Königsberg Castle (Königsberger Schloß) was the castle of the Teutonic Order in Königsberg (Kaliningrad), also called the Royal Castle. Königsberg translates as "royal mountain." It is a place on an elevation by the river where the Teutonic Order's castle was built.

In 1255, the Teutonic Order continued its conquest of Prussian lands from the pagans. By this time, the fortress Memel (today's city of Klaipeda) had already been established, and the newly captured lands were being developed. The Prussian tribes fiercely resisted subjugation. Continuous battles and fights exhausted the Order's forces.

In the Middle Ages, war against pagans was considered a godly cause, and participation in a crusade was believed to aid spiritual salvation. Wars against the Prussians were also considered crusades. Around 1254–1255, under the banner of the Hochmeister, former Landmeister of the Order Poppo von Osterna, a significant number of crusaders gathered. The most notable among them were Margrave Otto III of Brandenburg and his brother-in-law, the Bohemian king Ottokar, with his detachment numbering over six hundred men—a considerable force for that time. Initially, the detachment was stationed at Balga Castle. Using the frozen bay, the detachment crossed the ice to the Sambia (Samland) Peninsula. This maneuver was completely unexpected for the Prussians, leading to their total defeat and flight. The warlike tribes would never again be able to restore their lordship over the Prussian lands.

North of the island of Kneiphof, above the valley, rose a broad rounded summit of a hill called Tuwangste, about twenty meters high. On it was a fortified settlement, a refuge for fugitives, where inhabitants of nearby Prussian villages gathered for assemblies (veche), as well as for sacrifices. The Czech king recommended to the Order brothers to establish a fortress at this site, which would provide protection for the Order and help them consolidate control over conquered Sambia (Samland). Thanks to the advantageous position of Kneiphof island, a ferry across the river had operated here since ancient times, and the Prussian fortification on Tuwangste naturally suggested the foundation of an Order fortress. The castle was founded in January 1255 as a wooden structure; two years later, construction of a brick castle began. The building process stretched over decades. The wooden parts of the fortress could not reliably protect the Order brothers. Moreover, the Prussians' incessant sieges and raids continued from the very moment the castle structures were established. Stones were gathered for the future stone building, and plans were developed for constructing stone defensive structures. In 1263, an outer defensive wall was built. Later, an inner wall up to 8 meters high and 2 meters thick was erected. Corner towers and the convent house (meeting place) were also constructed.

The castle served as the residence of the Marshals of the Teutonic Order and was the center for assembling knightly expeditions to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Construction continued in the 14th century. Unlike the existing building order, the Convent building was not built near the fortress entrance, the so-called foreburg, separated by a moat, but inside the main fortress structures. The eastern part, previously belonging to the bishop, became the fortress entrance and also served economic needs. The main fortress structures, shaped as an elongated rectangle stretching west to east, occupied the entire plateau of the hill. The outer fortification consisted of a double ring of stone walls with a parcham (a passage between the walls of the rampart fortification, also a burial place for knight-monks) between them, with nine protruding towers and four corner towers—two on the northern side and two on the southern. Of these towers, only one has survived to modern times—the octagonal Haberturm tower on the northeast corner. Part of the stone wall remains as the outer wall of the later rebuilt southern wing and the lower floor of the main castle tower Schlosssturm, which rose above the southern parcham. Built at the end of the 14th century, it served as a watchtower and bell tower crowning the entire fortress ensemble. The large Danztker tower, part of the outer fortifications, stood on four stone supports over the fortress moat at the southwest corner and was connected to the castle by a passage.

The buildings in the castle courtyard adjoined the inner ring of the fortress wall: the hospital and shelter for elderly veterans of the Order—the Herrenfirmarie (Firmarie), as well as a large barn and other premises. In the western half of the large courtyard stood the castle—the Convent building, Konventhaus. It was surrounded on three sides by the courtyard but was not separated from it by a wall or moat. It contained all important fortress rooms in its four wings, primarily the chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the refectory. In the center of the inner courtyard was a well. The Herrenfirmarie and Konventhaus were connected by a basement passage under the fortress courtyard and a bridge over it. After the Hochmeister moved to Marienburg in 1309 and the Order's administration was reformed, Königsberg became the residence of the Order Marshal. Above the large cellars, which later housed the famous wine trading establishment "Blutgericht" ("Blood Court"—the medieval name for the criminal court), the so-called Marshal's House was built with living and service rooms for the marshal and his clerks. However, when in 1457 the Hochmeister moved into these premises, the entire building was called the Hochmeister wing. Later, it housed East Prussian higher authorities: the court, budget ministry, chamber of military and state properties, and the state archive. In the last years before destruction, it stored the exhibition collection of the Königsberg State Library.

