Koenigsberg old castle. The royal castle of koenigsberg is a sad story of our state. Königsberg Castle during and after the war

Address: Kaliningrad, st. Shevchenko, d. 2.
Opening hours: daily from 10:00 to 18:00.
Cost of visiting: from 100 rubles.

History of Königsberg Castle

Story castle called Royal, dates back to the reign of the Teutonic Knights. Then, on a hill not far from a small village of the Prussians who were completely destroyed later, in the first quarter of the 13th century, a wooden fortress was built and called "Königsberg", from the German "King's mountain" or "King's coast".
According to the most common version, the castle is named in honor of the Czech king, who took an active part in the construction. From the moment the first stone was laid, the peoples living in the area began to call the castle in their languages ​​and dialects. In the old Polish language there was the name Krulevec, in Czech the Royal Castle bore the name Kralovets. In Russian written sources, the castle was called Korolevets for many centuries. This name existed until the era of Peter I, after the castle began to be called in the German manner.
Two years after its founding in 1255, the first huge stones were laid on the site of the future castle. In a few years, a wooden castle was built, at the same time the construction of a brick structure was laid. Boulders were placed at the base, they were laid out with the so-called "Viennese masonry" natural stone and brick.
Three years later, Prussian troops began to besiege the castle. Unsuccessful attempts were repeated until 1873. In addition to the Prussians and Germans, there were about ten percent of Lithuanians in the city. And in the 16th century, the city around the Royal Castle, also called Koenigsberg, became an important cultural center. The first printed book in Lithuanian was published here, and their own newspaper was also published here.
Lock had a rectangular, elongated shape. All German castles were built according to a single model: a closed quadrangle with high stone walls, with several separate outbuildings for utility rooms and a large tower. In three corners of the Royal Castle there were high towers, and in the fourth corner there was a four-story building, made in classical style. The castle had a vast courtyard and a tall Gothic tower. The oldest buildings were located in the northern wing. There were high gray walls with small windows and arched entrances. On the second floor there was a wooden gallery, the staircase to which was decorated with an elegant balustrade. The halls of the refectory were called in an exotic manner: "Pepper Room", "Spanish Needle", "Big Cap". A five-meter moat was dug around the castle, and an earthen platform was located between the castle and the moat.
For seven centuries the castle has undergone significant changes. Both its shape and appearance changed. The castle was repeatedly visited by monarchs: Peter I, Catherine II, Alexander I. Prussian kings took the crown in the castle, solemn receptions were held for coronations, titles, oaths were taken and knights fought. There were also executions. For a long time it housed the residence of the Teutonic Order. In the castle of the Middle Ages there were canteens, wine cellars, torture chambers, refectories, numerous utility rooms, a kitchen, a prayer house, and a small chapel.
In the Middle Ages the Royal Castle met all the requirements for a defensive structure. Gradually, a unique library and a collection of collections of art objects were formed in the Koenigsberg castle.
In the 19th century, the city improved and rebuilt the defensive structures around the Royal Castle. New ramparts and bastions were built, new city gates were erected.

Royal Castle after the war

The Amber Room was brought from Leningrad to the Royal Castle. Her further fate is unknown to this day. Excavations carried out in the castle in the past and in the present century have not yielded any results. The room was not found in the cellars or among the ruins. Although there was evidence that it could be preserved in the basement. A written source says that the amber room was stored in the castle in a packed form in the northern wing of the building. During a subsequent examination, traces of a fire were found in the room where it was stored.
IN last years During the Second World War, the castle was subjected to massive attacks from the air. It was on fire, but the walls were preserved even after the storming of Koenigsberg by the Soviet troops. In 1954, the bell tower was destroyed, a year later the walls of the northern and southern wings. The brick of the ancient building was used to build blocks, then a stone crushing plant was installed here, which turned the brick into dust. In the late 60s, the main towers and walls decided to blow up. The hill itself, where the castle used to be, was hidden. The castle, which stood for 700 years, was destroyed in two years, all the bricks were dismantled, every tower, every wing was blown up. Wall pieces were kneaded in concrete solutions, and cinder blocks were used to build new houses.
From the old castle, only a mountain of stones with signs indicating which part of the structure it represented was left.
For almost fifty years now, there has been no reminder in Kaliningrad that the Royal Castle once stood here. In its place, a square was laid out with fountains and flower beds, with an unfinished, abandoned high-rise building.

