King's Gate

The King’s Gate was, to common conviction, one of the most beautiful in the city. The present King’s Gate inherited its name from the older gates, which were located in the same place. Initially, the Calthof Gate was situated at this place.

In 1717, they were demolished, and at the time of Königsberg’s entry into Russia during the Seven Years War, the gate was re-constructed by Russian engineers. Originally, these gates were called Gumbinnen, because just in Gumbinnen (now Gusev) there was a road passing through them.

In 1811 the gates were renamed the King’s after the name of the street on which they were located (German Königstrasse). The name of the street is connected with the fact the Prussian kings used this road when they followed from the Königsberg castle to the military inspections in the suburb of Devau. At the end of the first half of the 19th century, there was started the modernization of the city fortifications in Königsberg. Then the old gates were demolished, and there were built new ones in their place, which were preserved until now. The solemn laying of the new King’s Gate took place on August 30, 1843 in the presence of King Friedrich-Wilhelm IV, and the construction was completed in 1850. At the end of the 19th century, the defensive fortifications which included the King’s Gate, were decayed, from the military point of view, and began to interfere with the development of the city.

In 1910, the military department admitted that these defense structures had finally lost military significance, and sold them to the city. Later in the 20th century, the barrages adjacent to the gates on either side were collapsed, as they interfered with the increased auto traffic. Thus, the gates became a free-standing, island structure. Now they served as a kind of triumphal arch.

The gates were damaged by artillery and bombardment during the World War II.

Since 1976, there was a bookshop No. 6 in the gates. By the beginning of the «perestroika», the bookstore in the gates was closed. The gates became an ‘orphan’ building again, of which no one took care, and which was gradually being destroyed. For some time the gates were used as a warehouse and a shop.

In 1990, the gates housed a cooperative cafe. By 1991 the gates were abandoned. Over the next ten years, this situation has not changed, despite the fact that there were many options for their restoration and further use.

A defining moment in the history of the gates was the celebration of the 750th anniversary of Königsberg, which was celebrated in 2005. Due to this event the gates were completely restored.
On February 10, 2005, the gates were transferred to the Museum of the World Ocean. Today, the gates are the historical and cultural center «Great Embassy», dedicated to the famous diplomatic mission of Peter I.

The exposition acquaints the visitors with the history of Russian and European diplomacy.