Where is the Wrangel Tower in Kaliningrad?

The Wrangel Tower is a well-known fortification, which is located in Kaliningrad, the former German city of Konigsberg, which moved to Russia after the Great Patriotic War.

History of the tower

The Wrangel Tower is an integral part of the fortifications of Prussian Königsberg. It was built in 1853. Her project was developed by a German military engineer named Ernst Ludwig von Aster. In Prussia, he was engaged exclusively in military engineering, building fortresses. One of his most ambitious projects is the global restructuring of fortifications in Cologne, which was held in 1816. For the successful completion of this work, he received the rank of Major-General.

In Koenigsberg, he worked on the project of the second defensive defensive contour of this eastern Prussian city. The work was carried out for 17 years - from 1843 to 1860 years. Up to now, only a part of these fortifications have survived: 7 city gates, the towers of Wrangel and Don, bastions, ravelins and the defensive barracks Kronprinz.

A valorous defensive detour

The Wrangel Tower in Kaliningrad is one of the key parts of the global defensive detour. The first object of these fortifications was the "Kronprinz" barracks (now it is on the Lithuanian shaft).

The defensive belt of Koenigsberg included various bastions, as well as an earthen embankment that protected the city from the north. At the very beginning there was Fort Friedrichsburg, which was fenced with a stone wall instead of redoubts. He was defended by a powerful gate and four towers at once. To this day it has not survived. The Germans themselves demolished it at the beginning of the 20th century in the construction of the city railway.

The towers of Wrangel and Don were located in the south-east and south-west of the city, respectively. They were near the Upper Lake.

Over time, the second halftone bypass lost military significance for Koenigsberg. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the military department sold it to the city. Some of the structures were demolished so that the city could develop further. For example, on the site of two gates, the Hanza-Platz square was staged. Today there is a modern Victory Square in Kaliningrad. But most of the buildings have survived to this day.

The value of the tower

The towers of Wrangel and Don were designed to defend the Upper Lake, which was considered a weak spot in the defense of the city.

Like many other fortifications second vlnogo contour, at the beginning of XX century, the first of them lost its defensive function. For military purposes, it was not used until 1944. During the Great Patriotic War, military stores with small arms, communications and combat equipment were placed in the tower.

The tower passed under the command of the Red Army on April 10, 1945 after the successful assault of Koenigsberg by Soviet troops.

At the moment this building is an object of cultural heritage of the Russian Federation. It is under the protection of the state.

How to get to the tower?

In the heart of the city is the Wrangel Tower in Kaliningrad. The address on which it is located, Professor Baranov Street, house 2a.

To get to this fortification, you can use personal vehicles or public. Buses and shuttle buses, following through the city center, always stop near the tower.

Nearby are the Central Market and the Upper Lake. A little further - Victory Square, on which the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Kaliningrad is built.

Current state

Until recently, there was a restaurant in the Wrangel Tower. In private hands the fortification structure passed in the 90s. In those days, the state did not have enough money to preserve monuments of architecture and culture, so assets willingly passed to entrepreneurs who were ready to invest.

The tower had a private investor who started using the premises for commercial purposes, provided the tower was restored. After that, many learned where the Wrangel tower is located in Kaliningrad. After all, for many years it was completely abandoned.

The plans of the new owner of the structure were a complete restoration of all engineering systems in their original form. In particular, the heating system was repaired. The restaurant has since been heated exclusively with firewood, which the careful owners threw into the fireplace.

However, for the tenants there were difficult times. The administration of the region decided that the new owners did not properly perform their duties to restore the building, and decided to take it away.

It is difficult to assess on which side the truth. The owner really invested in infrastructure and repairs, but what is done is far from the initial promises of recreating the tower in its original form. In addition, in recent years, the Wrangel tower has become a venue for rock festivals. All this was accompanied by abundant use of alcoholic drinks by guests and inadequate behavior.

In addition, the restaurant itself worked very mediocre. The kitchen left much to be desired. The owners made a bet on the color and did not particularly care about the service and attractiveness of the dishes. Of course, visiting such a restaurant is akin to a hike in a museum. Food fades into the background, but still this attitude to the guests is not happy.

In charge of the Museum of Amber

The tower of Wrangel in Kaliningrad (photo it is presented in the review) is currently taken from a private investor. Today the building is managed by a regional agency for the protection of cultural heritage.

What will appear in this tower afterwards, while it is difficult to say. This should be decided by the council on culture under the governor. While the building was transferred to the Museum of Amber. Now, the public and the authorities are discussing several options for how this room will be transformed.

It can be a museum of weapons, a museum of military and peaceful history of the region. The final decision must be made after the completion of the historical and cultural examination. After the facade and the interior of the building will be brought to the proper view at public expense. It is also planned to restore the park, which adjoined the tower, a moat with water, to equip a historical site in front of the entrance.