Royal Castle today

The first archaeological excavations on the territory Royal Castle were undertaken as early as 1926-1927. Then, only after 70 years, excavations were resumed by the Institute of Archeology Russian Academy Sciences. The foundations of the towers, the northeastern part of the castle, were discovered. Autumn 1999 Chief Editor The leading German publishing house turned to the Institute of Archeology with the initiative to resume excavations. Work began to be carried out now in the western part, where the outbuildings were located. Work was halted due to adverse weather conditions, but has not been resumed. Excavations require funding. Most of the funds are also needed to preserve the resulting archaeological material.
To date, tourists can only admire the view of the ruins that remained from the castle. For this, a special observation deck of the ruins is equipped, where anyone can look at the mountains of stones that were specially left as a memory of the Königsberg Castle.

Each stone has a name, made on the tablets, and indicates from which part of the structure these or those stones come from. Excavations are underway in the center of the former building, after which it is planned to fully restore the historical monument. In 2009, the first attempt was made to hold a competition, according to the results of which the developer was to be determined. But on this all passions subsided, and only in 2011 a commission was created at the level of the governor of the Kaliningrad region, which was supposed to collect data for a referendum. Which should decide the fate of the Koenigsberg Castle.

The Royal Castle in Warsaw is a baroque and classicist castle located in Warsaw at Castle Square 4. The palace is a museum and a hallmark of the city.

Royal Castle in Warsaw. Photo from the East-West highway

History of the Royal Castle

At the end of the 13th century, during the reign of the Mazovian prince Konrad II Czersky, a wooden and earthen castle was built, called the "Small Manor" (lat. Curia Minor). The next prince, Casimir III, in 1350 decided to build the first brick building in Warsaw - it became the Great Tower (lat. Turris Magna) (today it is the Grodskaya Tower). Between 1407 and 1410 the Warsaw prince Janusz Mazowiecki erected a castle, the floors of which were made in the Gothic style, and called it "Great Manor" (lat. Curia Maior). The style of the new residence of the Polish princes and its size (47.5 m by 14.5 m) determined the new status of the castle, which since 1414 functioned as a ducal court. Since 1526, when the last princes of Mazovia, Stanisław I and Janusz III, died, the castle became a royal residence, and after the transfer of powers to manage the capital to the Warsaw princes, also the seat of the Sejm and the Senate. After the creation of the Seim of the Commonwealth in 1569, the castle was expanded to include the New Royal Court, designed by the Italian architect Giovanni Baptista di Quadro. October 29, 1611 In the Senate Hall of the castle, Tsar of Russia Vasily Chuisky, captured by Hetman Stanislav Zolkiewski, took a solemn oath to the Polish King Sigismund III. In 1622, he significantly expanded the area of ​​​​the castle thanks to the construction of a modern pentagonal courtyard.

On May 3, 1791, the Four-Year Sejm adopted at the Royal Castle. During the November uprising on January 25, 1831, the Sejm decided to overthrow the Russian Emperor Nicholas I from the post of King of Poland. In retaliation for this act, the Russians remodeled two halls: the Marble Study and the Senator's Chamber. In 1926-1939 the castle was the residence of the President of the Second Polish Republic, Ignacy Mościcki.

After the outbreak of World War II, all movable parts of the castle were moved to the National Museum. During the rescue operation, the curator of the castle's collection, Casimir Brokl, was killed. The castle was seriously damaged during artillery fire on September 17, 1939 - the roofs and helmets of the towers, the roof of the Great Hall were destroyed. After the shelling began at about 11:15, the clock on the statue of Chronos in the Knights' Hall of the Tower of Sigismund, engulfed in flames, stopped. This time has become a symbol for the Castle. And now every day at this very time you can hear a heinal (exact time signal) from the tower of Sigismund.

After the Germans entered Warsaw, it was decided to blow up part of the castle in the place where, according to the "Pabst Plan", the Hall of Glory (in German) was to be built. Volkshalle). At the turn of 1939 and 1940, about 10,000 holes were made in the castle for laying dynamite. However, the castle was not blown up at the time because the shock wave could have destroyed the Kerbedza Bridge, which was needed to transport German troops east. And only in 1944 the castle was blown up - during the events of the Warsaw Uprising.

