Description of the attraction
The only one of the seven preserved city gates of the old Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) is used today for its intended purpose - the Brandenburg Gate.
In 1657, in the south-west of the First rampart, on the road connecting Konigsberg and Brandenburg Castle (nowadays - the village of Ushakovo), the Brandenburg Gate was built. Until the middle of the eighteenth century, the gate was made of wood. Over time, the building decayed and at the end of the eighteenth century, by order of the Prussian king Frederick II, it was replaced by a massive brick fortification in the Gothic style with high arched openings and side casemates. In 1843, during the restoration, the gate was decorated with decorative pointed pediments, stylized leaves, cruciform flowers, medallions and coats of arms. Also on the Brandenburg Gate appeared sculptural portraits of the war minister-reformer Field Marshal Hermann von Boyen and one of the authors of the massive fortification of Konigsberg - Ernst von Aster, who served as chief of the engineering corps. The author of the facade renovation was the architect F. A. Shtuhler. Later, the side casemates, originally serving as sentry booths, were converted into pedestrian gates. In Soviet times, the aisles were covered with brickwork and there were shops in the building.
Today, the restored Brandenburg Gate is considered an architectural monument of the eighteenth century and is protected by the state. Tram lines and a cobblestone road pass through the gate. On the outside of the building there are well preserved relief images of two "Prussian eagles" - the foundations of the coats of arms of Germany and Prussia, and from the side of the city - portrait medallions.
From the buildings of the old Königsberg, the Brandenburg Gate stands out for its especially pronounced Gothic motives: arrow-shaped gables, giving height to a small building, and richly decorated decorative elements.
