{"id":505,"date":"2020-02-13T11:34:40","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T11:34:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/?p=505"},"modified":"2021-01-02T10:58:45","modified_gmt":"2021-01-02T10:58:45","slug":"kaliningrad-architectural-contrasts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/kaliningrad-architectural-contrasts\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaliningrad Architectural Contrasts"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Kaliningrad a Place of Architectural Contrasts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

February 8th<\/sup> 2020 was a big day in Kaliningrad, to be more precise, it was Big Sausage Day*. Reputedly, it is the day that the ladies of Kaliningrad walk around with smiles upon their faces and quite a lot of the men most sensibly stay at home (source: anonymous). But not me. Unfazed by the reports of a giant object of cylindrical length being disported on the open streets, I set out, in defiance of the Vegetarian Society, one day late as usual. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Big Sausage fest has become so popular here in\nrecent years that it has undergone an extension, turning it effectively from a\nBig Sausage Day into a Big Sausage Weekend. Unfortunately, the huge and\neponymous object makes its debut on Saturday morning. This year we had been\ninvited to attend on Sunday and last year both I and our invitee were too\nhungover to attend. So, instead of reviewing how the Big Sausage went and where\nit went, I am going to make a few comments instead on the much-vaunted subject\nof \u2018Kaliningrad: a place of contrasts\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This expression is a stock-in-trade of most\ntravelogues where Kaliningrad is concerned, and why not? It is a good one. The\nterm is often applied to the striking and very often incongruous juxtaposition\nof architectural forms here in Kaliningrad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kaliningrad architectural contrasts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The connection between a whopping great sausage and\narchitecture is not as obtuse as first it may seem. On the second day of this\nweekend\u2019s event, the Big Sausage, understandably exhausted from Saturday\u2019s\nexertions, goes into hiding, allowing the festivities to continue in a more\ncircumscribed place. The venue this year was in the paved area surrounding one\nof Konigsberg\u2019s restored monuments, the King\u2019s Gate (more of which at another\ntime).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kaliningrad
K\u00f6nigsberg ‘s KIng’s Gate & Kaliningrad’s Soviet flats ~ a City of contrasts. Notice the old tram tracks!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kaliningrad King’s Gate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can see from the photograph supplied, the red-brick Gothic structure of the King\u2019s Gate in the foreground (photographed from the back) and there in the background a long row of 1970s\u2019 Soviet-built flats. Needless to say, the world\u2019s most renowned architects eschew these rather than applaud them, but, like them or not, they are all part and parcel of K\u00f6nigsberg-Kaliningrad\u2019s diverse and rich history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my humble vegetarianskee opinion, these flats could be employed to good purpose this time next year. By attaching a giant inflatable sausage from the rooftops, running from one end to the other, the venue for Second Sausage Day would be unmissable and the advertising potential for certain types of products phenomenal. Food for thought?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kaliningrad
A view of the King’s Gate from the rear surrounded by Big Sausage Day event stalls<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

*The Long Sausage holiday has a long tradition. The medieval holiday was first held in K\u00f6nigsberg in 1520. K\u00f6nigsberg’s butchers cooked 16 metre’s of sausage and carried it around the city. The participants then ate the sausage, drank beer and danced. Today, the people of Kaliningrad continue the old tradition and enjoy the holiday of old K\u00f6nigsberg . <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Copyright \u00a9 2018-2021 Mick Hart. All rights reserved.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kaliningrad a Place of Architectural Contrasts February 8th 2020 was a big day in Kaliningrad, to be more precise, it was Big Sausage Day*. Reputedly, it is the day that the ladies of Kaliningrad walk around with smiles upon their faces and quite a lot of the men most sensibly stay at home (source: anonymous). […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[123,40],"tags":[128,127,126,124,129],"class_list":["post-505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kaliningrad-photogallery","category-visitors-guide-to-kaliningrad","tag-big-sausage-kaliningrad","tag-kaliningrad-place-of-contrasts","tag-konigsberg-architecture","tag-konigsberg-kings-gate","tag-mick-hart-kings-gate-konigsberg"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Kings-Gate-Sculptures-resized.jpg?fit=1260%2C945&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13666,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/kaliningrad-zoopark-now-and-then-then-and-now\/","url_meta":{"origin":505,"position":0},"title":"Kaliningrad Zoopark Now and Then Then and Now","author":"Captain Codpiece","date":"30 \u043e\u043a\u0442\u044f\u0431\u0440\u044f, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Going zoolally at Kaliningrad Zoopark 30 October 2025 - Kaliningrad Zoopark Now and Then Then and Now On Kaliningrad\u2019s Prospekt Mira, across the road from the city\u2019s foremost Soviet hotel, a great imposing slab of a place called the Moscow, geometrically flanked by two curvilinear buildings, the one on the\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "Uncategorized"","block_context":{"text":"Uncategorized","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/category\/uncategorized-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bison at Kaliningrad Zoo 2024","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Bisons-Bum-at-Kaliningrad-rz-min.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Bisons-Bum-at-Kaliningrad-rz-min.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Bisons-Bum-at-Kaliningrad-rz-min.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Bisons-Bum-at-Kaliningrad-rz-min.