Dom Sovietov

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One of the dourest, ugliest of Soviet creations, the upright H-shaped Dom Sovietov (closed to the public) has been nicknamed 'the monster' by locals. On this site stood a magnificent 1255 castle, damaged during WWII but dynamited out of existence by narrow-minded Soviet planners in 1967–68 to rid the city of a flagrant reminder of its Germanic past.

Over 10 long years this eyesore was built in the castle's place, but it has never even been used. Money ran out, and it was discovered that the land below was hollow, with a (now-flooded) four-level underground passage connecting to the cathedral.

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Nearby attractions

1. Kant's Tomb

0.23 MILES

Noted philosopher and Kaliningrad native Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) is buried along the northern edge of the exterior of Kaliningrad Cathedral on Kant…

2. Kaliningrad Cathedral

0.24 MILES

Photos displayed inside this Unesco World Heritage site attest to how dilapidated the cathedral was until the early 1990s – the original dates back to…

3. Bunker Museum

0.25 MILES

The city’s last German commander, Otto Lasch, capitulated to the Soviets from this subterranean command post on 9 April 1945, following the bloody Battle…

4. Kant Island & Riverside

0.26 MILES

This once densely populated island – now a parkland dotted with sculptures – is dominated by the Kaliningrad Cathedral. A few nearby buildings – the…

5. Honey Bridge

0.29 MILES

This short footbridge connects Kant Island to the Fish Village. It's said to be the oldest bridge in Kaliningrad.

6. New Synagogue

0.3 MILES

One of three synagogues in Königsberg, the 1896 New Synagogue was destroyed in the aftermath of the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom in 1938. It was rebuilt,…

7. Kant Statue

0.32 MILES

Philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) was born in Königsberg, where he also studied, taught and later died. The Kant Statue is in the front yard of the…