By 1387, during the peak of the Teutonic Order's power, the castle tower was built. From 1457 to 1525, the castle was the residence of the Order's Grand Master. In 1525, after the secularization of the Order's Prussian possessions by Albrecht of Brandenburg, the castle became the property of the Duke of Prussia.

The building had a maximum length of 104 meters and a width of 66.8 meters. The tallest structure in the city—the Castle Tower, 84.5 meters high—was rebuilt in 1864–1866 in the Gothic style. Twice a day, a choral hymn sounded from the castle tower: at 11 a.m. — "O, preserve Thy mercy," and at 9 p.m. — "Peace to all forests and fields."

The Order state ceased to exist in 1525, and the castle became the residence of the ducal court. The medieval interior design appeared outdated, as the Renaissance was the contemporary style at that time. Duke Albrecht of Brandenburg commissioned a modernization project for the castle. The changes made lasted until the 20th century. New rooms, administration, court, gates were built, and many existing structures were rebuilt.

In January 1656, a military-political alliance was signed in this castle between Swedish King Charles X Gustav and Elector Frederick William I of Brandenburg-Prussia.

The castle was rebuilt in several places. By this time, it had lost its defensive function. In 1697, Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia received Peter I's Great Embassy at the castle.

In 1701, the coronation of the first Prussian king, Frederick I, took place in the castle church. King Frederick I made Königsberg Castle his residence. Changes were again made to the castle architecture. He did not manage to complete his plans; the reconstruction was finished by Russian governors during the Seven Years' War. In its final form, the Royal Castle appeared in the Baroque style. In 1887, a huge hall of the Moscovites was added.

According to some data, the name originated from the reception of Russian envoys of Vasily III in 1515. In some sources, it is called the Banner Hall. Inside, oaths were sworn, wedding ceremonies of august persons were held, Russian Emperor Peter the First was received, student balls were celebrated, and jubilee events were marked. In 1861, it was used for the coronation of Wilhelm I and could accommodate 4,000 people. Over its entire history, much changed from the original project. The castle was constantly rebuilt, and one can distinguish the main chronological stages of the castle's architectural development.

The castle was repeatedly rebuilt and combined various architectural styles (Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo). Its purpose also changed according to the periods. The original fortress gradually acquired the features of a castle.

Although Berlin became the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia, Königsberg played an important role in the kingdom's life during the first two-thirds of the 18th century. Over time, the castle transformed from a seat of power into a museum complex and became a center of spiritual life. In 1844, the Prussian Museum was opened there.

In the castle church, Wilhelm I, the future first German emperor, was crowned in 1861.

After the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, the castle was actively used by the Third Reich's leadership to propagate National Socialist ideas as a symbol of the "Prussian spirit." Hitler first visited East Prussia as Germany's leader on May 9, 1933, during which he inspected the castle. He visited the castle again on March 18, 1936, during another Reichstag election campaign. As a result of these elections, on March 29, 1936, 99.8% of East Prussia voted for the NSDAP list (99% nationwide). The list was headed by Gauleiter Koch, Obergruppenführer Litzmann, and SS Gruppenführer Reditz. The NSDAP election headquarters was located in Königsberg Castle, where on March 29 the entire leadership of East Prussia eagerly awaited the election results. From that time until the Red Army entered Königsberg in April 1945, the castle was firmly associated with the Nazi leadership.

Castle components:

Castle Church — the church located inside Königsberg Castle.

"Blood Court" — a wine restaurant in the castle's cellars.

Silver Library — a collection of ancient books and manuscripts.

Moscovite Hall — a large reception hall above the castle church.

Haberturm — the ancient octagonal tower on the castle's northeast corner.

Castle Tower — the tower with a clock on the castle's southwest corner.

Unfriedtbau — Baroque wing with royal chambers.

Institutions and museum collections housed in the castle (as of the first half of the 20th century):

Archaeological collection of the "Prussia" society

Supreme Land Court of Prussia

Royal State Archive

Amber Room (located in the castle during World War II)

Prussian Museum

Administration of East Prussian museums

The castle was the last known location (1942–1945) of the famous Amber Room. Some researchers believe it still remains in the castle's cellars, although no reliable sources confirm this. The search for the Amber Room was one of the (not primary) goals of archaeological excavations conducted from 2001 to 2008 by the German magazine "Der Spiegel."

The Royal Castle suffered significant damage due to bombing by the British air force. There were two raids, on August 27 and 30, 1944. As a result of the second raid, Königsberg and its historic center were completely burned down.

Former Königsberg resident Michael Wick, who survived the bombing and the war, recalled:

"Two raids forever destroyed everything that had been carefully accumulated over centuries. An ocean of flames turned the beautiful ancient city into ruins. Those two terrible nights of bombing announced to the residents of Königsberg the impending end."

