Kaliningrad (Russian: Калинингра́д kuh-leen-een-GRAHD), is also known by its German name, Königsberg, is the capital of the Kaliningrad region in Russia. It has about 450,000 inhabitants. It is also called "Karaliaucius" in Lithuanian, as Lithuanians (cousins of the "Old Prussians") used to live there. So it is truly the "City of the Four Ks": Kaliningrad / Königsberg / Krolewiec / Karalaucius. After World War II, it was briefly known as Kyonigsberg (Кёнигсберг), the Russified form of the original German name.
Context
History
Kaliningrad's history dates back to the 13th century, when it was under the rule of the Teutonic Order of Knights, an order of German knights, priests, and laymen who sought to spread Christianity through missions and conquests. Known by its German name of Königsberg at the time, the city was the capital of Prussia.
Kaliningrad was a meeting place for geniuses of science and culture from Germany, Poland and Lithuania. In fact, the famous mathematical problem of the Königsberg bridge is based in the city. Kaliningrad is also the home of the renowned philosopher Immanuel Kant and the prominent German writer Ernst Theodor Amadeus (known by the abbreviated form ETA) Hoffmann. Kant was so proud of his hometown that as soon as he left the place in life, he declared that he did not need to venture abroad because ships came and brought people to tell him stories.
Destroyed in WWII and annexed by the USSR in 1946, the region was stripped of its German identity after the expulsion of the German population, and was named after Mikhail Kalinin, a Russian communist leader. The overwhelming majority of its residents are Russians and those from other Soviet republics who came to the area immediately after World War II. A highly militarized area during the Soviet era, the area was only opened to visitors about 20 years ago. Unsurprisingly, there are very few visible traces of its Prussian past, except for a small number of renovated buildings such as the Cathedral.
| Kaliningrad | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate chart (explanation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weather
The best time to visit is in summer, between June and August, when the temperature is around 20 to 25 ° C. Fall temperatures range from 10 to 15 ° C and the season runs from September to November. Kaliningrad's winter, which runs from December to February, is much milder than Russia's, with temperatures ranging from 5 ° C to minus 11 ° C.
Bring an umbrella, because the weather is unpredictable and windy. The climate is quite humid due to its proximity to the Baltic Sea. The Baltic sun is mild.
To get
Visa
As Kaliningrad is a territory of the Russian Federation, almost all visitors need a Russian visa to enter. If you plan to travel by land between Kaliningrad and other parts of Russia, you will need at least a double entry visa to leave and re-enter Russia.
Kaliningrad special visa: If you are only visiting Kaliningrad province (and not the rest of Russia), you may be able to get a special Kaliningrad visa, provided you meet all the requirements:
- Your stay in Kaliningrad is a maximum of 3 days.
- You are a citizen of a Schengen member state, the United Kingdom or Japan.
- You enter Russia through the border checkpoints of Bagrationovsk, Mamonovo or Khrabrovo airport. (You can leave Kaliningrad at any border crossing.)
The visa costs € 70 and cannot be issued for children (for them the regular visa must be obtained at a Russian embassy). For more information on how to obtain the Kaliningrad special visa, contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
As Kaliningrad is an enclave of the Russian Federation, almost all visitors require a Russian visa to enter, except for citizens of those countries that have signed bilateral agreements for visa-free entry, for example, Israel, South Korea, South Africa, Serbia. , Montenegro, Bosnia. and Herzegovina and Latin American countries. If you plan to travel by land between Kaliningrad and other parts of Russia, you will need at least a double entry visa to exit and re-enter Russia. You can travel by plane on domestic flights between Kaliningrad and Moscow, St. Petersburg or other Russian regional centers even with a single entry visa. For more information on Russian visas, see the visa section on the Russia page.
