you will have two days off that can be spent in the Kaliningrad region.

Book a hotel in Kaliningrad: http://1kaliningrad.ru/

Amber Museum

If you want to learn more about amber, go to the Kaliningrad Amber Museum. Where it is located, you already know. Directly opposite Vasilevsky Square stands the Don Tower, in which the museum is located. A ticket there costs 200 rubles, in addition to it, you can order an excursion. The website of the museum says that every Saturday and Sunday at 12:00 and at 16:00 preferential excursion sessions are held. By the way, like the plant, it is - the only amber museum in Russia.

At the main exhibition of the museum you can see amber of different colors and sizes, look at jewelry and household items made of solar stone from the Neolithic era to the present day, learn about the work of the Königsberg Amber Manufactory and the Kaliningrad Amber Combine, look at the work of amber masters from different times.

Where to buy amber

After all that I have told, a logical question arises: “Where to buy souvenirs and amber jewelry?”. Actually everywhere.

As I said, amber in Kaliningrad is sold literally on every corner. Tents, shops, departments in shopping centers - there is a lot of amber here. But, unfortunately, stylish and beautiful things are not sold everywhere. Rather, frank kitsch is most often sold: figurines pasted over with fragments of amber, roughly processed jewelry made of melted amber, icons and souvenirs with amber.

Personally, I like what the creative project "Prussian honey" does (don't take it for advertising). Their works can be bought in the basement of the Amber Museum and in their own shop on Leninsky Prospekt 17a-23a. I like that they don't make granny-style beads, but create ethnic-style jewelry.

And last year I learned about the creative association Russian Amber, as far as I understand, it is based in Moscow and created to popularize amber, which, to be honest, has been undeservedly forgotten in recent years. The works of these designers are not sold in our city, but I could not help but tell about them.

Until next week!

Yantarny is an urban-type settlement located on the coast of the Baltic Sea. The settlement is famous for the extraction and processing of valuable amber. Every traveler after visiting Yantarny can confirm the uniqueness of the place, where the grandeur of nature is felt and the excellent facets of history are revealed.

The history of Yantarny has more than seven hundred years, and amber has been successfully mined since the 17th century. Merchants and landowners could appreciate the rich deposits of valuable amber. Nowadays, many tourists are ready to visit a small urban-type settlement in order to make sure that the settlement is still unique.

So, what attractions are available to tourists?

The unique museum is located in the central part of Yantarny, or rather, in the castle of the XIV century. The castle is part of the Palmniken fortress.

The exposition is devoted to the history of the city, as well as to the extraction and processing of amber. Some exhibits are devoted to Slavic mythology, superstitions, spirits. It regularly hosts exhibitions of artists and musical events.

Location: Sovetskaya street - 61a.

Near the Anna mine there is a Monument erected in honor of the dead prisoners of concentration camps. In wartime, prisoners were shot near the mine and thrown into its adits.

The monument is a raised hand carved from granite. The height of the monument reaches seven meters. At the same time, the numbers of the dead prisoners can be seen on the hands. Such a performance contributes to the fact that each person thinks about the value of life.

Location: Soviet street.

The amber quarry operates today. The main task is the extraction of amber in an open way. It is here that about 90 percent of the total volume of amber is mined. Previously, a narrow-gauge railway worked in the quarry Railway, but now manages to be limited to road transport. Nearby is an amber plant.

A mermaid in the sea waves is an interesting symbol of the Yantarny urban-type settlement. Object opens border locality, so every visitor sees the local landmark.

It should be noted that until 1946 Yantarny was called Palmniken (“Swamp Village”). The sculptural composition is an original sign that allows you to orient yourself with the territorial boundaries of Yantarny and find confirmation rich history village.

The building was built in 1892 as an evangelical church. At that time, boulders and figured bricks were used for construction activities. Previously, thematic stained-glass windows and an organ were installed in the church. However, valuable exhibits, stained-glass windows and an organ, were broken.