Everything is currently less people realize that the castle that we see today is just a building restored after the Second World War. In the few photographs taken in 1945, only small fragments of the walls are visible against the sky. The reconstruction of the Royal Castle, and in fact construction from scratch, began in 1971, when Edvard Gierek became the first secretary of the PUWP Central Committee, and was completed in 1981, when he retired. After the Second World War, almost nothing remained of the old Royal Castle. Only about 2% of the materials used in its reconstruction are genuine.

The Royal Castle is one of the most famous buildings in the world, not because it looks especially spectacular, but because it is over 700 years old and was a royal residence in the past, and because Shakespeare used history in his play The Winter's Tale. that actually happened in the castle. The uniqueness of the castle lies in the fact that for 37 years it did not actually exist, and yet it was reborn like a phoenix from the ashes. It was destroyed, being a symbol of Polish statehood, and was restored as a symbol of statehood.

How to get to the Royal Castle for FREE?

Interiors of the Royal Castle

The interiors of the castle were most shaped during the reign of Stanisław August Poniatowski. Much of the equipment and furniture salvaged during World War II is from this period, although there are also many post-war gifts from around the world.

Most interesting room in the castle - this is the former Chamber of Deputies, located on the ground floor, on the ceiling of which there is the coat of arms of the voivodship:

On the first floor are the New Chamber of Deputies and the Chamber of the Senate, where the Sejm was located in a later period and where the Constitution was adopted on May 3, 1791. It was there that Tadeusz Reitan lay down before leaving the ward with the words: "Kill me, do not kill the Fatherland!" In the Senate Hall in 1831, a Decree was adopted on the dethronement of Nicholas I. Later, in retaliation for this decree, the Russian princes divided the chamber into smaller rooms.

On the second floor in the Royal Chambers of Stanisław August Poniatowski is the Knight's Hall, which houses portraits of prominent Polish scientists and artists, as well as statues of Glory and Chronos with a clock on their backs. In another room - the Marble Study - there are portraits of Polish kings. Both rooms introduce visitors to Polish history before they enter the throne room, furnished and decorated by Jan Christian Kamsetzer. Also on the second floor are the Great Hall, designed by Dominik Merlini and Jan Christian Kamsetzer.

How to get to the Royal Castle?

Working hours in summer period(May - September): Monday - Wednesday: 10:00 - 18:00, Thursday: 10:00 - 20:00, Friday - Saturday: 10:00 - 18:00, Sunday 11:00 - 18:00.

Working hours in winter period(October - April): Tuesday - Saturday: 10:00 - 16:00, Sunday: 11:00 - 16:00.

Entrance fee: 30 PLN, children under 16: 1 PLN.

Additional facts

• A model of the Royal Castle can be seen in the Minimundus park in the Austrian city of Klagenfurt, which has a fine collection of models of the most famous buildings in the world (including a model of St. .
• Original fragments of cornices and windows of the castle, created at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, can be seen in the Warsaw Uprising Museum.
• In honor of the dramatic events that took place in September 1939, every day at 11.15 a.m. the Heinal of the Royal Castle is heard from the Clock Tower. The melody, written by Zbigniew Bagiński, is based on the motives of "Warsawianka". Hejnal is repeated three times to emphasize Poland's core patriotic values: God, Honor and Fatherland. Heinal was first performed on May 3, 1995, and since 2008 it has been the official time signal in Warsaw.

In the Soviet Union, no one knew how to build castles, but there were people who could destroy them.

Photo taken: September 2008

The history of the city of Koenigsberg begins with this castle. The Royal Castle of Koenigsberg (German: Konigsberg, translated into Russian as the Royal Mountain, the Royal Castle is also found) was founded in 1255 by the Czech King Ottokar II Premysl and lasted until 1968. This castle of the Teutonic Order gave the general name for the city that arose near the castle walls.

The Royal Castle was beautiful:

The Königsberg Castle has evolved from a wooden structure to a brick fortress and a castle, which at different times was the residence of the leaders of the Teutonic Order, the Duke of Prussia, and later became the place of coronations of the Prussian kings.

Coats of arms of Koenigsberg

Below you can see all the coats of arms of Koenigsberg from the very foundation of the city to the present day.

This is where my patriotism ends. I like Prussian coats of arms more (and not only me, by the way). Obviously, any Prussian coat of arms looks more solid than the coat of arms of Kaliningrad, approved in 1996. It is more pleasant for many people to observe the greatness and significance of the royal symbols in comparison with the typical and primitive coats of arms of Russian cities.

