#кирха

The Castle Interiors in the Mid-20th Century

A church, a museum with storerooms and a library, a court, a restaurant and several offices

Steindamm

One of the main streets of Königsberg and the district of the same name

Juditten. Off the Beaten Tourist Track

The Theodor Krohne Park and Luisenthal

Lutheran Church of Pillau

Destroyed during the assault of 1945; its ruins were cleared away in the post-war years

Lutheran Church in the Pillau Citadel

Damaged during the fighting within the Pillau fortress in 1945. The ruins were cleared away

Reformed Church of Pillau

The gable was slightly damaged during the fighting in 1945. After the war the church was used as a warehouse

German Church of Tilsit (Lutheran)

It was intact after 1945. In the post-war years it was stripped for firewood and bricks, and what remained was demolished in the 1960s

The Reformed Church of Gumbinnen

The congregation was founded by settlers from France, Switzerland, Nassau and the Palatinate. Before the church was built, they worshipped in a brewe…

Ischdaggen Church

The sad story of an abandoned and crumbling village church

The Catholic Church of Gumbinnen

It was built in 1930, was not damaged during the Second World War and afterwards served as a club on the grounds of a military unit

The Kreuzkirche of Gumbinnen

A polygonal building with a portal facing Schillerstrasse. Its pyramidal roof bore a turret

The Altstadt Church of Gumbinnen

It was built in 1720 on the orders of Frederick William I. In 1810–11 it was skilfully raised and enlarged

The Salzburger Church of Gumbinnen

The Salzburgers settled here in 1732. In 1839 the foundation stone was laid. On 15 October 1840 the church was consecrated

Sprindt Church

The church of the community of the settlement that grew up around the Sprindt estate, north of Insterburg

Plibischken Church

The church had a massive tower with a beautiful spire, which collapsed in 1950 and broke through the roof of the nave

Georgenburg Church

A neighbour of the castle of the same name, north of Insterburg (Chernyakhovsk). It has not survived

Jodlauken Church

After the Second World War this 18th-century church was, in keeping with local "tradition", used as a warehouse

Aulowönen Church

When there are many churches and nobody needs them, who will notice one more or one less? This one was wrecked in the 1960s

Neunischken Church

In the post-war years the building was divided inside into two floors and converted into a village house of culture

Judtschen Church

It would have fitted perfectly into the ensemble of the Immanuel Kant Museum (the Pastor's House) in present-day Veselovka

Didlacken Church

Built by the Frenchman Pierre de la Cave, who in the 17th century rose to be commandant and governor of Pillau

Pelleningken Church

Consecrated in December 1892. Since July 1996 it has served as the Orthodox Church of St John of Kronstadt

Groß Berschkallen Church

In the first quarter of the 21st century it was a sorry sight. All hope rests with the "Guardians of the Ruins"

The Reformed Church of Insterburg

After the war it was used as a club with a dance floor and as a gymnasium. In 1989 it was handed over to the Russian Orthodox Church

The Catholic Church of Insterburg

The active Church of St Bruno was built to a design by Friedrich Heitmann at the very beginning of the 20th century

The Lutherkirche of Insterburg

One of the town's architectural symbols, which graced it for more than 400 years. It was demolished in 1975.

The Melanchthonkirche

It was named in memory of Luther's companion-in-arms, who led the Protestant movement after Luther's death

Saalau Church

Having lost its bell tower after the Second World War, it continues tirelessly to serve the people

Puschdorf Church

It was built of fieldstone. The half-timbered bell tower stood separately

Grünheide Church

High-class eclecticism: a Romanesque-style building crowned by a tower with a Gothic spire

Norkitten Church

An exact copy of St George's Church in the town of Dessau

Obelischken Church

Not particularly expressive, but large. Today it is a majestic ruin in the spirit of German Romanticism