As of July 1, 2019, citizens of 53 countries, including almost all EU countries, Japan, China and some other Asian countries can get eVisa free of charge for visits of up to 8 days. You can apply for the eVisa on the Russian MFA website. You should print the eVisa confirmation (which comes in pdf format) for ease of use. Border guards may want to see your visa on departure so it is best to have a copy, although having the pdf on your phone is perfectly acceptable. Please note that the eVisa is not valid at some of the smaller border crossings.
Canadian, British and American citizens must still apply for a regular visa.
By plane
- Khrabrovo airport (( Аэропорт Храброво ) KGD IATA) (16 km (9.9 mi) from Kaliningrad). A regular bus (144) leaves every hour from the terminal to various stops in the city center by 33 руб . Taxi service is also available; If you know the exact address, ordering a taxi via mobile apps called Taxi Maxim or Rutaxi (which have the English language option and by the way work in several other Russian regional hubs) can save you approx. 10% compared to the prices of airport taxi services. The official airport taxi services that are represented in the arrival area with a couple of counters, charge a fixed price of 600-1000 руб to get from the airport to any point in the city; other taxi companies may charge even more. (Updated January 2019 | edit) Airlines and destinations include:
- Aeroflot (Moscow-Sheremetyevo)
- Air Baltic (Riga)
- Azimut (Kaluga, Rostov-on-Don)
- Pobeda (Moscow-Vnukovo, Saint Petersburg)
- Belavia (Brest, Gomel, Minsk)
- LOT (Warsaw)
- Rossiya (Saint Petersburg)
- RusLine (Belgorod, Lipetsk, Voronezh)
- S7 (Moscow-Domodedovo)
- Severstal (Cherepovets)
- Smartavia (Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, Moscow-Domodedovo, Sochi)
- Ural Airlines (Moscow-Domodedovo, Yekaterinburg, Saint Petersburg)
- UTair Aviation (Moscow-Vnukovo)
- UVT Aero (Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, Volgograd)
- Uzbekistan Airways (Tashkent)
By train
Long-distance trains departing from Kaliningrad run on Moscow time, one hour before local time.
By car
The road system is extensive in the Kaliningrad region; however, they are not always well maintained and it is sometimes difficult to get around due to the absence of signs indicating directions / destinations (especially in the city). The driving rules are generally the same as in most European countries, but many do not follow them, especially during rush hour in the city. Be careful with traffic police because they like to stop foreigners and often expect bribes.
There are two ways to get to Kaliningrad by car: from Poland and from Lithuania, but you have to expect delays at the borders (sometimes it can take a couple of hours). The green card for insurance is valid.
By bus
Direct bus lines connect Kaliningrad with various cities in Belarus, Poland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine. Bus schedules for international and regional buses (in English), see: here or on the site of the Kaliningrad central bus station (ulitsa Zheleznodorozhnaya, 7 - next to the South railway station), which, in addition to that, it also serves several lines.
Bus from Tallinn via Riga, see: here
Bus to / from Gdańsk (Zloty 28, Kaliningrad to Gdańsk 700 руб ) - departs Gdańsk at 06:00, 06:30, 15:00, 15:30. See: here and here
Bus to / from Warsaw: departs from Warszawa Zachodnia bus station at 08:00 on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday to Saturday, tickets 1520 руб . This bus also stops in Olsztyn (700 руб). In Tu y Sa there is another bus that leaves Warszawa Zachodnia at 13:00, the ticket costs 1200 руб .
Bus to / from Vilnius: departs Vilnius at 1:15 PM.
Travel
The city has a network of buses, minibuses, trolleybuses and trams. The best way to explore the city is by bus. The public transport system is very good. Half of the population lives in the city, so it is very well connected. Fares are kept low, at a flat rate of 15 rubles (US $ 0.50, GB £ 0.30) on the bus and the waiting time is short. Tickets on buses are delivered by drivers.
Taxis within the city may be metered, but most prefer to negotiate rates in advance. The minimum price within the city is at least 100 rubles, even for short distances.