British sources consider the bombing of Königsberg a major achievement.

August 26–27 — 174 aircraft (Avro Lancaster — British heavy four-engine bombers) of the 5th squadron bombed the eastern part of the city.

August 29–30 — 189 aircraft (Avro Lancaster) of the 5th squadron dropped 480 tons of bombs.

The raid was delayed by 20 minutes due to low cloud cover. During this time, the lead plane searched for a break in the clouds.

Major Kurt Dikkert: "The bombing of Königsberg by the English air force with new jet incendiary bombs led to horrific consequences. Those who tried to escape perished. Firefighters and air defense services were powerless. Only residential quarters and buildings of cultural significance were bombed."

Based on data analysis, one can draw a certain conclusion. Königsberg and its inhabitants had no chance to survive. People died from suffocation in basements, structural collapses, and those who tried to run outside from shelters burned alive.

A fiery rain fell from the sky, leaving no chance even for the Royal Castle. The roof burned down, empty black window openings, and the scorched castle tower. The castle almost entirely burned out; only some basement and semi-basement rooms survived. The facade melted in several places due to high temperatures.

In 1958, a book by the last commandant of the fortress city Königsberg, Otto von Lasha, was published. He commanded the city's defense from his bunker. In his book "Thus Fell Königsberg," he separately describes what happened to the Royal Castle.

Hans Gerlach (senior construction advisor) remained in the castle's basement rooms until April 10, 1945. According to his reports, Erich Koch — Gauleiter — on April 5, with his party functionaries, inspected the castle and demanded that artillery be placed on the castle tower for plunging fire. This order was impossible to fulfill.

In early April, the Volkssturm (militia) headquarters was placed in the basement of the castle restaurant "Blutgericht." With the increasing artillery raids before the city's assault, civilians seeking shelter began to gather in the castle's basements. Wine supplies were still inside, and guards were posted at the entrance to prevent disorder.

By the morning of April 10, a Volkssturm group tried to break through but was apparently destroyed. He then recounted stories from witnesses but did not report any significant information about the castle's assault. The only notable statement was about artillery shelling, which slightly damaged the walls and towers remaining after the 1944 raid.

Castle restaurant director Paul Feerabend:

"In the second half of April 9, I was in the restaurant premises. The day before, I had hung white flags in several parts of the castle (indicating intentions to surrender). At night, the Russians came: an officer and soldiers. They told us to leave. There was no damage in the basement and some halls."

You will not find episodes of the Royal Castle's assault even in frontline newsreels (Assault on Königsberg). To finally dispel doubts, in 1993, Kaliningrad local historian Ovsyanov tried to find out relevant information by appealing to the local newspaper. Many veterans and direct participants of those events were still alive. In the note, Ovsyanov asked directly: who participated in the castle's assault? Who can tell about the battle in the castle? No responses or messages from veterans were received.

The demolition of the ruined parts of the Royal Castle is a complex, painful topic. Debates have not ceased for over 70 years. There are no unequivocal opinions or statements. Some consider the final demolition barbaric and idiotic, others the opposite. Ten days before Königsberg was renamed Kaliningrad, on July 24, 1946, a report was prepared. The chief architect of the Königsberg municipal department of communal services, Timokhin, reported on measures for the restoration and reconstruction of Königsberg to the head of civil affairs of the Königsberg region, Borisov. The report expressed concern about providing housing for new settlers and building or restoring city infrastructure. One point stated that the city center was heavily destroyed and unlikely to be restored. If restoration were needed, it would take decades. Timokhin proposed leaving the center of Königsberg as it was, as an open monument to Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

In 1946, it was clear that no one would restore anything. It was expensive, labor-intensive, and would take decades. The country, after the bloodiest war it had endured and won, had other problems. There was a housing shortage, hunger, devastation, and lack of specialists. Everywhere were disabled, cripples, full hospitals. Such was the Soviet Union after the war. The city conducted an inventory of all usable buildings and structures for further use. In 1957, a group was formed to demolish ruins that specialists considered dangerous due to possible collapses. They were blown up with charges and dragged away by tractors.

Ovsyanov (former chief expert of the NPC for monument protection, local historian, fortification specialist, searcher) recalled and tried to explain some reasons for the demolition of buildings and structures:

"I came to Kaliningrad as a child of war. I first saw Germany, from which all our troubles came, because of which our childhood was lost (meaning WWII 1941–1945). The first thing that struck me was the dead city, deserted streets. Rare cars, rare people. Constant reports that a wall collapsed and crushed children, a beam fell during construction material collection and injured a person. These were my first impressions of Kaliningrad. Was it a pity to blow up the ruins and shells? No, it was not. We felt hatred toward everything German. We were ready to take revenge not only on the fascists but also on the houses; for many, it was all alien. There was hostility. Moreover, everything was already falling apart and could kill people."

