Königsberg Cathedral

About this place

Königsberg Cathedral is a Brick Gothic monument in the Russian city of Kaliningrad, on Kneiphof island in the Pregolya river in the city centre. It is the most significant surviving building of the old city of Königsberg, and Kaliningrad lies between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. It was built in the 14th century as the seat of the bishops of Samland. Work began around 1330 on marshy ground, where hundreds of oak piles were driven in before building could start, and it was largely complete by 1380. In 1544 it became the church of the Albertina University. The cathedral lost its roof and spire in the 20th century, and reconstruction began in 1992. The philosopher Immanuel Kant lies in a mausoleum against its northeast corner, completed in 1924. The cathedral rises in red brick, with a tall steep roof and a pointed spire above the green trees of the island, mirrored in the river around it. From the nearby bridges it seems to float on the water. Visitors walk around the cathedral in the island park, visit Kant's tomb and the museum, and concerts are held inside. The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Russia, and non-Russian bank cards may not work, so read the current advice before you plan.