Duration: 8 hours.
Group size: up to 4 people.
Guide: Mikhail.
Car: Škoda Roomster.
Phone: 8(906)217-39-69.
Kamenka
On the way to Gvardeysk, in the village of Kamenka, which is now being chaotically built up with private houses, there once stood one of the largest country palaces of East Prussia, Friedrichstein, the centre of a vast estate belonging to the famous local Dönhoff family. Of the whole complex of buildings only the carriage house has survived to this day, even though the fighting of the Second World War bypassed these parts... Still, it is worth stopping here. If only to stroll through the magnificent park on the shores of the lake. Although it is deteriorating, it still preserves traces of its former beauty and grandeur, visible to this day even to the naked eye.
Friedrichstein Palace.
Kaliningrad is linked to Friedrichstein by the mysterious story of the monument to Immanuel Kant, which, according to legend, was taken here from Königsberg in 1944 and hidden in the park. It could not be found after the war, and a copy was erected in Kaliningrad. The search for the original continues.
The Kant monument in Kaliningrad.
Gvardeysk
Since before the war, Tapiau Castle in Gvardeysk was part of the local penal system, and it could be visited only in some exceptional cases. Quite recently, however, the site was repurposed and acquired new owners (leaseholders), and, gradually shedding its peculiar trappings, it has already opened its doors to those who wish to get to know it. The castle displays a unique collection of medieval weapons, which, combined with the building's outstanding architectural merits, already makes a visit a must for anyone interested in local history. Besides the castle, Gvardeysk has several other interesting places, starting with the medieval local church on the central Victory Square and the house museum on the bank of the Pregel where the famous Prussian painter Lovis Corinth was born.
The Tapiau Town Hall still faithfully serves the residents of Gvardeysk.
Now all that is missing is a good restaurant, and then one could happily come to Gvardeysk for a whole day. For the time being, the nearest one is in Znamensk, which is where we are heading next.
View from the windows of the Allenberg psychiatric hospital in Znamensk.
Znamensk
Alas, the Second World War did not spare this little town, and little remains of Wehlau in Znamensk. But that little certainly deserves attention. We will start with St. James's Church in the centre, walk to the longest bridge in the Kaliningrad Region, stop by the beautiful school building and, before sitting down to eat at the confluence of the Alle and the Pregel, take a look at the grounds of the extensive building complex of the Allenberg psychiatric hospital. Next to the hospital roars a high weir, which some even call a "waterfall".
Photos by Mikhail Ogorodnikov.
Translated from Russian with the help of AI (Claude, Anthropic), October 2026.
