Kaliningrad: Top things to do and see
Kaliningrad is located between Poland and Lithuania, but is a part of Russia. In the last years, Kaliningrad has lost a lot of importance when it comes to economics. To be honest, it is no city worth travelling to either despite you want to see the negative outcomes of a city which lived communism. However, if you are there for whatever reason and have some free time, here are a few top things to do and see in Kaliningrad.
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Victory Square and Church of Christ the Savior
Both, Victory Square and Church of Christ the Savior, are located pretty central in Kaliningrad.
Victory Square
Victory Square surrounds Church of Christ the Savior partly of pure gold if you want so.
Church of Christ the Savior
If you are lucky with the weather, it may be nice to spend some time there.
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Church of the Holy Family
Probably the attraction most worth visiting.
Church of the Holy Family Kaliningrad
Having been built in the early 20th century, it remained almost undamaged during WWII. However, if you pay the very small entrance fee for the museum located inside, this money will be used to renovate parts of the church.
However, the park which surrounds the church is nice. When you’re interested in history, it is fascinating that Kant lived there, thus some memorials can be found as well.
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“The Monster”
The Monster got its name due to its horrible architecture.
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Watch your steps when walking
As streets and sidewalks in Kaliningrad are of horrible condition, it really is important to watch your steps.
Wholes or other irregularities are nothing uncommon.
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Be shocked about the trams
Not only the streets, but also the rails for the trams are in terrible condition.
As we were told, the tram cannot be faster than walking pace as it would derail otherwise.
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Go to the oldest part of Kaliningrad
Actually, there exists a place which is called somewhat like old town.
Admittedly, it is nice there, even though not being very big.
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Spend your time next to the Upper Pond
At least, Moritz decided that it was best to run along the Upper Pond as you can see in his running guide for Kaliningrad.
Running in Kaliningrad
This may also allow another perspective of Kaliningrad!
Interested in more content about Kaliningrad? Check out our city page!
Anna
Moritz
Interesting post! I know of it’s existence of course but never really see mush written about Kaliningrad, so despite the shortcomings you mention it’s still cool to read about the place.
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Be sure we had there unique moments! And you’re right, hardly anybody writes about Kaliningrad, so it was hard for us to find out what we can actually do there.
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Sounds like you made the best of it 🙂
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Very interesting! Do you know if the trams heavily used?
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Well, we saw some people sitting in there, but two days there don’t seem too representative to me though…
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As Sabrina already mentioned, it’s tough to judge after being in the city for just two days. However, it’s obvious that the tram system is past it’s peak. From more than 15 lines in the 20th century, only two are left. Both are in a horrible condition, so it looks like the city doesn’t invest any money in the city anymore. Buses seem to be the future in Kaliningrad!
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Are there any relics of the German past in the city? Not expecting anything as grand as Riga, but still, I need a reason to go 🙂
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Puh, I guess the Church of the Holy Family is and I know that there is a Kant Museum. But honestly, Kaliningrad doesn’t give you many reasons to come lol
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Hi Sabrina,
from historic perspective it’s a very special place.
It was the capital of Prussia in the past and very German until 1945.
There’s a lot of history there…
The geographic location is very peculiar…
And so much more..
Cities come alive if you do your research..
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