Kant Island: history and sights

In the middle of the river Pregel, in the heart of Kaliningrad, near the island of October is the island of Kant. Previously, it was called Knaiphof. It is formed by the two arms of the above river. Since the XIV century, here was one of the three settlements that made up Koenigsberg.

The island has several beautiful and interesting attractions, the main among which can be called the Cathedral and the grave of the world-famous philosopher. In honor of the great scientist this place and got its name. But before the event occurred, the atoll experienced many events and renames.

Peripetias with the name

The modern island of Kant once had its historically formed name Kneiphof, from the German Kneiphof. A word was formed from the Prussian term knypabe, which translates as surrounded by a river, water. Before the first settlement appeared on the atoll, it had the name Vogtswerder, which originated from the German Vogtswerder, which in turn was formed from Vogt, Vogt - in charge of which he was staying and Werder, which in Russian sounds like a river island. In 1327 a charter was issued, according to which the island settlement was given city rights. And at that time the settlement was renamed Knipaw.

Already in 1333 the island of Kant again takes on a new name Pregelmunde, sounding in German, like Pregelmünde. The German words Pregel (Pregel) and Mündung contributed to the formation of this name, which in translation means the mouth. But this name was not fixed, and gradually the word "Kneiphof", which had become the same as the previous one, took root.

Development of the island

Kneiphof (now the island of Kant) has an extremely advantageous location. It is built at the intersection of land and water trade routes. Therefore, since its inception, it has developed as a center of navigation and trade. By the beginning of the last century, the atoll was densely built up, and five bridges connected it with land. There was even an interesting problem regarding these designs: it was a task about the seven bridges of the city of Koenigsberg. It was unleashed by the famous mathematician Leonard Euler. He proved that it is not possible to pass through all bridges, if you do not pass through one of them twice. This example served as the beginning of the graph theory.

By 1944, the island of Kant (Kaliningrad) numbered 28 streets, 304 houses, the Cathedral and the Town Hall. Trams ran in the city. But the bombing of British aviation that took place in August 1944 almost completely destroyed the historic building of the atoll. Only the cathedral managed to survive in part. In the post-war period, the ruins of the city were dismantled into bricks, which were sent by barges to the revival of Leningrad.

In the early 1970s, an overpass bridge was laid through the atoll, which became one of the main transport arteries of all Kaliningrad. Trying to equip the territory, which was adjacent to the bridge, on the island laid the Sculpture Park and broke the arboretum. The cathedral was reconstructed only in 1998. This object became a visiting card and the most important tourist attraction of the settlement. It is at the walls of this church that the most popular inhabitant of Koenigsberg, the eminent philosopher and thinker Emmanuel Kant, is buried .

Outstanding landmark

It is believed that the cathedral on the island of Kant (Kaliningrad) began to build in 1333. After all, this date is engraved on the weathercock of the Northern Tower. The local bishop was allowed by the Teutonic Order to build a new cathedral on the island of Kneiphof when it became clear that the old Lutheran church was no longer able to accommodate all the parishioners. The construction of the cathedral lasted for 80 years. Initially, it was planned that the cathedral-fortress would be built, but after 5 years after the start of construction works the plans changed, some changes were made to the project and the cathedral began to be erected as an exclusively cult structure.

Cathedral from the inside

If you are on the island of Kant, the cathedral is definitely worth seeing. Today, however, it does not function, and services are conducted only in the evangelical and orthodox chapels that are located inside the facility. The rest of the Cathedral is equipped with a concert hall and a museum. The gigantic dimensions of the concert hall are on the first floor. It has one of the largest organs in Europe. In the old days, the storyteller Hoffmann was playing it.

Climbing the spiral staircase, you can see a one-of-a-kind museum exhibition dedicated to Emmanuel Kant.

Sculpture Park - another attraction of the island

The island of Kant (Kaliningrad) is famous for an extraordinarily beautiful sculpture park. It is located in the western part of the atoll and is a kind of open-air museum. There is a landmark since 1984. The collection of the park has about 30 sculptures, among which there are also pedestals to cultural figures - composers, writers and poets, united by the theme "Man and the World".

Interest in the park is caused by plants growing here. It is almost 1030 different species of shrubs and trees.