The Royal Castle of Königsberg after the war

During the war, the Royal Castle was heavily damaged, but survived. Its condition was even better than the condition of the Cathedral, which suffered more during the bombing and storming of the city.

The ruins of the Royal Castle of Koenigsberg were a real treasure. The ruins of the castle were not guarded, so everyone was engaged in treasure hunting here: children, adults, local party workers, and visiting expeditions.

The Royal Castle is also famous for the fact that from 1942 to the spring of 1944 it housed an amber room, which, after the Soviet troops stormed Koenigsberg in April 1945, disappeared without a trace.

From the memoirs of Kaliningraders:

“We, children, also climbed in the ruins, looked for mysterious passages, treasures, found something, broke something, but the atmosphere around the castle was always magical, mystical and romantic.”

However, the Royal Castle of Koenigsberg, as a "stronghold of the Prussian military and militarism" did not give rest to the leadership of the Kaliningrad region.

From "Information about proposals for the conservation of the ruins of the Royal Castle in the city of Kaliningrad" dated December 3, 1965:

“The royal castle in the former Konigsberg was founded in 1255 by the knights of the Teutonic Order as a stronghold for aggressive campaigns against the Slavic peoples on the shores of the Baltic. For centuries, this castle, being the residence of the highest ranks of the order, and later of the Prussian kings, was the personification of the predatory aspirations of the Teutonic-Prussian conquerors against the Polish, Russian, Lithuanian lands and peoples.

During the period of Hitlerism, Hitler, Himmler, Goering and other prominent Nazis were repeatedly received in it. All this determines a special attitude towards him on the part of the apologists of fascism. At present, revanchists in West Germany are writing scientific treatises on the role of the castle in the history of the creation of Prussia, regretting its destruction.

Given this, the thesis that the ruins of the castle are of cultural and historical value and deserve to be immortalized in the ensemble of the new socialist city of Kaliningrad is extremely doubtful.

...Restore castle ruins, which was a symbol of the Teutonic Order, and later Prussian militarism, Hitlerism, investing huge investments, in fact, in the construction of a new building, we consider it inappropriate. The draft of the new master plan of the city center developed by Giprogor provides for the demolition of the ruins of the castle and the construction of a new public building in their place, which will really adorn Soviet Kaliningrad.”

In short, the fate of the Royal Castle was tragic. The castle, which stood for 700 years, was completely destroyed in 1969.

Today, on the site of the Royal Castle of Koenigsberg, there is an observation deck of its ruins and the House of Soviets. Among German tourists, this House of Soviets is called the “new castle of Koenigsberg”.

To the left of the entrance to the observation deck of the Royal Castle, you can see a memorial plate to Immanuel Kant.

There are many inscriptions in German at the entrance, 2008

The observation deck of the Königsberg Castle is a mountain of stones, each of which has a sign indicating which part of the castle these stones and debris were.

Photo 1. Concrete lining of the balustrade of the southern promenade of the Royal Castle
Photo 2. A group of brick blocks left from the destruction of the castle walls (16-18 centuries)
Photo 3. Step into the castle church (18th century). In the background - the House of Soviets

Warhead of a (probably French) siege gun, 1914-1918.
An exhibit of the military-historical exposition of the Muscovite Hall (4th floor of the western wing)

The history of Koenigsberg begins with the Royal Castle of the same name. The castle was a symbol of Koenigsberg, and it remains so to this day, it is printed on souvenirs, they write and talk about it. But, it doesn’t exist ... It was founded in 1255 by the Czech king Ottokar II Premysl and existed until 1968. Until 1945, various administrative and public institutions of the city and East Prussia were located within its walls, there were museum collections and halls for ceremonial receptions. The name of the castle gave a common name for the city that arose near the castle walls. Along with the Cathedral, it was the most important and ancient landmark of the city.

