The King's Gate ( Russian: ''Королевские ворота'', tr.: ''Korolevskie vorota'',

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: ''Königstor'') is one of the former six gates that were built during the 19th century around

Kaliningrad Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...

(the former German city of

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was ...

). The King's Gate was originally the Gumbinnen Gate (German: ''Gumbinner Tor''), built in 1765 at the edge of the district

Neue Sorge Königstraße Neue Sorge, also known as Königstraße or Königstrasse after its main boulevard, was a quarter of eastern Königsberg, Germany. Its territory is now part of the Leningradsky District of Kaliningrad, Russia. Etymology The origi ...

. In 1811 it was renamed the King's Gate and was the terminus of the Königstraße boulevard. The gate was redesigned by

Friedrich August Stüler Friedrich August Stüler (28 January 1800 – 18 March 1865) was an influential Prussian architect and builder. His masterpiece is the Neues Museum in Berlin, as well as the dome of the triumphal arch of the main portal of the Berliner Schloss. ...

in 1850. The west facade has three sandstone statues, made by sculptor Wilhelm Stürmer: nine metres above the ground to the left the

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

n king Ottokar II is depicted, who was Königsberg's namesake.

Frederick I of Prussia Frederick I (german: Friedrich I.; 11 July 1657 – 25 February 1713), of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was (as Frederick III) Elector of Brandenburg (1688–1713) and Duke of Prussia in personal union (Brandenburg-Prussia). The latter function h ...

, Prussia's first king, follows as the middle statue. To the right Albert, Prussia's first duke and founder of the Albertina university, holds an eye over the city. Above the sculptures the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of Samland and

Natangen Natangians or Notangians (Prussian: ''Notangi''; pl, Natangowie; lt, Notangai; german: Natanger) was a Prussian clan, which lived in the region of Natangia, an area that is now mostly part of the Russian exclave Kaliningrad Oblast, whereas the ...

are shown. The gate was damaged during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Furthermore, as a first victory celebration, Soviet soldiers decapitated the statues. With the celebration of the city's 750-year existence in June 2005, the gate was renovated. A few months before the beginning of the festivities, the gate was still in a desolate condition. Within a few weeks, however, the gate was restored to its condition before the war. Fully restored statues replaced the decapitated ones on the gate with this renovation. Image:ID003163 A070 Koenigstor.jpg, King's Gate before the Second World War Image:ID003164 A071 Koenigstor.jpg, King's Gate before the Second World War Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R94432, Königsberg, gefangene deutsche Offiziere.jpg, German POWs after the

Battle of Königsberg The Battle of Königsberg, also known as the Königsberg offensive, was one of the last operations of the East Prussian offensive during World War II. In four days of urban warfare, Soviet forces of the 1st Baltic Front and the 3rd Belorussia ...

Image:Kaliningrad Koenigstor.JPG, King's Gate before reconstruction in 2004 Image:Kaliningrad 05-2017 img19 Kings Gate.jpg, Statues on the facade of King's Gate

Literature

* Robert Albinus: ''Königsberg-Lexikon''. Würzburg 2002, *

Richard Armstedt Richard Armstedt Richard Armstedt (10 November 1851 – 14 April 1931) was a German philologist, educator, and historian. Armstedt, a native of Osterburg, Prussian Saxony, received his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Tübin ...

: ''Geschichte der königl. Haupt- und Residenzstadt Königsberg in Preußen''. Reprint der Originalausgabe, Stuttgart 1899. *

Fritz Gause Fritz Gause (4 August 1893 – 24 December 1973) was a German historian, archivist, and curator described as the last great historian of his native city, Königsberg (now Kaliningrad), East Prussia. Gause's most important work was his three- ...

: ''Die Geschichte der Stadt Königsberg in Preußen''. 3 Bände, Köln 1996, * Jürgen Manthey: ''Königsberg – Geschichte einer Weltbürgerrepublik''. Hanser 2005, * Gunnar Strunz: ''Königsberg entdecken''. Berlin 2006, {{DEFAULTSORT:King's Gate Gates in Russia Prussian cultural sites Buildings and structures in Kaliningrad Former buildings and structures in Königsberg Tourist attractions in Kaliningrad Oblast Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Kaliningrad Oblast