Schönwalde Church

The sad story of an old settlement whose fate its church shared

Friedenberg Church

Having survived the war and held out until the mid-1990s, the church began to fall into ruin. In 2010 it was handed over to the Russian Orthodox Chur…

Groß Schönau Church

One of the hardest-to-reach monuments of medieval architecture in the region

Böttchersdorf Church

A brick-and-fieldstone building from the time of the Teutonic Order. The walls and the tower have partly survived

Mulden Church

Built in 1806–1808 of fieldstone and brick. It survived the war and was then used as a warehouse

Schönbruch Church

After the war the village was split in two by the border. The church ended up on the Soviet side. In 1974 it was demolished

Stockheim Church

The upper part of its tower was handsomely articulated by slender blind windows. Lost in the 1970s

Allenau Church

A tall tower with five rows of blind windows and gables to the east and west, at a bend in the road to Zheleznodorozhny

Auglitten Church

A brick building without a chancel, with a vaulted sacristy to the north and a tower to the west

Deutsch Wilten Church

When it was rebuilt in the 19th century, masonry from the time of the Teutonic Order was partly reused

Georgenau Church

All that remains from the time of the Teutonic Order is the tower with a fine pointed portal, the plinth and part of the east wall

Klein Gnie Church

Since 2000 the church has been used as a gym by the Mozyr school across the road

Almenhausen Church

Founded in the second half of the 14th century, it belonged to a convent of Augustinian nuns established in 1402

Klein Schönau Church

One of the most expressive and picturesque ruins in the region

Groß Engelau Church

It is hard to count on a happy, peaceful life when you are surrounded by a military training ground

Paterswalde Church

Thanks to the efforts of local enthusiasts, the crumbling church has become a notable cultural centre

Petersdorf Church

After the Second World War the old church stood abandoned for a long time and fell into complete decay

Grünhayn Church

Of the village, whose patron was the King of Prussia, and of its church not one stone was left standing on another

Goldbach Church

Its pulpit was made in 1690 by the famous Baroque woodcarver and sculptor Christian Klodssey

Groß Ottenhagen Church

A contemporary of Ragnit Castle, built towards the end of the Order era. Damaged in 1945, it gradually fell into ruin

Löwenhagen Church

A neighbour of Friedrichstein. An annex to it held the richly decorated sarcophagus of the Dönhoff family

Kremitten Church

A very beautiful church built on the bank of the Pregel in the days of the Order (14th century), now completely lost

Wehlau Church

War rolled like a steamroller through the centre of the ancient town, but by the will of the Almighty the magnificent church survived

Starkenberg Church

In the second half of the 20th century this village church from the Order era served as a warehouse, and was then abandoned

Tapiau Church

Lovis Corinth, a native of Tapiau, presented the church in 1910 with the altar triptych "Golgotha" that he had painted

Alt Sussemilken Church

A wood-clad brick building, untypical of East Prussia, met, alas, a typical fate

Groß Schirrau Church

Even outstanding architectural merits counted for nothing in the post-war years

Gilge Church

In 1948, when the first settlers arrived here, everything was intact, even the organ was in working order

Groß Legitten Church

The best-known church along the Kaliningrad – Polessk road is guarded by a headless German soldier

Laukischken Church

Ännchen von Tharau, celebrated by Simon Dach, lived in the pastor's house of this church

Augstagirren Church

An architect from Königsberg who went on to become famous left his mark in the Elchniederung with the design of this modest church

Labiau Church

An illustration of the saying "The best go first": there was a beautiful church, and now it is gone, though others still stand

Mehlauken Church

Inspired by the Roman basilica of San Clemente in Rome. Stüler realised a similar design in Potsdam

Heiligenbeil Church

After the Second World War the ancient Christian church stood in ruins for almost forty years

Kreuzburg Church

Of the town that once stood where the village of Slavskoye is now, not even the street grid has survived

Bladiau Church

Damaged in 1945, the massive medieval church stood for more than 30 years after the war before it was demolished