The royal castle was founded in 1255 - shortly after the campaign of King Ottokar in Sambia. It was originally built from wood.
In 1262, an outer defensive wall was built from stones. It covered the entire rectangle of the castle. Later, inside, a second row of walls was built up to 2 meters thick and up to 8 meters high. The castle was built from huge boulders at the base, and then from ceramic bricks and field stone, the so-called "Vendian masonry". Everything was fastened with a special solution. The defensive walls ended with a crenellated top. 4 large towers were built on the northern side of the castle, a corner tower was erected in the northwest, and another powerful quadrangular Lidelau tower was built in the east. Further to the east, another large quadrangular tower followed - it was called "At the Grain House".
In the subsequent time, the Royal Castle was constantly rebuilt and completed, thereby expanding and decorating. And already in the Middle Ages, it was a powerful, impregnable fortress. However, when its walls ceased to be a defense against cannons, they sheltered a collection of works of art and valuable libraries. Gradually the castle became the cultural center of the Prussian lands.
The turning point in the development of the castle was 1525, when the palace became the official residence of the first secular ruler of Prussia. Administrative premises, front and living quarters for the duchess and the court were needed. The medieval decoration of the premises looked old-fashioned, the renaissance came into fashion.
On January 18, 1701, after the coronation of Frederick III, the castle became a royal residence - and remained so for two centuries, until 1918, when Emperor Wilhelm II was overthrown as a result of a revolution in Germany.
The building had maximum length 104 meters and a width of 66.8 meters. The tallest building in the city - the Castle Tower, 84.5 meters high, was rebuilt in the Gothic style in 1864-1866.

The castle consisted of:

Castle church

"Blood Court" - a wine restaurant in the basement of the castle.

The Muscovite Hall is a large reception hall above the castle church.

"Silver Library" - a collection of ancient books and manuscripts

The Oat Tower is an ancient octagonal tower in the northeast corner of the castle. Destroyed last in the 60s of the twentieth century.

Castle tower with a clock on the southwest corner of the castle. Tallest building in the city.

Fridrihcsbau - royal chambers, throne room with ceremonial portraits of all kings except William II. Ahnensaal - Hall of Ancestors, Birth Room of Frederick I, Hall of Mirrors, Leather Hall, former Imperial Salon, Hunting Hall, Queen Louise Rooms, Ceramic (fleece) Hall, former chambers of the Crown Prince, Hall of the Order of the Black Eagle, former imperial wardrobe, former imperial bedroom, Room of banners and standards, the emperor's office, dining room.

Firmari - shelter

Castle Pond.

In 1924 the castle was converted into a museum complex. It housed the city art gallery, the Prussian Museum and the Museum of the Order, the Office for the Protection of Monuments.

Institutions and museum collections located in the castle (as of the first half of the 20th century)[edit | edit wiki text]

archaeological collection of the society "Prussia"

Prussian Supreme Court

Royal State Archives

Amber Room (located in the castle during World War II)

Museum of the Province of East Prussia

Management of East Prussian Museums

There are many photographs of this magnificent work of architectural art left, there is even a photo of its interior decoration. Here are some of them.

In the Middle Ages, it was believed that the war against the pagans was a charitable cause and participation in the crusade contributed to spiritual salvation. And the wars against the Prussians were also crusades. At the turn of 1254-1255, a significant number of crusaders gathered under the flag of the Hochmeister, the former landmeister of the Order of Poppo von Ostern. The most notable of them were Margrave Otto III of Brandenburg and his brother-in-law, the Bohemian King Ottokar.

Settlement of Tuvangste

To the north of the island of Kneiphof, a wide, rounded peak of a mountain called Tuwangste rose twenty meters above the valley. There was a settlement on it, a refuge for refugees, in which the inhabitants of the surrounding Prussian villages gathered for their own meetings, as well as for sacrifices. The Hochmeister of the order and King Ottokar had not yet been here, but with the experienced look of a soldier they noted that the fortress, with the help of which they intended to strengthen themselves in the conquered Sambia, must be built exactly on the spot where, thanks to the advantageous position of the island of Kneiphof, it had already operated in ancient times. crossing the river, and the fortification of the Prussians on Twangst just begged for the laying of an order fortress.

Middle Ages

The castle was built of wood on the site of the Prussian settlement Tuwangste and throughout the 13th century was repeatedly attacked by the rebellious Prussians and Lithuanian detachments. The castle was founded in January 1255 as a wooden building, two years later the construction of a brick castle began. The castle served as the residence of the Marshals of the Teutonic Order and was the gathering center for knightly campaigns to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th century. From 1457 to 1525, the residence of the Grand Master of the Order was located in the castle.

Construction continued in the 14th century. In contrast to the existing building order, the building of the Convention was built not next to the entrance part of the fortress, the so-called forburg, dividing them with a moat, but inside the main fortifications. The eastern part, which previously belonged to the bishop, became the entrance part of the fortress and served, in addition, for economic needs. The main fortifications, which had the shape of a rectangle elongated from west to east, occupied the entire plateau of the mountain. The outer fortification consisted of a double ring of stone walls with a parham (a passage between the walls of the rampart, at the same time the burial place of the monk-knights) between them, with nine protruding towers and four corner towers - two on the north side and two on the south. Of these towers, only one has survived to modern times - the octagonal Haberturm tower on the northeast corner. Part stone wall preserved as an outer wall of the later rebuilt southern wing and the lower floor of the main castle tower Schlossturm, which towered over the southern parkham. It was built at the end of the 14th century as a guard and bell tower crowning the entire fortress ensemble. The Danzker tower of impressive size also belonged to the external fortifications, towering at the southwestern corner on four stone pillars above the fortress moat and connected to the fortress by a passage.

castle tower

Buildings in the courtyard of the fortress adjoined inner ring fortress wall: a hospital and a shelter for the elderly veterans of the Order - herrenfirmaria (Firmarie), as well as a large barn and other premises. In the western half of the large courtyard rose the castle - the building of the Convention, Convention House. On three sides it was surrounded by a courtyard, but was not separated from it by a wall and a moat. It contained in all its four wings all the premises important for the fortress, primarily the chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the refectory. There was a well in the center of the courtyard. Herrenfirmaria and Conventhaus were connected to each other by a basement passage under the fortress courtyard and a bridge over it. When, after the Hochmeister moved to Marienburg in 1309, the administration of the Order was reformed, and Königsberg became the residence of the order marshal, the so-called marshal's house with residential and service premises for the marshal and his clerks. But when in 1457 the Hochmeister moved into these premises, the whole building was called the Hochmeister wing. Later, the East Prussian higher departments were located in it: the court court, the budget ministry, the chamber of military and state property, the state archive. In recent years, before the destruction, the exhibition collection of the Königsberg State Library was kept there.

In 1525, after the secularization of the Prussian possessions of the Order by Albrecht of Brandenburg, the castle became the property of the Duke of Prussia.

In January 1656, the signing of a military-political alliance between the Swedish king Charles X Gustav and Elector of Brandenburg-Prussia Friedrich Wilhelm took place in this castle.

It has been rebuilt in several places. By this time, he had lost his defensive function. In 1697, Frederick III, Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, received the Great Embassy of Peter I in the castle.

In 1701, the coronation of the first Prussian king Frederick I took place in the castle church. Although Berlin became the capital of the Prussian kingdom, Königsberg played an important role in the life of the kingdom during the first two-thirds of the 18th century. The castle was well maintained. In it, in 1844, the Prussian Museum was opened.

Frederick's coronation

Wilhelm I, the future first emperor of Germany, was crowned in the castle church in 1861.

The castle is the last location (in 1942-1945) of the famous amber room. Some researchers of the location of the room believe that it is still in the castle cellars, although reliable sources confirming this information have not been found. The search for the amber room was one of the goals (not the main one) of the excavations of the castle, carried out in 2001-2008 by the German magazine Der Spiegel.

At the end of the war, the castle was on fire (in August 1944 during an Anglo-American air raid and in April 1945 during the assault on Koenigsberg), but by 1956 the main towers and walls were still preserved. Despite protests, in 1967, by decision of the first secretary of the regional committee of the CPSU, Nikolai Konovalov, the ruins of the castle were blown up. The top of the mountain on which the castle stood was several meters hidden. Approximately on the site of the southeastern part of the castle, currently stands under construction (and unfinished) in Soviet time House of Soviets.

From 1993 to 2007 (with interruptions) archaeological work was carried out in the castle, since 2001 funded by the German magazine "der Spiegel". The work was carried out by the Baltic expedition of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences together with the Kaliningrad Regional Museum of History and Art. After the end of the 2007 field season, work was stopped, funding stopped, the excavated castle ruins are in a state of destruction due to weather conditions. The reason for this, according to the magazine "Der Spiegel", was a lack of understanding and lack of interest on the part of the city administration and the regional government. The real reason for the cessation of work was the lack of a scientific project, within the framework of which archaeological research of the ruins of the Königsberg Castle should be carried out, as well as the lack of funds for the conservation of architectural remains uncovered by excavations.