In 1953, it was decided to blow up the main tower, which was in an emergency condition. However, some towers and walls still remained in ruined form by 1956. Despite the public debate for and against the castle's demolition, in 1967, by decision of the first secretary of the regional committee of the CPSU, Nikolai Konovalov, the castle ruins were blown up. The main reason for the demolition today is considered Konovalov's desire to build a new fully Soviet city on the site of the "old German city." After the castle's demolition and removal of its ruins in 1969, the hilltop on which the castle stood was lowered by several meters, as a museum of the Great Patriotic War was planned to be built there. Approximately on the site of the castle's southeast part now stands the House of Soviets, built (but unfinished) during the Soviet era.

There are many versions about who actually made the decision to demolish, who is more to blame, and why. The ruined remains were further damaged in 1949 by search expeditions looking for valuables. Some sources report that during a visit to the Kaliningrad region in 1967, USSR Council of Ministers Chairman Kosygin asked the first secretary of the Kaliningrad regional committee of the CPSU, Konovalov N.S.: "What is this in the city center?"

Konovalov told him that the castle would be restored there and later house a local history museum. Kosygin replied: "A museum of what? Prussian militarism? Make sure it doesn't exist tomorrow..."

There were rumors about Khrushchev, who might have found the presence of this object in Soviet Kaliningrad inappropriate. But no sources or even hints beyond popular rumor have been found, although Khrushchev visited Kaliningrad three times.

Cheprasov V.A. (militia colonel) was able to tell about the difficult decision in detail.

On April 19, 1968, a meeting of the party organization was held at the regional drama theater in Kaliningrad. The meeting was dedicated to the results of the April plenum of the CPSU Central Committee. At the end of the meeting, after discussions and before decisions were made, Konovalov spoke again. Ending his speech, as if in passing, he addressed the delegates:

"Comrades, I have a collective letter in my hands. It was recently received by the Central Committee. More than fifty signatures are under it. Here are the names of representatives of our respected intelligentsia: writers, architects, journalists. What do these respected comrades write to the Central Committee? They write that the Royal Castle must be preserved. Who needs this, one asks? To uproot the nest of German imperialism!"

That was the end of his speech. After the meeting, participants began to leave the hall. It is hard to say what feelings they experienced at that moment. One can imagine that everyone had their own and very contradictory feelings. Returning to the militia school on duty, I thought about what had happened and came to the conclusion that Konovalov's decision was unambiguous, premeditated, but wrong. I must admit, I felt sincere regret that now this powerful structure, though partially preserved, would be finally eliminated."

Within a few hours, I received orders from higher authorities to send militia school cadets to the castle area on the morning of April 20.

Before the demolition work, together with Kaliningrad garrison servicemen, a cordon was set up at a safe distance.

At about 10 a.m. on April 20, 1968, an explosion was heard…

The search for treasures began immediately after the city's assault. Königsberg Royal Castle held so many secrets that for many decades documentaries have been made, books written, and newspaper articles published about them. From 1993 to 2007 (with breaks), archaeological work was conducted at the castle, funded since 2001 by the German magazine "Der Spiegel." The work was carried out by the Baltic expedition of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the Kaliningrad Regional Historical and Art Museum. After the 2007 field season, work was stopped, funding ceased, and the excavated castle ruins have been deteriorating due to weather conditions. According to "Der Spiegel," the reason was misunderstanding and lack of interest from the city administration and regional government. The real reason for stopping the work was the absence of a scientific project framework for archaeological research of the Königsberg Castle ruins and lack of funds for conserving the uncovered architectural remains.

The question of restoring the Royal Castle has been discussed with varying intensity among citizens and regional authorities since the 1990s. According to the reconstruction program for Kaliningrad's center, the castle is planned to be rebuilt. In January–February 2009, the city administration planned to hold a competition for the development of the former castle territory (10 hectares). The competition results were supposed to be announced by May–June of the same year, but due to the financial crisis, talks subsided.

On July 15, 2009, Kaliningrad Oblast Governor Georgy Boos, during an operational meeting, ordered the organization of a referendum on the question of the castle's restoration.

On June 7, 2010, then Minister of Culture Mikhail Andreev announced that a referendum on the possible restoration of the castle would be held. The referendum was to be combined with elections to the regional Duma and the Kaliningrad district council and was scheduled for March 2011. After the change of governor and regional government in September 2010, the referendum issue was no longer raised.

In 2016, excavations of the surviving basements and castle foundations began. The excavation site remained unprotected, and its foundations and wall remains were left without conservation. Currently, all excavations have been backfilled with soil.

Sources:

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Königsberg_Castle

https://gid39.su/korolevskij-zamok-koenigsberg/ Blog by Nikita Zagorny