A tour of Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg
Re: A tour of Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg
Some more,
Königsbergs fort no. 5 Königsbergs fort no. 5 monument. As stated Before, Kaliningrad is packed with Soviet WW2 monument. Palmnicken, todays Yantarny, Baltic coast line, memorial at the site where approximately 3000 Jews were murdered in late January 1945. Links with pictures from my visit to the Rominten Forest and Nemmersdorf, May 2013.
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 2&t=200326
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=200328
Königsbergs fort no. 5 Königsbergs fort no. 5 monument. As stated Before, Kaliningrad is packed with Soviet WW2 monument. Palmnicken, todays Yantarny, Baltic coast line, memorial at the site where approximately 3000 Jews were murdered in late January 1945. Links with pictures from my visit to the Rominten Forest and Nemmersdorf, May 2013.
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 2&t=200326
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=200328
Re: A tour of Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg
I took lots of photos of Soviet memorials, but I only put a few in this thread because they all look much the same throughout Russia.
Re: A tour of Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg
The tour you did is absolutely outstanding. I feel a great sadness for the once beautiful city that has now gone forever. The forlorn photo of the "Kreuz-Apotheke" encapsulates it all for me. Thank you, Adam, for enabling me to do a tour that I will never be able to make myself.
As a matter of historical interest, I understand that the last known storage place for the dismantled "Amber Room" was in Konigsberg -was it stashed away in the Schloss? If so then it may have been incinerated by the RAF raid.
As a matter of historical interest, I understand that the last known storage place for the dismantled "Amber Room" was in Konigsberg -was it stashed away in the Schloss? If so then it may have been incinerated by the RAF raid.
Re: A tour of Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg
Thanks for your comments Paul.
The fate of the Amber Room is one of the great unsolved mysteries of the war. It was last seen in 1944 on display in the Konigsberg Schloss, but it was apparently dismantled and packed in crates as the threat of air raids on the city grew. Where it was at the time of the RAF raid is not known. It certainly could have been destroyed by the fire that burned out the Schloss. Or it may have been destroyed in the fighting for Konigsberg in 1945. A Russian veteran apparently testified recently that it was still in the Schloss when the Red Army occupied the city, but was then accidentally destroyed. (Drunken Red Army soldiers destroyed a lot of things in 1945.) Another theory is that it was on the Wilhelm Gustloff when she was torpedoed and sank in the Baltic in January 1945. Another is that the Germans successfully evacuated it to Germany, and hid it somewhere where it has never been found. There was a flurry of stories in I think 2008 about it being found in a mine-shaft in Saxony near the Czech border, but nothing came of that. I think the chance that it still exists is pretty small.
The fate of the Amber Room is one of the great unsolved mysteries of the war. It was last seen in 1944 on display in the Konigsberg Schloss, but it was apparently dismantled and packed in crates as the threat of air raids on the city grew. Where it was at the time of the RAF raid is not known. It certainly could have been destroyed by the fire that burned out the Schloss. Or it may have been destroyed in the fighting for Konigsberg in 1945. A Russian veteran apparently testified recently that it was still in the Schloss when the Red Army occupied the city, but was then accidentally destroyed. (Drunken Red Army soldiers destroyed a lot of things in 1945.) Another theory is that it was on the Wilhelm Gustloff when she was torpedoed and sank in the Baltic in January 1945. Another is that the Germans successfully evacuated it to Germany, and hid it somewhere where it has never been found. There was a flurry of stories in I think 2008 about it being found in a mine-shaft in Saxony near the Czech border, but nothing came of that. I think the chance that it still exists is pretty small.
Re: A tour of Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg
Thanks, Adam, for that info - it's sad that so much was lost particularly in that last dreadful year of the war.
I have found a street map of Konigsberg city center dated 1940. You mentioned that you could not locate a certain street on your map. I cannot give you the URL because it will not save it, for whatever reason I know not. However, if you Google the following: "German City and Regional Maps / Konigsberg Pharus-Plan 1940" that should give you a good street guide of the city center as it was back then. Hope that this helps.
I have found a street map of Konigsberg city center dated 1940. You mentioned that you could not locate a certain street on your map. I cannot give you the URL because it will not save it, for whatever reason I know not. However, if you Google the following: "German City and Regional Maps / Konigsberg Pharus-Plan 1940" that should give you a good street guide of the city center as it was back then. Hope that this helps.
Re: A tour of Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg
Thanks, that's a useful collection of maps.
Re: A tour of Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg
Several posts dealing with war crimes were split off into a new thread at http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=204558, this thread is not the place for those discussions.
/Marcus
/Marcus
- Helmut0815
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Architectural Competition Held to Rebuild Königsberg City Ce
Resurrecting Königsberg: Russian City Looks to German Roots
The Allies bombed the Prussian city of Königsberg into the ground in 1944. Residents of what is today the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, a desolate Soviet landscape, are considering rebuilding the city center to reflect some of its historical German architecture.
...
Full article in Der SPIEGEL International here: http://www.spiegel.de/international/zei ... 80260.html
regards
Helmut
The Allies bombed the Prussian city of Königsberg into the ground in 1944. Residents of what is today the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, a desolate Soviet landscape, are considering rebuilding the city center to reflect some of its historical German architecture.
...
Full article in Der SPIEGEL International here: http://www.spiegel.de/international/zei ... 80260.html
regards
Helmut
Re: A tour of Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg
Yes, thanks, I have seen that article. I'm glad that some progress is now being made on this. I hope that Germany contributes generously to the rebuilding of the city. [An irrelevant opinion on present-day politics was removed by this moderator - David Thompson] But it is in Germany's interests that Kaliningrad be brought into closer contact with western Europe.
Incidentally, it's not entirely true that "the Allies bombed Koenigsberg into the ground in 1944." The centre of the city was totally destroyed, that's true. But as my photo-thread demonstrates, most of the rest of the city survived. There are still a lot of German buildings in the city, some of which would be quite splendid if some money was spent on restoring them.
Incidentally, it's not entirely true that "the Allies bombed Koenigsberg into the ground in 1944." The centre of the city was totally destroyed, that's true. But as my photo-thread demonstrates, most of the rest of the city survived. There are still a lot of German buildings in the city, some of which would be quite splendid if some money was spent on restoring them.
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Re: A tour of Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg
Very informative tour thanks. timothy
Re: A tour of Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg
You're welcome. This reminds me I still haven't uploaded my Breslau photos.