Description of the attraction
One of the branches of the Regional History and Art Museum is located in a picturesque place on the outskirts of Kaliningrad and is a fortification made of brick and concrete, built in the nineteenth century.
Fort No. 5, named after the King of Prussia Friedrich Wilhelm III (who headed the state during the war with Napoleon), was part of the Königsberg military installations and belonged to the "Königsberg Night Feather" forts ring.
The structure has the shape of a hexagon, surrounded by a moat with water, a massive stone wall and an earthen rampart. The ditch is equipped with trenches, firing positions for flamethrowers, machine guns, mortars and artillery pieces. The fort was connected to the adjacent territory by a drawbridge. For the purpose of camouflage, the structure was planted with trees and bushes. In 1886, the military structure was additionally covered with two-meter reinforced concrete, and a revolving observation dome was built. Before the assault on Koenigsberg, the fort was additionally fortified: anti-tank ditches were dug on the flanks, gaps were installed, the entire adjacent space was mined and shrouded in barbed wire. During the prolonged assault on the fort by Soviet troops, an artillery gun of special power was used, which led to a victory and significant destruction of the structure. For the blockade and capture of Fort No. 5 in April 1945, fifteen Soviet officers and soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In 1979, the ruins of Fort No. 5 were transferred to the Kaliningrad Regional History and Art Museum. In 2001, a museum of fortifications and military equipment was opened on the territory of the fort. Nowadays, on the territory of the historical building there are: a war memorial in honor of Soviet soldiers who died during the assault and an exposition of military equipment, where Soviet cannons, Katyushas, torpedoes, depth charges and a deck gun are presented.
In the vicinity of the military building, historical reconstructions are carried out annually, simulating the assault on Königsberg. Fort No. 5 is a cultural heritage site (federal significance).
