The Sackheim Gate (German: Sackheimer Tor) is one of the eight surviving city gates of Kaliningrad, now a contemporary art platform space called "The Gate" located at the intersection of Moskovsky Prospekt and Litovsky Val.
The Sackheim Gate was part of the First Rampart Fortification of Königsberg, built in the early 17th century according to a design by Professor Strauss of Königsberg University. The brick Sackheim Gate was constructed by order of King Frederick II between 1750 and 1755. From 1860 to 1865, during the modernization of the fortifications, the Sackheim Gate was rebuilt according to a project by Ernst Ludwig von Aster. In the early 20th century, the rampart was removed, and the gate was sold by the military department to the city.
The Sackheim Gate, as part of the defensive ring, was built in the mid-19th century on the site of old wooden fortifications. It is one of seven city gates that have survived to this day, out of a total of eight. A unified defensive system — an earthen rampart — encircled the city, with gates closing off passages seemingly cut out of the earth itself. At night, the gates were locked and guarded. From sunset to sunrise, entry to the city was prohibited, with exceptions made only for doctors and priests.
It is now hard to imagine how it looked back then. Today, the Sackheim Gate stands as a separate building on a busy square. There is no earthen rampart, no moat with water, and no drawbridge. Of the three passage arches, only the central one remains. The towers have been preserved: round ones on the city side and octagonal ones on the outer side. The towers have loopholes cut into them, which form a circular belt at the top. Above this belt are decorative niches shaped like a Latin cross, known as the "Cross of the West" or the "Cross of Life."
On the city side, the Sackheim Gate was decorated with now-lost bas-reliefs of heroes of the Napoleonic Wars, Johann David Ludwig Yorck and Friedrich Wilhelm Bülow; on the outer side, there was an image of the Order of the Black Eagle.
The current building of the Sackheim Gate was erected in the mid-19th century. Until the end of the 19th century, the gate served as a checkpoint at the city entrance. After the ramparts lost their defensive function, the gate became a kind of triumphal arch. In the early 20th century, the military department handed over the Sackheim Gate to the city. After that, part of the casemates was demolished and residential buildings were attached to the gate. After World War II and until 2006, the Sackheim Gate was used as a warehouse.
Restoration of the gate began in 2006. After restoration, the gate was transferred to the federal state institution "Center for Standardization and Metrology."
The Sackheim Gate has one passage in the form of an arch. In the past, there were smaller arches on the sides, possibly used as pedestrian passages, but they have not survived to this day. Four towers are located at the corners of the Sackheim Gate: two round ones on the city side and octagonal ones on the outer side. The city side of the gate was decorated with bas-reliefs of Johann David Ludwig Yorck and Friedrich Wilhelm Bülow, while the outer side featured the image of the Black Eagle (the Order of the Black Eagle was the highest award of Prussia).
Architecturally, the Sackheim Gate resembles the Friedrichsburg Gate — similarly heavy, massive, and sturdy.
The hollow towers have narrow pointed windows, topped with decorative crowns. Between them are defensive battlements. Slightly above, there were once bas-reliefs of General von Yorck and General von Bülow, who during the war with Napoleon rallied the people's militia and participated in the liberation campaigns of 1813–1815.
After World War II, the gate was closed to passage; inside were warehouses, later a gym, a disco, a construction store, and a newspaper editorial office. In the mid-2000s, reconstruction of the gate was carried out. Lost masonry elements were restored by manufacturing specially shaped bricks to resemble the old ones, cutting the necessary edges. It was necessary to wash off the "brick-colored" paint — a strange decoration favored by Kaliningrad's military buildings during Soviet times. In the local climate, bare, unplastered brick fares best, especially the kind used to build Königsberg’s defensive ring — hardened like steel. The restorers placed a "time capsule" in the gate wall — a beautiful bottle with a message to descendants, names, and a group photo of the builders.
Many rumors circulate in Kaliningrad about treasures found in the city, and the Sackheim Gate is no exception. In 1979, a box was discovered here containing incredibly beautiful lace porcelain dishes, minerals, and crystal. Today, the Sackheim Gate is a federally protected monument, despite the fact that the main part of the structure was destroyed during the war.
In 2013, the Sackheim Gate was handed over to the management of the "Kaliningrad Union of Photographers," which, together with a group of curators, initiated the creation of the art platform "The Gate." A large-scale reconstruction was carried out inside the building: windows were installed, utilities connected, and in 2015 a second floor was built. Since 2013, the art platform "The Gate" has been actively operating: twice a month, exhibitions of contemporary art by local authors, as well as artists from other Russian cities and around the world, are held here. Various public and educational events also take place here: film festivals, workshops, lectures, and conferences. Additionally, the "Symbol" coffee shop and the "StolStul" coworking space operate within "The Gate."
Sources:
https://nesselbeck.ru/spisok-dostoprimechatelnostej/dostoprimechatelnosti-kaliningrada/zakxajmskie-vorota/
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Закхаймские_ворота
https://www.culture.ru/institutes/9575/zakkhaimskie-vorota-v-kaliningrade