In the post-war period, the building was used for a club, a billiard room, and a warehouse. At present, the temple again performs its original function and was consecrated by the Metropolitan of Kaliningrad and Smolensk, His Eminence Kirill.

Location: Sovetskaya street - 69 a.

Moritz Becker is a well-known amber manufacturer, thanks to whom the development of amber mining in an urban-type settlement became possible.

The park complex was laid out in 1881 on the initiative of Moritz Becker. The gardener Levner was involved in the implementation of the project.

It should be noted that the park was created on the basis of the manor garden. Here it was possible to preserve the old powerful lindens, poplars, and ligatures. Moreover, the age of linden reaches two hundred years.

From different countries The world managed to deliver valuable ornamental plants for the development of the Moritz Becker Park. Such a move made it possible to diversify the collection of plants, thanks to which many people note the amazing diversity of the park.

As a result of walking park complex cause best experience. Maurice Becker Park is located between the coast of the Baltic Sea, as well as Sovetskaya Street.

Location: Sovetskaya street - 40.

The amber pyramid was built in honor of the 65th anniversary of the local plant. The attraction is located on the territory of the plant, not far from the observation deck.

The amber pyramid is a symbol of the amazing skill of the company's personnel. Its features are amazing:

• Height - 3.3 meters.
• Surface area - 25 square meters.
• Facing each of the four walls with a thick layer of amber weighing 500 kilograms.
• The pyramid can accommodate 10 - 12 people at the same time.

You can imagine how attractive the attraction is for tens of thousands of tourists who want to discover the beneficial effects of real amber.

The amber factory, located in the village of the same name on the coast of the Baltic Sea, is the largest amber deposit (up to 90 percent of the world's reserves). For the production of products in the summer of 1947, on the basis of the Koenigsberg amber factory, it was possible to create Kaliningrad Combine. In 1951, an art workshop began to operate. Products are exported to America, Europe, Asia, Middle East.

The museum exposition includes amazing exhibits created on the basis of amber:

• Watch.
• Paintings.
• Caskets.
• jewelry: beads, pendants, brooches, necklaces.
• Inclusions.
• Souvenir products (figurines of birds and animals).

To create jewelry and souvenirs, the natural form of amber, which is distinguished by its rich palette, is used in an interesting way.

Today, the plant produces mass products and offers unique exhibits created on the basis of individual orders.

Location: Balebina street - 1.

One of the most worthy places for walking is the Square of Masters. Here you can not only buy paintings, souvenirs, amber jewelry, but also book a tour or rent a bicycle. It is not surprising that many tourists try to enjoy a walk on the Masters Square.

Location: Sovetskaya street - 72.

From the Observatory open great views. From here you can see the amber quarry from a height of 50 meters. In addition, you can try yourself in the role of an amber catcher, because in the “mini-career” the tourists are engaged in mining on their own. The lucky ones, who caught a large number of drops of precious resin, receive a diploma of "Amber Prospector".

The construction of the water tower dates back to 1920. The height of the object reaches 35 meters, diameter - 11 meters.

In 2006-2007, repairs were carried out to restore the facade and roof. In addition, a unique weather vane in the form of a unicorn was installed. In 2012, the water tower functions for its intended purpose.

Location: Zheleznodorozhnaya street - 2.

Several staircases lead to the sea, and a wide strip of the beach goes beyond the horizon in two directions at once. The length of the promenade reaches two kilometers, and it was created on the basis of Siberian larch. Part of the promenade runs through salt lakes left over from mining the unique Sunstone.

Every tourist can be convinced that the Yantarny urban-type settlement still has interesting sights. Such a journey can leave the most vivid impressions, allowing you to believe that in Russia there are beautiful corners which will continue to gain popularity.

Location: Park them. Becker.

On the very western coast of Russia, or rather the Kaliningrad region, there is a small, in size, but absolutely a unique village beautiful name Amber. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is here, and practically only here, that amber, amazing in its beauty and properties, is mined. It is in this village that the only amber plant in the world is located, which extracts and processes amber.

Now Amber (Prussian Palweniken, Palmenicken (1491), German Palmnicken, Lit. Palvininkai, Polish Palmniki)- an urban-type settlement on the coast of the Baltic Sea, administrative center Yantarny urban district of the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation.
As a settlement, Palmniken was founded in 1654. At that time this part Baltic coast was an unattractive desert, swampy area. This is reflected in the very name of the settlement: its indigenous part can be translated as “empty lands”. But, by an inexplicable whim of nature, only in this place sea ​​waves especially generously thrown onto the sandy shore amazing beauty pieces of solar stone - amber. Exactly mining of amber and became the reason for the founding of the settlement of Palmniken and the basis of its economic growth and development.

A little later, to the north of Palmniken, another small Krakstepellen settlement(German Kraxtepellen). But as an independent settlement, Krakstepellen did not last long, and soon merged into Palmniken.

Despite the fact that amber deposits are spread all over the world in small volumes, the largest and oldest region for the extraction of fossil resin is the coast of the Baltic Sea. Baltic amber has been found in Egyptian tombs that date back to 3200 BC. According to rough estimates, about 40 tons of amber are carried to the shores of the Baltic by a stormy sea per year. In 1878, near the village of Yantarny, a storm washed up on the shore so much amber that the locals collected it for several days. According to various estimates, from 80 to 90% of the world's fossil resin reserves are concentrated in the vicinity of Yantarny. This unique deposit is the largest not only in terms of reserves (according to a rough estimate - 640 thousand tons), but also in terms of concentration (about 2 kg per cubic meter of rock).
Thus, The history and development of Amber is inextricably linked with the history and development of amber mining.

Initially, amber was collected by hand: after a storm, they collected it along the coast, caught it in the waves with special nets. In calm weather, amber hunters went out to sea in boats, looking for stones at the bottom of the sea. This went on for quite a long time, until one very enterprising gentleman, Maurice Becker, became interested in these places, who saw the grandiose prospects for organizing the industrial extraction of amber. In 1870, Maurice Becker, with his partner Wilhelm Stantien, bought vast territories in the vicinity of Palmniken, and founded the amber mining company Shtantien and Becker. For starters, Becker completely destroyed the old medieval castle Palmniken and built a modern mansion in its place. Around the house, on the site of an old garden, an impressive park was laid out in 1881, with total area more than twelve hectares, in which, in addition to the existing ones, many rare, and sometimes simply unique species of trees and plants were planted. Later, the son of Maurice Bakker expanded the park's collection by bringing rare trees from Japan and America. Amazing in its beauty, the North American Tulip tree has become a symbol of the park over time. Perfectly preserved to this day, Becker Park has become a real attraction of the Yantarny and is currently a favorite vacation spot for both its guests, so local residents. From the park you can go down directly to the sea along a convenient promenade. July 21, 2007 in the park named after Maurice Becker in Yantarny, a memorial stone was installed on which a metal plate was fixed with the inscription:

“1881 The park was founded by Maurice Becker.
1985 The park was declared a natural monument.
2007 The park was named after Maurice Becker.”

On September 8, 1887, opposite the estate, on the initiative of Becker and with the financing of the company "Stantien and Becker", founded Lutheran church(consecrated January 3, 1892). The project of the church was developed by the architect V.L. Bessel-Lork. The church was a small copy of the St. George Chapel in the garden of the royal castle of Montbignon on the outskirts of Berlin. Boulders and figured bricks were used for its construction. The church was famous for its colorful stained-glass windows on the themes of local subjects, an organ, and had two personalized bells from Shtantien and Becker. During the Second World War, the church survived, but in Soviet times it was used as a club and a gym, and then even as a warehouse, and gradually fell into disrepair. In 1990, among other objects of religious significance, the church was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. The building of the church was reconstructed and on January 13, 1991, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad consecrated it as a temple in the name of the Kazan Icon Mother of God. And although the former church has lost its colorful stained-glass windows, but, in general, its historical appearance very well preserved.
As a result of the stormy activity deployed by Becker, 10 years later Palmniken (Amber) is becoming a very lively place with a developed industrial infrastructure. A railway from Fischhausen is being built to the village.

Practically monopoly mining of amber, established on an industrial scale, brings huge profits. The most modern amber mines at that time operate here. One of the most impressive mines was even given a name - "Anna".

However, after reaching its peak of more than 400 tons per year, by the end of the nineteenth century, the extraction of amber by the mine method began to dramatically reduce its volumes. Becker, anticipating a sharp drop in profitability, sells the amber deposit back to the state. Indeed, over the next ten years, all amber mines were closed. But the extraction of amber itself continued, already by the open method. To manage the production of the amber industry in Koenigsberg, the “Royal Amber Enterprise” (Koeniglichen Bernsteinwerke) was founded, and the Royal Mining Inspectorate was established in Palmniken (Yantarny), and money continued to flow into the state treasury. During the years 1905-1913, the Treasury received more than a million marks a year from the extraction of amber in the Palmniken (Yantarny) region.

Manor Becker later also became the property of the state and was equipped as a hotel. The mansion already then got its name “Schloss” - a hotel, which translates as “Hotel in the castle”. The estate has been perfectly preserved to this day, although it has been repeatedly reconstructed. But, especially when repairing the facade, they tried to maintain maximum historical accuracy, referring to the surviving pre-war photographs, and the estate is undoubtedly an interesting attraction of Yantarny. Now the estate also houses a hotel under the same name. Now it is an elite hotel that meets all modern requirements.

At the end of World War II, Soviet troops completely occupied Palmniken and its environs on April 15, 1945. In 1946, Palmniken was renamed Yantarny.

During the war, Yantarny was practically not damaged, and has retained its historical appearance to this day. The modern construction was carried out in a separate new microdistrict, so now, walking along the old streets, you can completely immerse yourself in the architectural environment of the early twentieth century and admire the picturesque pre-war buildings, covered with red tiles and immersed in greenery. In the center of Yantarny there are many small shops selling amber products. There are even several open amber workshops where you can go in, chat, see how the craftsmen work, buy the product you like right from the first hand. If you want to buy amber products at reasonable prices, then you are here.

But the war still left its sad mark on the history of Amber. January 31 - February 1, 1945, presumably in the area of ​​​​the abandoned mine Anna ( exact location unknown), the Nazis shot from 2 to 3 thousand people. They were prisoners of the concentration camps of East Prussia, driven by a foot column. Initially, there were more than 6,000 people in the column, of which more than 3,000 people died during the journey from exhaustion or as a result of executions. The survivors upon arrival in Palmniken were placed in the building of the locksmith shop of the Amber Combine, and after a few days they began to be taken to the coast in small groups and shot. In memory of this event, on January 30, 2011, on the outskirts of Yantarny near the Anna mine, a Monument to the victims of the "Death March" the work of sculptors Frank Meisler and Arieh Ovadia. The monument is a seven-meter hand raised to the sky carved from granite with the numbers of prisoners of the concentration camp. To the north of the monument there is a pyramid of field stones, on the edge of which there is a memorial plaque with the inscription: "In memory of 7,000 victims of the Holocaust killed by the Nazis on January 31, 1945."

Amber fishing during the Second World War was suspended. But with the onset of a peaceful period, the new authorities began to try to restore the powerful volumes of local amber mining. Since 1948, the Amber Combine has resumed its work. The work was difficult: there were no appropriately qualified personnel, part of the equipment was lost during the war. At first, captured German specialists were attracted to work. But, gradually, the activity of the Amber Combine was fully restored, and gradually increasing the capacity to reach more than six hundred tons of amber per year. Along with mining, local production was also established for processing amber and creating jewelry on its basis. The amber brooch designed at that time in the form of a spider is still in demand.

The period of the late 90s - early 2000s was very difficult for both the amber plant and the village of Yantarny, as well as for the whole country as a whole. Even the railway communication to Yantarny ceased to function. But, despite all the problems and difficulties, the village of Yantarny survived, returned to its streets the economic and cultural life, and is currently at the top of the list of attractions of the Kaliningrad region.

Kaliningrad Amber Factory now not only a successfully operating enterprise, but also a bright landmark of the village of Yantarny, the most popular tourist attraction, which in 2015 was included in the list of must-see places for travelers in Russia. Excursions at the Kaliningrad Amber Factory are held all year round. Excursion program The plant introduces visitors to the processes of extraction and processing of amber, and includes two tourist site– a showroom (museum) and an observation deck overlooking the quarry, where you can see with your own eyes the industrial production of amber. In the museum, you can independently assemble a simple amber jewelry, for which you will receive a corresponding certificate. From the observation deck of the Amber Combine, a view of the the largest seaside quarry in the world, where amber has been mined for over a century. Here you can try on medieval outfits and plunge into the past, as well as delve into the “sandbox” specially organized for tourists and find your piece of amber in the “blue earth”. The Amber Pyramid is also located here - a unique structure, the construction of which took 800 kg of amber chips, which has extensive healing properties.

At the entrance to Yantarny, arrivals are greeted by a powerful sculptural composition "Mermaid" installed in the Soviet period, decorated with mosaics.

In the center of Yantarny (street Sovetskaya, 61a), there is another interesting attraction - Museum "Amber Castle" According to some reports, the museum building was built in the 14th century and earlier it was part of the Palmniken fortress, which served to protect the coast and amber mines. To date, the building has been seriously reconstructed several times. The museum has a collection of German household items: here you can admire intricate dishes from various historical periods, antique furniture, and weapons. Various expositions dedicated to the pre-war history of Palmniken, the Second World War are widely represented. A large part of the exhibition diversity is represented by the Soviet era. There are also basements in the museum, in which there are real torture chambers and cells for prisoners of great age. The museum also hosts exhibitions by local artists, and the Superstition Museum is located on the second floor. This is a collection of carved wooden figurines of brownies, water goblins and other mythical characters with brief description who they are and how they help or harm people. There is also a hall dedicated to amber in the museum, and most of The exposition introduces the use of amber in medicine and cosmetology.
Numerous tinctures, powders, oils and ointments based on amber derivatives are presented here, which you can not only see, but also buy, and get advice on the medicinal properties of drugs based on amber. Here you can buy unique souvenirs in the form of a small bottle of amber-infused vodka or amber-based skin cream.

One more Yantarny's attraction is its water tower(Zheleznodorozhnaya street, 5b), built in 1920 and still in operation. The height of the tower is 35 m, the diameter is 11 m. In 2006-2007, the facade and roof of the water tower were repaired, a weather vane in the form of a unicorn was installed.

The main attraction of Yantarny, for which it is famous no less than for its amber craft, is its delightful, widest sandy sea beach in the Kaliningrad region, surrounded by boundless thickets of wild rose hips and sea buckthorn. Completes natural beauty this place is big picturesque lake(a favorite vacation spot for divers), formed on the site of a former amber quarry. Moreover, thanks to the efforts of local residents and authorities, Yantarny beach has been considered the cleanest in the Kaliningrad region for many years. At the end of August 2014, the beach was landscaped with a modern promenade, which is a wooden walkway made of durable Siberian larch with viewing platforms, laid along the sea coast from the descent to the sea in Bekker Park to the platform near the Galera cafe. Its length is 1980 meters, of which 700 pass over the lake.

A small summer stadium is equipped on Yantarny Beach, and each summer season Yantarny hosts qualifying rounds for the Russian Championship and international tournaments in beach football, beach volleyball, rugby and Swimming competitions on Lake Yantarny - "Amber Mile". Every year, starting from 2009, Yantarny hosts the semi-finals of the World Amber Fishing Championship (the final takes place on the Polish part of the Baltic Spit).
Amber is also very popular among diving enthusiasts. On the shore of the amber quarry "Walter" in the village of Yantarny there is a diving club "Poseidon 39". The club is equipped with all the necessary modern equipment, and experienced instructors ensure the safety of divers. The diving program depends on the level of training and the wishes of the clients.

IN Lately Amber is increasingly becoming the center of all kinds of major festivals, exhibitions and other cultural events. Among the most famous festivals is the annual international festival spiritual and folk-patriotic song "Peter and Paul Meetings in Yantarny", and international music Festival electronic music "Amber Beach".

Kircha Palmniken (Amber)	Kircha Palmniken (Amber)
Museum "Amber Castle"	fireplace in the Amber Castle Museum

mumbling at work	in the main hall of the museum	stairs to the amber workshops

vintage chandelier	Hall of the Knights of the Order
viking weapons	bricks of the order castles of East Prussia

On Friday, August 01, before lunch, we left the hotel "Tourist" in Kaliningrad on a sightseeing bus. We waited a bit on the sofas in the hall, leafing through advertising magazines. The weather was cloudy, the clouds swirled in the sky:

A typical road in the Kaliningrad region - in Prussia, so to speak, looks like this:

Two-track with trees on the sides, which are closed over the asphalt with a tent and a field around.
Along the way, on wooden electric poles, there were nests of storks.
The photo below is a real pair of storks, not a cardboard-plastic dummy:

An hour or so later, we arrived at Yantarny. Auntie at the barrier opened the passage with a habitual movement. But it is now - so, and a few years ago everything was different - almost the children were searched from the inside by dogs.
We first came to see observation platform at the quarry. Nearby, a wooden pyramid sprinkled with amber crumbs. You can come in and make a wish.

Due to frequent use, in my opinion, the "executor" fails:

And here is the panorama of the amber quarry itself:

Without binoculars, the movement in the quarry cannot be seen, and there was not much of it on Friday. Nearby there is a "children's" sandbox, in which a mining bucket is placed in the corner. Inside there are scoops and, most importantly, real amber. An hour on the spot was spent something like this: 10 minutes of excursion and 45 minutes of searching for amber.

In this photo, red ellipses show amber pebbles. Here are 6 of them:

Everyone who was at the quarry was awarded certificates of "honorary amber miner", and then we went to, in fact, the city itself. In German "Palmniken", it was formed by amber miners, and "untwisted" thanks to the amber mines. The local merchant Becker dominated there. Maurice Becker and his large Evangelical Church:

Tourist map of the city of Amber on the stand and photos below:

Various interesting installations have been installed on the "central" trading area of ​​Yantarny. Fur-lined bike:

A shop with a black sun flag and a painted clock "City of Masters":

Glass gazebo in the courtyard of an elite hotel, behind a fence:

Like elephant legs, beeches stand nearby in the park:

And we observe the wedding ceremony and go to the sea along the stairs. Bathe.

Here it is, a wooden ladder, but here it is - the sea! It is a pity that the cat cried in the changing cabins, but this time the water was warmer than in Svetlogorsk.

Back to trading area. Wooden train as a stand for flowers:

More flowers in a pot:

We went on foot in the direction of travel, then crossed the road and went to the new building-castle. It was not allowed to shoot inside (and, in general, there was just a large store selling amber trinkets and Art Gallery on the 1st floor), went outside. Nearby stands an abandoned stable with a slate roof broken in several places:

We got on the bus and drove a few more kilometers. There is no Jewish conspiracy, but we were told a terrible story from the time of the 2nd World War, how the Germans drove a couple of thousand Jews to the beach, and then instead of bathing they took them and shot them. The local Izya put three hands reaching out to God on the shore - but, apparently, the signal from here took a long time to reach the addressee, so what happened happened. There was nothing else to see here, the mines were never shown to us ...

Fearfully approaching the edge of the cliff, reinforced with concrete, I looked down and thought - why include this in the excursion program?

We got on the bus and drove back to Kaliningrad.
We were dropped off there shopping center We stocked up on dinner and went to the hotel...