Don Tower

The Don Tower (German: Dohnaturm) was built in 1854. It is located on the shore of the Upper Lake. In April 1945, it was used as a stronghold by German troops. During the Red Army’s offensive operation on Königsberg, which took place from April 6 to 9, 1945, the tower was captured. Today, the building houses the Kaliningrad Amber Museum.

The structure, which together with the Rossgarten Gate forms a single architectural complex, was erected in 1853 and named after a representative of an ancient noble family (known since the twelfth century), Field Marshal General Karl Friedrich Emil von Don-Slobitten. Friedrich Don served in the army from the age of 14; in 1812, he even served in the Russian army, fighting against France as part of a German legion. This was a serious act at the time: Prussia, defeated by Napoleon, was required to provide its troops for the campaign on Moscow. But many Prussian officers — including Don — did not want to fight against their former allies and preferred to go to Russia. At the end of the 19th century, Friedrich Don commanded the First Army Corps in Königsberg and participated in the construction of the second defensive ring of ramparts, of which the Don Tower, paired with its twin — the Wrangel Tower — is a part.

The tower was designed by architects Engineer-Captain Irfügelbrecht and Engineer-Lieutenant von Hailem. Construction was overseen by the chief of the engineering corps, Ernst Ludwig von Aster. The tower is massive, solid, and sturdy, made of specially hardened red brick, equipped to withstand a prolonged siege and conduct all-around defense. It has cellars stocked with food and ammunition, its own water source, ventilation, sewage, and even heating — via a system of fireplaces.

The Don Tower implemented the idea of the French fortification engineer Montalembert about creating a more powerful defensive structure through multi-tiered niches for artillery guns. The round tower has a diameter of 34 meters and a height of 12 meters. The building consists of two above-ground floors and one underground floor (a cellar). The outer walls of the tower are up to two meters thick. The Don Tower on the eastern shore of the Upper Lake and the Wrangel Tower on the western shore could cover the water surface with intersecting artillery fire and fully control the adjacent territory. However, the garrison had to fight only a century after the tower’s construction.

Königsberg grew and expanded, new lines of defense were built, and at the beginning of the 20th century, the military handed over the Don Tower to the city. The picturesque nature, lake, forest, walking paths, and the majestic silhouette of the tower made this place perfect for walks at any time of year. Nearby, cafes, souvenir shops, and even a photo studio opened. But World War II returned the tower to its original purpose. The brick-blocked embrasures were reopened, new guns were brought in. Trenches were dug near the tower, and wire obstacles were installed.

During the Red Army’s storming of the city in 1945, the Don Tower became a defensive stronghold and held out until the very end. Artillery could not cause significant damage — shells did not penetrate even a third of the wall thickness. The garrison could have defended for a long time, but resistance was pointless, as the city was already controlled by Soviet troops. The city commandant Otto von Lyash gave the order to raise the white flag. On April 10, by order of Marshal Vasilevsky, the Victory Banner was raised on the Don Tower. Since December 1974, the Don Tower has been a federally protected cultural heritage site. Hitler was enraged by the fall of Königsberg and sentenced von Lyash to death in absentia.

In the early postwar years, the Don Tower had no permanent owners; the premises were used by various organizations as storage. Waterproofing was damaged, constant dampness caused the mortar in the walls to deteriorate, and moss began to grow on the bricks. After a quarter of a century, the tower was transferred to the Kaliningrad Amber Museum, which opened to visitors in 1979.

Today, the historic Don Tower houses the only Amber Museum in Russia with unique exhibits, one of which weighs about five kilograms and is considered the largest piece of amber in Russia. The Amber Museum displays all shades of the "sunstone": from bright yellow and honey to reddish, like tongues of flame. Near the tower is another historical landmark of old Königsberg — the Rossgarten Gate, which has preserved all the elements of the complex to this day.

Sources:

https://www.klgd.ru/city/tourism/sights_k/oborona_vorota/detail.php?ID=1300653

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

https://www.culture.ru/institutes/10725/bashnya-dona-v-kaliningrade