Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate was built in Königsberg in 1657 in the South-Western section of the first fortification barrage when it crosses the road leading to the Brandenburg Castle (now the village of Ushakovo). Due to the lack of funds and the corresponding project, the organizers limited themselves to the construction of wooden gates placed under the roof and resting on the earth rampart. For the reliable protection the foss filled with water was built. A hundred years later, by order of Prussian King Frederick II, the dilapidated structure was broken, and a massive brick building was erected in its place with two spacious passages having a pointed end. New solid gate completely blocked the road to the south (now Suvorov Street) and served as a reliable defense of the city. The thick walls safely covered a small garrison of guards, which were located in the internal casemates. There were also office, auxiliary, storage rooms and lifts there.
During the restoration works of 1843, the gates were significantly rebuilt (almost rebuilt on the same site) and decorated with pointed decorative gables, cruciform flowers of sandstone, stylized leaves at the tops, coats of arms and medallions. Sculpture portraits of Field Marshal Boyen (1771–1848), the Minister of War, and participant in the reforms in the Prussian army were installed on the gates; on the right is Lieutenant General Ernst von Aster (1778–1855), chief of the engineering corps, one of the authors of the second fortification barrage. Construction description from Baldur Koester (translated by Alexei Shabunin): The Brandenburg Gate (named after the settlement lying in the south-west of Königsberg, which leads to the Berlin road), with its two passes in the plan, which looked like the Friedland Gate described hereby. These are the only gates out of the city gates of Königsberg, through which the traffic is still passing, including even tram tracks. Nothing remained from the encircling tower, which, according to the picture remained, was to be situated in front of the gates. Both side casemates, initially serving as booths, were the same as at the King’s Gate later remade as a gate for pedestrians. These passages at the end of the war, most likely, still existed. But now both are sealed with clutch.
The Brandenburg gate is the closest to the real Gothic Style of all the city gates. Two steep gables adorned with gothic phials give for the most part a lengthy front to the front with powerful vertical accents. And if the small turrets always form the highest elements, then in this case the phials are issued above the turrets. On the segmental arch located below, which shows the size of the arch, one can discern the construction. Outstanding by half a meter, a much higher Gothic arch clearly shows us what is an architectural ‘filling’. On the side directed to the city, two portrait medallions still remain in both pediments. The first medallion presents Field Marshal von Boyen, the second, General von Aster. These works are executed by Wilhelm Ludwig Sturmer. The building is restored and protected by the state as an architectural monument, being the decoration of the Bagration Street in Kaliningrad.
Today, the Marzipan Museum is located at Brandenburg Gate.
Address
Kaliningrad
Schedule
Kaliningrad, Bagrationa str., 137