12.02.2023 / Kaliningrad–Ushakovo–Vesyoloye

The Castles of Königsberg, Brandenburg and Balga

As the crusaders advanced eastwards, they built their castles a day's ride apart. In Kaliningrad we will visit Central Square, where Königsberg Castle once stood. In Ushakovo we will drive up to the site where work is under way to recreate Brandenburg Castle. The final point of our trip will be the majestic ruins of Balga Castle, which never once surrendered, on the shore of the Kaliningrad Lagoon in the south of the region, from where the Teutonic Order's conquest of Prussia began in the 13th century.

Duration: 8 hours.
Group size: up to 4 people.
Guide: Mikhail.
Car: Škoda Roomster.
Phone: 8(906)217-39-69.

Kaliningrad
Sadly, Königsberg Castle has not survived to the present day. It was badly damaged in the British bombing raids of 1944; then, in '45, came the storming of the city, when it suffered again. Its fate was finally sealed by Soviet party officials who, in the 1960s, against the opinion of Kaliningrad's cultural community, took the final decision to demolish it. A park is planned on the site where the ruins towered half a century ago, but for now it is a car park.

The ruins of Königsberg Castle in 1945.

We will look at photographs of the castle and at what remains of it — a small fragment of the southern terrace.

Brandenburg Castle in an old engraving.

Ushakovo
Brandenburg Castle, in the village once named after it and renamed Ushakovo in the mid-20th century, has at present been handed over to "reconstructors". The (hasty) restoration process here is a textbook case of "how not to do it". We will take a quick look through the gate at what the site's current owners are making of it and hurry on south.

Vesyoloye
The ruins of Balga Castle, never once taken by the enemy forces that besieged it, stand on the high shore of a peninsula "cut off" from the mainland by marshland, across which runs one single road. The castle is a true legend and a stronghold of the Teutonic Order. It was from here, in December 1254, that the Bohemian King Ottokar and a band of crusaders set out across the frozen lagoon on a campaign that proved fateful for all of Prussia.

The ruins of Balga Castle in 1850.

Its success made it possible to found Königsberg Castle at the mouth of the Pregel.

Beach by the walls of Balga Castle The beach near the ruins of Balga Castle.

Balga is currently leased by the Kaliningrad architect Arthur Sarnitz, known for his commitment to Prussian architectural traditions. The local community is waiting with bated breath to see what revival project he will propose.

We have honestly earned it!
For dessert: the beach right here, just below the former walls of the formidable Balga fortress, the oldest church in the Kaliningrad Region, Pörschken Church in the village of Novomoskovskoye, and lunch at "Mushkino", one of the best country restaurants in the region.