The unique city of Kaliningrad is literally steeped in history. Located on European lands, it became part of the USSR after the end of the Second World War, and many purely European features have survived until now. The combination of Soviet and European makes Kaliningrad so amazing, not at all like other cities. It is not surprising that those who come here as a tourist often fall in love with him.
This is the westernmost of the major Russian cities. According to the census, a little less than half a million people live here, but in fact there are more than 600 thousand inhabitants here. Among all the Baltic cities, Kaliningrad is second only to Vilnius and Riga in terms of population. The traditional New Year greeting of the President is not broadcast here at midnight, but hours earlier. And at midnight the city congratulates the governor. Kaliningrad ranks first in Russia in terms of the ratio of the number of beauty salons to the number of residents. Nine-tenths of the world reserves of amber are located in the Kaliningrad region.
Among all the Russian regions, Kaliningrad is the smallest. Previously, the city was called “Konigsberg” and “Twangste.” The famous philosopher Immanuel Kant was born and lived all his life here. A church built in 1288 has survived to this day. Now here is the St. Nicholas Church. Many streets in Kaliningrad have both Russian and German names.
The local Amber Museum presents the world’s largest collection of these “sunstones”. Kaliningrad Lake Vishtynets is about 10 thousand years older than the Baltic Sea itself. Not far from Kaliningrad is located Baltiysk, the most western city of our country. After joining the USSR, the city was named after Mikhail Kalinin, who had never been in the city itself or in the area adjacent to it. On the beaches of Kaliningrad, it is often possible to find amber, which bears sea waves.
The weather in Kaliningrad is rainy and in winter it is snowy – precipitation here falls about 50% of all days in a year. There are a lot of snowdrops growing here. In the spring they can be found even on urban lawns. Since Kaliningrad is an enclave surrounded on all sides by territories of other countries, every local resident has a passport. Without it, the only way to get to the rest of Russia is by plane. This city is only 25 kilometers away from the Polish border.