Watch
Do
- This city is host to the 2018 Soccer World Cup.
- Walk along the bridges - The seven Königsberg bridges linked the two islands and the banks of the River Pregel. Proving the impossibility of a path that crosses each bridge exactly once led Euler to important discoveries in the mathematical theory of the graph. Königsberg became Kaliningrad, the Pregel became the Pregolya, two of the bridges were bombed in WWII, two were demolished and replaced by a highway called Lenin, and one was rebuilt in 1935. Now there are five bridges, the problem is solvable. Try it!
Learn
- public and private schools, schools have numbers instead of names
- Language schools, also for Russian as a foreign language
- Immanuel Kant University. Most Western Russian universities, following the tradition of the old German Albertina, offer Western European students guest semesters in Kaliningrad.
- Technical University
- State Academy of the Baltic Fishing Fleet. The school operates the Kruzenshtern and Sedov sailing training ships.
Work
After Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Kaliningrad is the fastest growing city in Russia and a free trade zone. There is a labor shortage in the city of Kaliningrad, so the government sometimes tried to recruit returnees living in Germany and induce them to settle in Kaliningrad. However, unemployment is even higher in rural areas of Kaliningrad province than in the city.
There are special visa programs for "guest workers", including highly skilled workers. After sending an invitation from a Kaliningrad school or university, teachers and professors receive a work visa free of charge and hassle-free.
To buy
- Europa shopping center , Ploshad Pobedy, Victory Square 2A (Train to Severnyy vokzal), ☏ [8 4012 21-08-23]. 66,000 m2 of high-end boutiques, cinemas, food and drink venues ranging from fine dining restaurants, cozy cafes to cheap food kiosks. Edit
- Viktoriya Supermarket , Leninsky Prospekt 30 (Ground floor of the Plaza Center). A supermarket open 24 hours, useful for self-services. Other places in the city, incl. a shopping center in front of the Sur train station and the bus station. Edit
The jewelry amber and art and crafts are the local specialty:
- Kaliningrad Amber Factory , Ul. Chernyakhovskovo 62 (also other places in the city), ☏ [8 4012 53 05 45], ✉ [[1]]. Factory store offering a wide variety of jewelry and art objects for almost any budget. Edit
- Amber pavilion (a few blocks from Leninsky Prospekt from the Kaliningrad hotel). opens at 10:00. Several stores grouped together with a variety of amber items at competitive prices. Edit
- Yantarny , Tourist information center "Gorod Vdohnoveniya", Masterov square, Yantarny settlement (an hour's drive from the city), ☏ [8-911-462-79-59-8-911-462-79-59], ✉ [[2]] .Yantarny has the largest amber mine in the world and accounts for more than 90 percent of world production. This settlement has a wide variety of amber products. Edit
- Amber Museum Gift Shop , 1, Marshal Vasilevsky Square, ☏ [8 4012 46 68 88] , [8 4012 46 65 50], ✉ [[3]] .You can buy a piece of amber from 240 руб . Edit
To eat
- Papasha Beppe Pizzeria , Leninsky Pr. 20/26 and Baltiiskaya Ul. 12. 11:00 to 23:00. Many locals consider this to be the best thin-crust and thick-crust pizza in town, along with a wide variety of salads, pastas, risottos, and desserts. 200-600 руб for pizza. Edit
- Karamel , Leninsky Prospekt 30 (on the top floor of the Plaza Center; note the separate elevator to the right of the main entrance to the shopping center.), ☏ [4012 53-04-61]. Some of the best views of the city from this cafe. Excellent food and quite a wide variety of European cuisine, roughly 500 руб per plate. Edit
- Razgulyai , Ploshad 'Pobedy 1, ☏ [4012 533-689]. Cafeteria style restaurant with rustic decor. Good for children. Edit
