Exploring Kaliningrad: Russian Exclave in the Heart of Europe

Exploring Kaliningrad: Russian Exclave in the Heart of Europe

[Music] Hello friends welcome to Kaliningrad to  be honest I’m really happy to be here because   I’ve been dreaming of coming here for a very  long time I’ve heard about this city so much   I’m looking forward to experiencing this  Western European atmosphere and learning  

About the history of this place I know that there  is a lot of beautiful architecture here but also   beautiful Northern nature that I’m really a fan  of it I want to see the Baltic Sea the Lakes the forests the weather has been just  incredible you know usually uh it’s  

Not like that in this region I’ve been told  that in Winter it rains a lot here and it’s   windy but ever since I came here it’s been  just perfect winter weather and I love it Kaliningrad is a city in Western Russia  which is separated from the country’s  

Mainland by several European nations until  1946 this city was called Köningsberg and   was part of East Prussia after World War  II it was transferred to the Soviet Union   and renamed Kaliningrad today this place is  quite popular among tourists many come here  

To appreciate its Gothic buildings cozy cafes  museums and of course the beautiful Nordic nature the cathedral is so beautiful now  I feel that two days in Kaliningrad will   not be enough to explore the whole  city but I really hope that I will  

Come back here and uh apparently the  best time to come here is in spring   or summer so maybe I will do that but I  think that in winter it is also really [Music] beautiful I have just been  to a concert in the main Cathedral of Kaliningrad

[Music] it was so beautiful they were playing  pieces by Bach Vivaldi even Rachmaninoff the   cathedral is huge and it was full of people  and really I’m so glad that I went because I   really enjoyed this concert it was magical  one more thing that surprised me is that I  

Heard so much German today seems like still  a lot of German people come to Kaliningrad Kaliningrad is such a nice place you  know it’s not very hectic quite laidback   but at the same time the history of  the city is unique and it looks so  

Beautiful you know with all of these  historic buildings and stuff [Music] on my first morning in Kaliningrad I  spontaneously went on a walking tour   around Amalienau it’s a district in the western  part of Kaliningrad there you can find lots of  

Pre-war German Villas and tree lined streets that  make you feel like you’re in a different kind of   city more like Western Europe than Russia some  buildings are a bit rundown but in general the   atmosphere is very cozy the place is really  quiet and great for photos if you ever visit  

I recommend to have a knowledgeable guide they  will share some fascinating histories of many houses [Music] e for for I’m still walking in Kaliningrad and it’s  snowing the weather has been really strange   all this time so much snow well I don’t know if  I like it or not sometimes I do but sometimes  

It feels like okay maybe it’s time to stop  and maybe we can just walk without [Music] snow you know when I walk around the neighborhoods  of Kaliningrad it reminds me of Scandinavia it’s   so peaceful and quiet cold and there are  these lights in windows that people usually  

Put up around Christmas time it’s not something  that you usually see in Russia like in Central   Russia or in Siberia and I really like it  it looks so magical yeah this is what I’m   talking [Music] about I really like this section  with the cookies and candy you can buy candy from  

Different countries it’s not something that  we can find these days in Russia so these   are the perks of living in Kaliningrad I  guess you can eat all of these European [Music] Sweets okay so you can buy  something uh interesting here in  

This shop but to be honest in general  the food here is pretty much the same   as in the rest of Russia there were a  couple of brands from other countries   in Europe but the majority of stuff that  you can see on shelves is just Russian

Groceries today is my third day here in  Kaliningrad I’m going to go to a concert one   more time it’s going to be in the main Cathedral  during Christmas holidays they give two concerts   a day and they’re different every time so last  time I listened to the organ and the mandoline  

And today it will be something connected to the  Blizzard it’s a short story by Alexander Pushkin   he’s the greatest Russian writer and poet I  don’t know if you know but I have a book club   where we discuss with people from different  countries Russian literature it’s an online  

Club and if you want to join it I will put the  link down below actually what a coincidence last   time we discussed the Blizzard by Pushkin and  today I will go to that Cathedral and listen   to this short story one more time it will be  accompanied by live music I’m really excited about

This it’s my last evening here in Kaliningrad  it’s such a Bitter Sweet feeling I’m so glad   that I’ve been here for these 3 days and I’m a  little bit sad to leave but it’s okay because   I think I’m going to have a magical evening  cause I’m going to this Cathedral one more  

Time to see a concert and by the way about this  Cathedral it was built in the 14th century can   you imagine but unfortunately a big part of it  was destroyed during the second world war and  

Then they put a lot of money into rebuilding it  from what I’ve heard Germany invested a lot of   money into this as well and I can see why and one  more interesting thing is that there you can see  

A tomb of Emmanuel Kant who is a philosopher who  was born in Köningsberg so let’s go to the [Music] cathedral [Music]

In this travel vlog, I go to the westernmost part of Russia – Kaliningrad Oblast (Region). I have always wanted to visit Kaliningrad (Königsberg) to learn more about its unique history, feel the atmosphere of the city and explore the nordic nature around it ✨ Hope you’ll enjoy this trip, too!

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🌸 Anastasia (the tour guide):
@mollynamore

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0:00 – Intro
01:08 – History of Kaliningrad (Königsberg)
01:44 – Exploring Königsberg Cathedral & an organ concert
03:49 – Amalienau – a unique historical district
04:42 – Interviewing a local
06:12 – A blizzard and Nordic vibes
07:10 – A local supermarket
08:05 – Best entertainment in winter
09:00 – (Immanuel) Kant Island

ABOUT ME:

Hi! My name is Elena. I’m currently living in Russia but I can’t imagine my life without travel. I visit off the beaten track destinations (in Russia and beyond) to explore different cultures and ways of living, connect to the wisdom of nature, and learn about myself. Let’s go on this adventure together ♥