Goodness knows where Igor Yakimov found this old footage. The voice over says: ‘Ost Preussen ist das Deutsche Pferdeland‘ . . .  For 200 years indeed it was. King Friedrich Wilhelm 1 had a stud here and bred the famous ‘Trakhener‘ horse.  At one time it employed over 3,000 people.

When the Red Army advanced, the [...]]]>

Goodness knows where Igor Yakimov found this old footage. The voice over says: ‘Ost Preussen ist das Deutsche Pferdeland‘ . . .  For 200 years indeed it was. King Friedrich Wilhelm 1 had a stud here and bred the famous ‘Trakhener‘ horse.  At one time it employed over 3,000 people.

When the Red Army advanced, the horses were moved out with Prussians fleeing west, though few survived the winter and the trek.  The stables fell into ruins. They were still ruined when Joost Lemmens photographed them in 2000. Today the local town, Gusev, struggles to employ anyone.

This kind of rural decay characterises much of the Kaliningrad Oblast and explains why people are so unhappy with Moscow. Besides a couple of showpieces in the city, very little has been restored since the war, over sixty years ago.

Here’s 500 years of history in about four minutes. Technology is so cool. Although it’s fun to watch the shaded areas, one tends to forget that these represent people. Thanks to Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt, almost 17 million people were dispossessed when the map of Europe was redrawn at the Potsdam conference. Not only Germans, [...]]]>

Here’s 500 years of history in about four minutes. Technology is so cool. Although it’s fun to watch the shaded areas, one tends to forget that these represent people. Thanks to Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt, almost 17 million people were dispossessed when the map of Europe was redrawn at the Potsdam conference. Not only Germans, but Silesians, Pomeranians, Poles, Lithuanians . . .

The way history is rewritten is always fascinating. Here’s a contemporary cartoon of Russia ‘stealing Kaliningrad (Konigsberg) from Poland‘. No such thing of course, the carve up of Prussia between the ‘Great Powers’ happened simultaneously.

Kaliningrad has many old forts and ramparts. Konigsberg was a fortress city. But only a couple have been restored so far.

Some of the old gates, like the Sackheim gate above, don’t really lend themselves to happy snaps or history rambles. Which is a pity, since the whole of the Litovsky Val – formerly Litauer Valstraat [...]]]>

Kaliningrad has many old forts and ramparts. Konigsberg was a fortress city. But only a couple have been restored so far.

Some of the old gates, like the Sackheim gate above, don’t really lend themselves to happy snaps or history rambles. Which is a pity, since the whole of the Litovsky Val – formerly Litauer Valstraat – has many fine examples of the fortifications constructed in 1850.

Surviving sections of the ramparts have been variously converted into things like petrol stations, garages and night clubs, so it simply isn’t possible to wander round the back – or moat and drawbridge side – of many. The courtyard of the Fortress Caserne Kroonprins – largely intact – is a hang out for junkies and alkies.

Probably the best way to see Konigsberg’s ‘Monuments Of Defensive Architecture’ is to buy in advance the beautifully produced book (in English) of the same name by Veniamin Eremeev.

I’ll be documenting all the forts and gates of the city in upcoming posts. Meanwhile this is a wonderful book for armchair historians. ISBN number is 5-902949-07-6

The rear of the Sackheim is accessible, but the drawbridge is long gone