- Solyanka Coffee , 24 prospect look, ☏ [4012-936-203]. Try solyanka, a thick and spicy soup made with meat, fish or vegetables. It is cooked with canned cucumbers, olives, capers and tomato puree that give it a strong sour-salty flavor. Solyanka is perhaps one of the most popular soups besides borscht (beetroot soup) in Russia, but it remains unknown beyond national borders. 500 руб. Edit
- Zarya , Prospekt Mira 41/43 (Right across the street from the Moscow hotel), ☏ [4012 21-39-29]. A modern and exclusive restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, a wide selection on the menu, great desserts. In the same building as a movie theater. Edit
- Steindamm 99 , Zhitomirskaya ulitsa, 22 years old, ☏ [401238-84-70]. Monday-Thursday 11: 00-23: 00, F-Sun 12: 00-23: 00. Well designed interior, good service, lunch menu at a good price on weekdays. 600-800 руб. Edit
Drink and go out
| "Appearing is 80% of life" Woody Allen (b. 1935) gets its name from this city. He was born in the Bronx of New York as Allan Stewart Konigsberg; his Jewish grandparents had emigrated from Austria and Panevėžys, now in Lithuania. Woody coined the ultimate reason for continuing to live: "He would have killed me, but I was undergoing analysis with a strict Freudian and if you kill yourself they make you pay for the sessions you miss." |
Coffees
- Twelve chairs (Dvenadstat 'Stulyev). A very chic bohemian style cafe with a decent food menu. edit
- In the shadows of the castle (V Teni Zamka) (II the mall in front of the Kaliningrad hotel). opens at 11:00. One of the most durable coffees in Kaliningrad. edit
Local beer brands that are available in stores include Ostmark Y Konigsberg .
- Hmel Restaurant and Brewery , Plaza Pobedi, 10 ('Klover' shopping center, second floor), ☏ [4012-593-377]. Live music starts at 9:00 PM every night. A gigantic brewery on the second floor brews homemade beer. 95 rub / glass. edit
- Kropotkin , Teatralnaya ulitsa 30 (next to the big McDonald's near Victory Square), ☏ [401266 8060]. Beer from own elaboration ( 100 руб 0.5 liters (0.11 imp gal; 0.13 US gal)), probably the best in town. Try the unfiltered. Acceptable food, cozy brewery atmosphere, and business lunch. 400 руб. edit
Sleep
Budget
- Komnata otdyha (Комната Отдыха), Inside the main train station (follow the signs Комната Отдыха). The station offers rooms and small bedrooms. It is not necessary to show a train ticket to stay. A good budget option, especially if you are late. 500-1500 руб.
Middle range
- Ibis Kaliningrad Center , Moskovsky Prospekt 52, Kaliningrad, ☏ [401259-64-30].
Waste
- 1 Hotel Kaliningrad , Leninsky Prospekt 81, ☏ [4012 536021], ✉ [[4]] .An emblematic hotel in the center, clean and well renovated, within walking distance of most places of interest. Buffet breakfast costs 250 руб extra. 2100-2500 руб per night.
- 2 Moscow hotel , Prospekt Mira 19, ☏ [4012 352333], ✉ [[5]]. Affiliated with the Hotel Kaliningrad, and quite similar although a little higher, but still close to the center. 2100-2500 руб ; Breakfast: 350 руб.
- 3 Radisson Blu Hotel , Plaza Pobedy 10, ☏ [401 259 3344], ✉ [[6]] .In the historic main square. 178 rooms and suites created by Swedish designer Christian Lundveld (updated Sep 2020)
- 4 Hotel pattern , Oktyabrskaya Ulitsa 4A (In the fish village), ☏ [4012 592-000], ✉ [[7]] .A boutique hotel. 2500-2800 руб ; Breakfast: 300 руб.
Security
Kaliningrad is at least as safe as equally large German cities. Thanks to extensive video surveillance and improved police presence on the streets, there is almost no street crime. The police are now organized according to a western pattern and it is quite helpful, just knowledge of foreign languages is often a problem.
