Kaliningrad 05-2017 img12 Rossgarten Gate

The Rossgarten Gate (russian: Росгартенские ворота, tr.: ''Rosgartenskie vorota''; german: Roßgärter Tor) is one of seven surviving city gates of

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 ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, formerly the

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 **Ger ...

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 named ...

. It is located at the intersection of Chernyakhovskogo street and Alexander Nevsky street, near the Vasilevskiy square and the

Kaliningrad Amber Museum The Kaliningrad Regional Amber Museum is a museum located in the Russian city of Kaliningrad devoted to housing and displaying amber artworks. It is located in the city center, on the shore of Lake Verkhneye. Construction on the museum began i ...

History

Named after the district

Rossgarten Rossgarten's marketplace, the Roßgärter Markt Rossgarten (german: Roßgarten) was a quarter of northeastern Königsberg, Germany. It was also occasionally known as Altrossgarten (''Altroßgarten'') to differentiate it from Neurossgarten in north ...

, the current gate replaced a previous version of the gate from the beginning of the 17th century. It was constructed between 1852 and 1855 under the supervision of Wilhelm Ludwig Stürmer. The gate was damaged after the war, but restored afterwards and currently houses a café-restaurant called Solnetsnyy Kamen ("Solar Stone").

Architecture

The gate consists of only one passage of about four meters wide. On both sides of the passage three casemates are located, so the gate in total has seven openings. On top of the facade of the gate can be found a series of

merlon A merlon is the solid upright section of a battlement (a crenellated parapet) in medieval architecture or fortifications.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 202. Merlons are sometimes ...

s, divided into two parts by the central elevated part of the gate. The gate itself has two high octagonal turrets. Above the main arch of the gate a lookout area is situated, again equipped with merlons. Reliefs of the Prussian generals

Gerhard von Scharnhorst Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst (12 November 1755 – 28 June 1813) was a Hanoverian-born general in Prussian service from 1801. As the first Chief of the Prussian General Staff, he was noted for his military theories, his reforms of the Pru ...

and

August Neidhardt von Gneisenau August Wilhelm Antonius Graf Neidhardt von Gneisenau (27 October 176023 August 1831) was a Prussian field marshal. He was a prominent figure in the reform of the Prussian military and the War of Liberation. Early life Gneisenau was born at Schild ...

decorate the main arch. While the city side of the gate is a highly decorated, the outer side does not have any decorative ornaments.

References

* Avenir Ovsyanov, In the casemates of the royal fort. Kaliningrad, «Amber tale», 1999. * Baldur Köster, ''Königsberg. Architektur aus deutscher Zeit'', Husum, Husum, 2000, {{coord, display=title, 54, 43, 19, N, 20, 31, 27, E, type:landmark Buildings and structures in Kaliningrad Gates in Russia Tourist attractions in Kaliningrad Oblast Former buildings and structures in Königsberg Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Kaliningrad Oblast