Kaliningrad is a museum of amber. Historical and cultural landmark of the city

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Amber has been known to man since ancient times. Its ability to attract fluff, hairs and other similar materials was one of the first manifestations of an electric, amazing natural force, which received its name from the Greek word "amber" - "electron".

Amber: about the origin

What can surprise Kaliningrad? The museum of amber, a stone of amazing origin, will be of interest to everyone. It contains a we alth of information about this wonderful stone with a unique origin.

Amber is fossilized resin.

Once upon a time, back in the Mesozoic era, coniferous forests grew on the site of the B altic Sea. In the process of natural phenomena, their resin, which fell into the sea water, was transformed into an amazingly beautiful stone.

But earlier there were many other very diverse assumptions about the origin of amber. This stone was thought to behardened oil and there was even an assumption that it was petrified honey.

This article will discuss such a mysterious stone, numerous products and exhibits from which are presented in the Kaliningrad Museum.

Amber properties

What special properties does this delightful gem have? Here are some of them:

• burns almost like coal;

• soft, easily scratched and brittle;

• there are three types of stone: transparent, foamy and translucent;

• when rubbed hard electrified;

• floats in sea water;

• always warm to the touch;• begins to melt in the absence of air.

The chemical composition of the stone: 78% carbon, 10% hydrogen, 11% oxygen.

History of the Museum

The Historical Museum has been open since 1979. This cultural and historical institution is located in the very center of the city, near the beautiful Lake Superior.

The Amber Museum (Kaliningrad) is located in the historical old building restored in the post-war years. Its address: index 236016, region. Kaliningradskaya, Kaliningrad, pl. Marshal Vasilevsky, 1.

Amber is the luxury of the western coast of our country, an amazing creation of nature. The Amber Museum is located in the fortress tower of the middle of the 19th century, which is located on the shore of a picturesque lake, in the city center.

This building is a former Don defensive tower, it is part of the former Königsberg fortification. There is a very cozy courtyard in the courtyard of a beautiful old castle.

Until MaySince 2003, this cultural institution has been one of the branches of the Kaliningrad Historical Art Museum.

And now many tourists visit the Amber Museum in Kaliningrad.

How to get to the museum?

You can get to this cultural and historical place by any transport (public): buses and fixed-route taxis.

“Marsh Square. Vasilevsky - stop location.

Kaliningrad – Amber Museum: brief description

The museum is rich in numerous and varied exhibits due to the presence of an amber deposit in the city and, accordingly, an amber plant. Among the exhibits made of this stone in the museum, you can see both the work of venerable and novice craftsmen and products from the local plant. The works of the most ancient masters are also presented.

In total, there are 28 halls in the building, occupying an area of approximately 1 sq. kilometer on three floors of the building.

Kaliningrad has a unique historical and cultural landmark. The Amber Museum is the only one in Russia dedicated to only one stone - golden amber.

In addition to viewing the beautiful amber products, the museum has the opportunity to get acquainted with the origin of this fantastic material, with its properties and areas of use in art.

Exposures

Exposures have several sections:

• properties and origin of the stone;

• historical and archaeological information aboutamber;

• the significance of amber in the 17th-18th centuries in art;

• about the state Koenigsberg amber manufactory;

• about the Kaliningrad combine;• the work of contemporary artists and amber.

Features of museum exhibits

The Amber Museum (Kaliningrad) in its beautiful halls has collected the most unique samples (pieces) of a real B altic gem. For example, there is a nugget with a huge weight - 4280 grams. This is the largest of all the samples of this museum.

More than 2,000 pieces of art from this solar mineral are also displayed here, including some of the surviving exhibits of the Amber Room (restored).

The museum also presents dioramas: a quarry for the extraction of amber-bearing “blue earth”, an ancient “amber forest”. Many (more than 1000) pieces of amber with remains (inclusions) of Mesozoic animals and plants, including lizards. The Amber Museum in Kaliningrad can present the full range of colors of this amazing stone (the photo of the products shows all the diversity).

It also represents amber items from the distant 4th-5th centuries AD. They were found by archaeologists on the territory of the Kaliningrad region.

Also here are the works of talented German craftsmen, transferred here from the Armory. You can see a lot of beautiful vessels, amazing jewelry, fabulous chests and amazing paintings and frames.

Every year since 2003, the cityKaliningrad (Amber Museum) holds a competition of amber products "Alatyr".

In conclusion - the legend of sea tears

There is one beautiful story (legend). A long time ago, the nymph Jurate lived at the bottom of the sea. Her delightful palace was all made of amber. Once a beautiful nymph saw a fisherman on the shore and fell in love with him. However, having learned about this, the god Perkunas became very angry with her and out of anger destroyed her beautiful palace and killed that same fisherman. And the inconsolable beauty Jurate shed tears for a long time on the ruins of her ruined castle.