A walk around the Oberteich in Kaliningrad.

We set off on foot to explore the area around the Oberteich or верхнее озеро in Kaliningrad, with our friend Thomas, who visited from Germany. The Oberteich is a large artificial lake close to the Amber Museum. It was known as the Oberteich while part of Königsberg, Germany until 1945.

I couldn`t believe all the development in this area since our last visit in 2008. This has indeed become `Prime Property` and a lot of development has taken place over the last 4 years.There are a lot of hotels and guest houses in this area. I found the architecture very interesting. It was a combination between modern and traditional. Traditional in the sense of the houses that were formerly built here.

The wife of President Putin is originally from Kaliningrad and it is believed that they also have a residency in this area. Some houses have been guarded and we saw an armed security guard at one of the houses. This didn`t come as a shock to me because many wealthy people in South Africa also have armed security on the premises.

A number of foreign embassies can also be found in this neighborhood. I didn`t see the South African Embassy and I am sure they don`t have one in Kaliningrad.

Houses around the Oberteich.

Many of the houses had been built long before World War II. Over the years a lot of the houses have been deteriorating due to lack of funds or old people living inside the houses, that cannot afford the maintenance or do the work. These houses are sold later, restored or even demolished to build new ones. Very often it is cheaper to demolish the house and built a new one due to rotten foundations or other factors.

You also have the financial aspect to consider. Now that Capitalism is thriving in Russia, these houses that were built-in a historical part of the city, is worth a lot of money. When the owner passes away the relatives sell the house and property to either property developers or other investors.

Personally I love seeing these houses renovated and restored but I also understand that it is not always possible. I hope in the future that this beautiful area will become even more beautiful without losing it`s history or culture. So often we throw out the old and welcome the new.

I am including a video with photos of the Oberteich area.

Where: Oberteich, Kaliningrad,Russian Federation