Traffic rules are largely respected because the penalties are high. 0 alcohol limit for drivers applies! The many cyclists are allowed to ride on the sidewalks, which, sometimes with a rather fast driving style, make the most of it.
Health
There are some Dental clinics in Kaliningrad they specialize in high quality prosthetics (implantology) according to Western European standards at very reasonable prices. The hospitals They are not completely international yet, with the exception of the new heart center on the outskirts, but there are numerous privately operated day clinics that meet Western standards. Public toilets of the large shopping centers are clean, well-equipped, and free.
Contact
Consulates
- Armenia (Honorary Consulate), Kievskaya Street, 23, ☏ [4012681-083] , [4012680-022]. edit
- Croatia (General Consulate), Dzherzhinskogo Street, 244-A, ☏ [4012 60-05-55], fax: 7 4012 60-05-56. edit
- Denmark (Honorary Consulate), Proletarskaya Street, 133, ☏ [4012 95-76-88]. edit
- Germany (General Consulate), Leningradskaya Street, 4, ☏ [4012920-218] (short-term visas), [4012920-220] (admission), [4012920-219] (national visas), fax: 7 (4012) 920-229, ✉ [[8]]. Monday to Thursday from 09:00 to 17:00; Fri 09: 00-14: 00. Edit
- Greece (Honorary Consulate), Calle Ogareva, 33, ☏ [4012 93-60-27], ✉ [[9]]. edit
- Italy (Honorary Consulate), Chernyakhovskogo Street, 6 office 108, ☏ [4012 53-24-32], fax: 7 4012 53-24-32, ✉ [[10]]. edit
- Latvia (Consulate General), Calle Engels, 52-а, ☏ [[11]] , [411270-6755] , [[12]] , [8 4012295-7441], fax: 7 (921) 232-9750, ✉ [[13]]. Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 18:00. edit
- Lithuania (General Consulate), Proletarskaya Street, 133, ☏ [4012 95-7688] , [4012 95-9486], fax: 7 (4012) 95-6838, ✉ [[14]]. Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. edit
- Netherlands (Representation at the Consulate General of Sweden), Kutuzova Street, 29, ☏ [4012 959-400], fax: 7 4012 959-433, ✉ [[15]]. M Tu Thu F 09:00 - 12:00. edit
- Norway (Honorary Consulate in the Consulate General of Poland), 51 Kashtanovaya Alley, ☏ [4012976-440] , [4012218-741] (visa issues), fax: 7 4012976-443, ✉ [[16]]. Monday to Friday from 08:30 to 13:00. edit
- Poland (General Consulate), Kashtanovaya Alley, 51, ☏ [4012976-440] , [4012218-741] (visa issues), fax: 7 4012976-443, ✉ [[17]] .Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 14:00. edit
Visa centers
- Estonia (Estonian visa service provided by the Lithuanian Consulate), Proletarskaya Street, 133, ☏ [4012 95-7688] , [4012 95-9486], fax: 7 (4012) 95-6838, ✉ [[18]]. Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. edit
- Hungary and Slovenia (Visa service for Hungary and Slovenia provided by the Consulate of Latvia), Engels Street, 52-а, ☏ [[19]] , [411270-6755] , [[20]] , [8 4012295-7441], fax: 7 921232-9750, ✉ [[21]]. Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 18:00. edit
- Sweden (Swedish visa service provided by the Consulate of Poland), Kashtanovaya Alley, 51, ☏ [4012976-440] , [4012218-741] (visa issues), fax: 7 4012976-443, ✉ [[22]] .Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 14:00. edit
Deal with
Be careful to contact King's Castle travel agency (Leninsky Prospect, 81, in the Kaliningrad Hotel building). There we were told, for example, that a ferry leaves from Baltiysk to the Baltic Spit 2 times a day (at 8 am and 5 pm), but in fact it turned out that it leaves every 2 hours (from 7.20 to 9.30 pm).