Königsberg Cathedral

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Königsberg Cathedral was the main church of old Königsberg and today it remains a landmark of modern Kaliningrad.

Königsberg Cathedral was first mentioned in the historical documents in 1333, and construction probably began a few years before this date. The cathedral was built in a Brick Gothic style, and construction continued until the middle of the 16th century (in fact, the cathedral can in some ways still be considered unfinished - the west tower of the otherwise symmetrical structure was never fully built).

The cathedral stands on the Kneiphof island on the Pregolya river. The main tower contains the famous Wallenrodt Library, donated by Martin von Wallenrodt in 1650. The choir contains murals from the 14th and 15th centuries, late Gothic wood carvings and medieval monuments in the Renaissance style, the chief of which was a statue of Albert of Prussia, carved by Cornelis Floris de Vriendt in 1570.

A number of Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order and Prussian princes are interred in the vaults of Königsberg Cathedral. Adjoining the cathedral, on the north side of the choir, is the grave of the famed philosopher Immanuel Kant, the "sage of Königsberg." His bones rest under a stone upon which stands a marble pedestal holding a bust in Carrara marble. On the wall behind is a copy of Raphael's "School of Athens", painted by Neide. Along with Kant, many of the professors of Königsberg University were buried there.

The cathedral was heavily damaged during the bombardments of World War II, and was not restored after the war by the anti-religious Soviet authorities. Only forty years later, in the early nineties, were the restoration works started.

The cathedral was restored as a cultural center, with a concert hall for classical and religious music, a museum, and two chapels: Orthodox and Lutheran.