The House of Soviets in Kaliningrad – Russia

House of Soviets,Дом советов; Kaliningrad Landmarks,новости калининграда,новости калининград

The House of Soviets – Ugliest Building on Russian Soil?

The House of Soviets has often been called the “most ugliest building on Russian soil” or “a monster” by the local people of Kaliningrad, Russia. I would not call it a monster but I would call it “A sight for sore eyes”. It is only when you see the before and after pictures of the building, that you will understand what the unhappiness is about. Before WWII there was a beautiful castle but sadly as a result of bombings, it was severely damaged. In true Soviet style the building was demolished and levelled to the ground.

Kaliningrad or Konigsberg history

For people that don´t know the history of Kaliningrad it was formerly known as Konigsberg. This beautiful city (and where my husband was born) came under control of the USSR during WWII and it has been ever since. The castle was not restored to its original state. The Soviet policy at the time is to blame.

As part of the reconstruction of the city it was decided to built the “House of Soviets” in its place. Construction started in 1960 and this 22 storey building was intended to be the central administration building of the Kaliningrad Oblast. But this is not where the story ends. Nobody took into account that underground tunnels existed and the building slowly started to collapse.

House of Soviets,Дом советов; Kaliningrad Landmarks,новости калининграда,новости калининград
Here you can see the old castle and on the right the House of Soviets. It has since been painted a light blue colour.

Visiting Russia in 2012 and enquiring about the House of Soviets.

During a visit to Russia this year I have asked what is happening about the original palace. It seems that no decision has been made and the House of Soviets is still standing. I must admit, it doesn`t look that bad but when you see photos of the original castle then you cannot understand why it had been destroyed in the first place. The castle was still in a very good condition. I guess you can blame the Stalin-regime for the decision to tear the castle down.

House of Soviets,Дом советов; Kaliningrad Landmarks,новости калининграда,новости калининград
The House of Soviets as it is looking today.

Nelmitravel mentioned in Kaliningrad.ru in 2013

Kaliningrad.ru is a local newspaper that covers all the events and news in the city. I was pleasantly surprised to be receiving a lot of visitors one morning from their site. Although the newspaper is in Russian I managed to translate it. The castle and The House of Soviets made news headlines again and people in Kaliningrad expressed their opinions. It seems they were divided. Many people wanted the building to be demolished and have the castle rebuilt. Others said that you cannot wipe out parts of your history, just because people don`t like the building.

In any case, somebody mentioned this blog post as an example of what foreigners think of the building. My personal opinion after seeing the building a couple of times. It doesn`t look that bad from the outside, now that it has been painted. Obviously the orginal castle would look much more appealing but it will cost a lot of money to rebuild it. Somebody needs to pay for it obviously. The fact that it is standing there without a purpose is sad. If it is not used, demolish it and build something different in it`s place. That is my honest opinion as a foreigner.

I have been fortunate to have done quite a bit of travelling. By heart I am an adventurer and I love exploring new places, cultures and food. Travelling can become stressful and expensive. Over the years I have learnt to travel as cost effective as possible, simply by travelling more clever. Nelmitravel.com is a Adventure and Budget Travel site where I review Airlines, Accommodation, Transport, Restaurants and give helpful travel information.

20 Comments

  1. I have to say that I love the original architecture. It lends more to the authenticity of a 'castle'. The replacement building looks just like a 'building', nothing more. It simply amazes me that they would invest the money in paint and windows just to spruce up a building that needs to be taken down. Go figure!

  2. What a story, N. And to think they prettified it for a visit. I hope they get the castle back.

  3. Well…at least it is symmetrical! Great post…I enjoyed reading about this unusual eyesore 😉

  4. Hi Jessica, it is quite unusual to read about this unless you are studying architecture or have been told the history 🙂 Glad you liked it and thank you for stopping by.

  5. Hi Mr A, yes I suppose after a bottle of Vodka even this ugly building could look like a beautiful castle 🙂

  6. Hi Mary, I would love to see the castle being rebuilt. Kaliningrad is so rich in history and to have this replacement building in a historical place doesn´t make any sense. Worse it is not even being used!

  7. Hi Corinne, I was just as shocked! Why spend money to make the building pretty if it is not going to be used..crazy!

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