Pörschken Church

The oldest church in the region

Zinten Church

The charming little town has sunk into oblivion, and the ruins of its church are a sorry sight

Jesau Church

Not the most striking church in the region, with a rather ordinary fate: it was either blown up or taken apart

Dollstädt Church

In the first half of the 1980s it was blown up and taken apart for its bricks

Uderwangen Church

There is a certain logic in the fact that the unremarkable main body has sunk into oblivion while the unusual tower has stood firm

Mühlhausen Church

The church's history is linked with the name of Martin Luther: his daughter was married to the local pastor and is buried here

Tharau Church

One of the most interesting churches in the southern part of the region — and not only because of its architectural merits

Balga Church

The ruins of the church that stood next to the legendary castle are memorable for a fragment of the west wall with a Gothic portal

Heiligenkreutz Church

Over its history it caught fire more than once. The last time it burned for five whole days, after which the ruins were taken apart

Thierenberg Church

The church and the village around it were taken apart for building materials almost immediately after the Second World War

Zimmerbude Church

Traces of the pre-war past of these places survive only on paper

Churches and Chapels of Cranz

Besides the main Lutheran church, the resort town had a Catholic and a Baptist chapel

The Chapel of Lochstedt Castle

It was in the eastern part of the south wing, which ran parallel to the railway along the shore of the lagoon

Rauschen Church

The forest that grew up around it on the dune has made this church one of the most beautiful in Samland

Medenau Church

A famous place, a beautiful church, but what is left of it you could hardly find even if you searched high and low

Palmnicken Church

Like almost everything in Palmnicken, the church was built with money from the Stantien & Becker company

Rudau Church

A rebuilt wing of the local castle.

Sarkau Church

At the beginning of the 20th century the local half-timbered church gave way to a brick one

Laptau Church

Later than many others, but in 2026 this church too was finally remembered

Fischhausen Church

Its entrance was adorned with sculptures by the celebrated sculptor Rudolf Siemering

Wargen Church

The length of its nave was striking. The impression was heightened by the height of the walls and the tall, narrow windows

Sankt Lorenz Church

For a long time it was the parish church of the village of Rauschen (Svetlogorsk). Even its ruins look impressive

Pobethen Church

After the war it was intact. It was used for utility purposes. It stood abandoned. It is now being repaired

Kumehnen Church

A famous church on the road to Yantarny, with three stork nests on its roof

Borchersdorf Church

After the First World War, a mosaic panel commemorating the fallen appeared on the church wall and made it special

Mahnsfeld Church

It survived the war, but soon afterwards it somehow got in the way of some atheist in power and was demolished in 1958

Haffstrom Church

Where this church once stood in the middle of the village of the same name, the waves of the lagoon now lap

Lichtenhagen Church

Having survived the war without losses, it fell into decay in peacetime

Steinbeck Church

One of the many East Prussian churches of which not one stone was left standing upon another

Ludwigswalde Church

A "contemporary" of Königsberg Cathedral

Powunden Church

The neo-Gothic tower that appeared in the early 1860s did nothing to embellish it

Schönwalde Church

Having survived the Second World War, the building, except for the tower, dematerialised in peacetime

Postnicken Church

The last decade of the 20th century proved fatal for the church, when it suffered its greatest losses

Gross Heydekrug Church

On the roof stood a small turret, and above the modest altar a simple cross. The fiery whirlwind of war swept it all away

Schaaken Church

In the second half of the 2020s, what is left of it is regularly tidied up by volunteers of the Ruin Keepers movement

Kaimen Church

It is close to Kaliningrad, it has a landmark castle (also falling to ruin), two roads lead here, and still it is an abandoned site

Brandenburg Church

Its surviving tower greets everyone heading for the regional capital from the south at the bridge over the Prokhladnaya (Frisching) River

Neuhausen Church

The neighbour of the castle of the same name, recreated in Guryevsk

Heiligenwalde Church

A very old and yet beautifully preserved church on the northern bank of the Pregel