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10395,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/life-in-kaliningrad-through-the-lens-of-a-camera\/","url_meta":{"origin":505,"position":1},"title":"Life in Kaliningrad through the lens of a camera","author":"Mick","date":"22 \u043c\u0430\u044f, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"A few snapshots from my Kaliningrad album 22 May 2024 ~ Life in Kaliningrad through the lens of a camera They could be curated, they could be aggregated, but I suspect that they are a random collection of photographs, some more recent than others, taken in and of Kaliningrad. Judge\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "Kaliningrad Photogallery"","block_context":{"text":"Kaliningrad Photogallery","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/category\/visitors-guide-to-kaliningrad\/kaliningrad-photogallery\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Life in Kaliningrad in spring. Youth Park.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Bird-Box-Kaliningrad-Youth-Park-min.jpg?fit=900%2C1196&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Bird-Box-Kaliningrad-Youth-Park-min.jpg?fit=900%2C1196&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Bird-Box-Kaliningrad-Youth-Park-min.jpg?fit=900%2C1196&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Bird-Box-Kaliningrad-Youth-Park-min.jpg?fit=900%2C1196&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":352,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/kaliningrad-the-secret-holiday-destination\/","url_meta":{"origin":505,"position":2},"title":"Kaliningrad: Secret holiday destination","author":"Captain Codpiece","date":"19 \u044f\u043d\u0432\u0430\u0440\u044f, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A City of Contrasts Preamble Before going anywhere today, the first thing we do is consult the internet. 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This\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "VISITOR'S GUIDE to KALININGRAD"","block_context":{"text":"VISITOR'S GUIDE to KALININGRAD","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/category\/visitors-guide-to-kaliningrad\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/amber-jewellery-4.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/amber-jewellery-4.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/amber-jewellery-4.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/amber-jewellery-4.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":644,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/kaliningrad-city-of-contrasts\/","url_meta":{"origin":505,"position":3},"title":"Kaliningrad City of Contrasts","author":"Captain Codpiece","date":"25 \u0444\u0435\u0432\u0440\u0430\u043b\u044f, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"No Laughing Matter! Continuing with our theme of Kaliningrad City of Contrasts, I was out walking the other day and I came across this rather splendiferous example. On one side of the road you have this spanking new block of flats; on the other, this rather sad and sorry ruined\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "Kaliningrad Photogallery"","block_context":{"text":"Kaliningrad Photogallery","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/category\/visitors-guide-to-kaliningrad\/kaliningrad-photogallery\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Kaliningrad City of Contrasts","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Cottage-resized-rotated.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Cottage-resized-rotated.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Cottage-resized-rotated.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Cottage-resized-rotated.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3161,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/awesome-konigsberg-cathedral-organ-concerts\/","url_meta":{"origin":505,"position":4},"title":"Awesome K\u00f6nigsberg Cathedral Organ Concerts","author":"Captain Codpiece","date":"23 \u043c\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0430, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Culture on a cold evening Revised 23 March 2026 | First Published: 8 February 2021 ~ Awesome K\u00f6nigsberg Cathedral Organ Concerts Can you spot the clue in one of the photographs providing evidence that this was first written in 2021? First prize: a face mask. We recently received a kind\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "Diary 2021"","block_context":{"text":"Diary 2021","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/category\/kaliningrad-mick-harts-diary\/diary-2021\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"K\u00f6nigsberg Cathedral organ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Organ-2.jpg?fit=621%2C709&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Organ-2.jpg?fit=621%2C709&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Organ-2.jpg?fit=621%2C709&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2469,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/an-autumn-walk-in-kaliningrad\/","url_meta":{"origin":505,"position":5},"title":"An Autumn Walk in Kaliningrad","author":"Captain Codpiece","date":"31 \u043e\u043a\u0442\u044f\u0431\u0440\u044f, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A walk to Max Aschmann\u00a0Park Published: 31 October 2020 We never did keep that appointment we promised ourselves and go for a picnic this summer in K\u00f6nigsberg's Max Aschmann Park, but prompted by the delightful autumnal weather, all sun and blue skies, we did walk to the park today and,\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 "DAILY LIFE in KALININGRAD"","block_context":{"text":"DAILY LIFE in KALININGRAD","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/category\/daily-life-in-kaliningrad\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"An Autumn Walk in Kaliningrad","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Kaliningrad-in-autumn-Street.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Kaliningrad-in-autumn-Street.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Kaliningrad-in-autumn-Street.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Kaliningrad-in-autumn-Street.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Kaliningrad-in-autumn-Street.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=505"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}