21 Litovsky Val St., Kaliningrad, Kaliningrad Region, Russia, 236038
The Grolman Bastion (German: Grolman Bastion) was constructed between 1851 and 1860 based on the design of Ernst Ludwig von Aster as part of the fortifications of Königsberg. It was named after the reformer of the Prussian army, General Karl von Grolman, who distinguished himself in battles against Napoleon. It is the central part of the Grolman Upper Front, occupying the area from Alexander Nevsky Street to Frunze Street and consists of the "Oberteich" and "Kupferteich" bastions, the main rampart (Lithuanian Rampart) between the bastions, and a moat filled with water. Casemates and caponiers are located inside the rampart.
The "Grolman" Bastion is the largest and best-preserved fortress structure. It includes a horseshoe-shaped reduit with a courtyard space for sheltering personnel, an earthen rampart, a caponier, two half-caponiers, two casemates of the gorge section, entrance gates, and a forebridge fortification. The "Grolman" Bastion was connected by an underground passage to the "Kronprinz" barracks.
The earthen rampart of the bastion had a complex profile and was intended for positioning artillery firing points. The three-story horseshoe-shaped reduit made of ceramic bricks was the inner fortification of the bastion, serving to strengthen defense capabilities and ensure combat operations within the bastion in case the main rampart was captured by the enemy.
Notably, according to some sources, anti-mine chambers were located in front of the "Grolman" Bastion, which allowed the garrison to be warned of an underground mining attack by the enemy.
In April 1945, the bastion housed the command post of the 367th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht. During the assault on Königsberg, the fortifications suffered significant damage. On April 10, 1945, the bastion came under the control of the Red Army.
In the post-war period, the bastion buildings were used as vegetable storage, warehouses, and workshops.
In 2018, the authorities leased the Grolman Bastion to the company "Briz" for 49 years under the "Lease for a Ruble" program. According to the contract, the tenant was to prepare and approve project documentation for the preservation of the bastion within two years and organize restoration work on the monument within five years. The tenant failed to meet these obligations, and in 2020 the agency terminated the lease agreement for the bastion. The agency announced that it was considering "constructive proposals" from new interested parties for the preservation of the bastion.
In 2021, Kaliningrad entrepreneur Nikolai Tronevsky purchased one of the blockhouses of the Grolman Bastion to turn it into a museum of Königsberg's restaurant life. Prior to this, the blockhouse had stood abandoned for decades, filled with garbage, blackened inside from smoke, with walls covered in graffiti. Trees grew on the roof, destroying it with their roots. The museum is planned to open in 2023.
Sources:
