Description of the attraction
One of the historical sights of Kaliningrad is the Church of the Memory of Queen Louise, located in the Central Park of Culture and Leisure (formerly Luisenval). The building of the Lutheran Church today functions as a regional Puppet Theater.
One of the most beautiful and famous women in the history of Prussia was Queen Louise (grandmother of the Russian Emperor Alexander II), who during her lifetime became an object of veneration and a symbol of the country's rise. In memory of the "spiritual mentor" the inhabitants of Königsberg erected a church designed by Friedrich Heitmann (who later became the court architect). In 1901, another grandson of the Queen, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, was present at the consecration of the Lutheran church. Having stood for several decades, the church was destroyed during the war (1945) and was in ruins for a long time. In the 1960s, it was planned to demolish the historic building, but thanks to the architect Yuri Vaganov, who prepared a project to re-equip the temple into a puppet theater, the building was preserved and restored.
Stylistically, the building was built, combining several features: Renaissance, Art Nouveau, Romanticism, and only elements can be attributed to a certain style. Today, the facade of the building is identical to the original appearance of Kirche in memory of Queen Louise, but the interior has been completely changed. The interiors have been divided into two floors and are used as an exhibition hall (1st floor) and a theater performance hall (2nd floor). The building has two towers of different heights, the main one of which has a clock. The building regularly hosts performances by youth groups and music festivals.
