King’s Gate

King’s Gate

The Grand Embassy Historical and Cultural Centre is located in the King’s Gate, a monument of fortification art of the XIX century. On 30 August 1843, the King of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm IV, took part in founding it. Through the city gate, rulers, handicraftsmen and peasants used to enter Koenigsberg.

The War II radically changed the history and appearance of the city by wiping off the map or severely damaging many listed buildings. For a long time, the King’s Gate was in bad shape, the sculptures were almost completely destroyed, the brickwork of the facades and interior confronted serious losses; there were no communications and the surrounding area was in a deplorable condition.

In February 2005, the Gate was transferred to the Museum of the World Ocean that has a federal status and reputation as an institution that can work quickly and efficiently despite its being young. Only 4 months were allocated to perform all the work. Unbelievable timing, the piece of architecture was in a sad condition, almost completely destroyed sculptures, huge losses in the brickwork of facades and internal premises, lack of communications and the surrounding territory in a deplorable state. In restoration of the Gate the museum was assisted by the Russian Federation Government, the Kaliningrad Regional Administration, the City Hall, embassies, consulates and many other organisations. Polish restorers worked on the restoration of the facades, the interior work was carried out by restorers from St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad, the sculpture was restored by professionals of the highest category of the Hermitage under the guidance of Vyacheslav Mozgovoy. The coats of arms were restored by Kaliningrad artists, and Kaliningrad companies were engaged in landscaping. The greatest challenge was to restore the sculptures. The museum is grateful to the Scientific Archives of Warsaw for a rare shot of the King’s Gate with a clear image of the sculptures as well as the Berlin Park and Gardens Foundation for providing high-quality images of the sword of the Duke Albrecht and the scepter of King Frederick I.

The Gate was solemnly opened in the summer of 2005, to the city’s 750th anniversary, after the restoration unique in complexity and timing. The first guest to the Gate was the President of Russia V.V. Putin.

The information obtained from the official website of the Museum of the World Ocean - world-ocean.ru