Gross Kuhren Church

It was built for holidaymakers in the early 20th century. Today it houses the House of Culture of the village of Primorye

Germau Church

Built from a wing of the castle that for more than a hundred years was the centre of the amber trade in Samland

Friedland Church

After the Second World War Friedland Church fell to the victors intact, but in 1948 it was looted in a single night

Nordenburg Church

It did not survive the region's post-war revival to a new life

Allenburg Church

In 2014, a striking clock paid for by the community of Allenburg's former residents was installed on the church tower

Darkehmen Church

It stands humbly some three hundred metres north of the little town's main square

Domnau Church

The majestic building rising above the former town continues to attract attention

Gerdauen Church

The Second World War spared Gerdauen Church, and until 1961 it was in almost perfect condition

The Friedenskirche

Built in the early 20th century on Königstraße, not far from the East Prussian Fire Insurance Society

The Metgethen Church

Like many other churches in the region, it survived the war only to find itself unwanted, and was gradually destroyed

The Rosenau Church

Because of the First World War, the construction of this church dragged on for almost ten years

The Tragheim Church

A cosy city church with three hundred years of history that could not withstand the onslaught of the turbulent 20th century

The Catholic Church of St. Joseph in Ponarth

The church's modest exterior was offset by its original interior, especially the vaulted ceiling of the nave

The Neuendorf Church

The wooden altar and pulpit were joined by an old chest bearing a seated Madonna of the 14th century

The Neurossgarten Church

A neighbour of the observatory and the botanical garden. For a long time its spire was the tallest in the city

The Ponarth Church

In the 1990s the church was handed over to the Russian Orthodox Church and after renovation became the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theoto…

The Quednau Church

The church held the armour of the legendary Grand Marshal of the Order and Komtur of Königsberg, Henning Schindekopf

The Tannenwalde Church

The modest church of a small settlement that became part of Königsberg in 1939. It burned down and was demolished in 1968

The Seligenfeld Church

The church's history divides into before and after the lightning strike of 1845, which caused a devastating fire

Altrossgarten Church

In Russian and other languages the name of the church is rendered as the Old Rossgarten Church

The Löbenicht Hospital Church

In 1531 the local Benedictine convent was turned into a hospital by Duke Albrecht

The Christuskirche in Ratshof

The story of the Vagonka rock club began in 1977, when the Ritm disco opened in the church building

The Queen Louise Memorial Church

The beautiful church on the border of Hufen and Amalienau is surrounded by a run-down square and park

The Catholic Church

An envoy of the Holy See in Lutheran Königsberg

The French Reformed Church

With a French Square and a French Street in the city, the appearance of a French church was a foregone conclusion

The Sackheim Church

The Königsberg district with the most dubious reputation was especially in need of a church

The Kaiser Friedrich III Memorial Church

It bore the name of the emperor who, under the influence of his English wife, planned to reform Prussia along British lines

The Haberberg Church

Until the early 20th century its organ, built by the great Casparini, was considered one of the finest in East Prussia

The New Tragheim Church

In the 1930s it was renamed the Duke Albrecht Memorial Church. Its tower rose above the district until the 1960s

The Castle Church

The cradle of the Prussian monarchy. There was and is no more important place in the history of the German state

The Burgkirche

They built and built... and never finished it

The Löbenicht Church (St. Barbara)

The church of the local weavers, brewers and newspapermen, whose home ground was the Löbenicht

The New Altstadt Church

What made it special was the number of columns per square metre of the nave

The Old Altstadt Church

The silhouette of the Königsberg Castle tower, renewed in the second half of the 19th century, was a homage to the legendary church

The Steindamm Church

The oldest church in central Königsberg

Juditten Church

The oldest church in the regional capital

Heitmann’s Churches

27 October marks 173 years since the birth of the architect Friedrich Heitmann