Friedland Gates Museum

About museum

The Museum of City History 'Friedland Gates' is located in the eponymous fortification — an architectural monument of the 19th century. In 2017 the Friedland Gates celebrate their 155th anniversary, and the museum complex 'Friedland Gates' its 15th anniversary. Throughout its history the Friedland Gates were part of the defensive works of 19th-century Königsberg. A road leading to the town of Friedland (now Pravdinsk, Kaliningrad Region) passed through them. Until World War I it was possible to enter or leave the city through the gates, and from 1920 they became the entrance gates to the 'South' park. In the 1950s–1960s their premises were used as a vegetable storage. In 2002 a museum began to operate in the Friedland Gates as a department of the park, and in 2008 the museum received the status of an independent cultural institution. Thanks to the interesting, multicultural history of the city — about eight centuries of active life — the museum presents exhibitions revealing events from the era of the Teutonic Order (1255) to the first settlers of the Kaliningrad Region after World War II. Each hall employs different techniques and methods of exhibition design. Spaces created using artistic and multimedia means and the collections of exhibits allow visitors to immerse themselves in the life of the city with its developed infrastructure in different historical periods. The 'Friedland Gates' complex emphasizes innovative museum practices, expands exhibition activities and actively develops museum pedagogy using interactive programs. Today the museum is actively developing and continues to participate in grant and competitive programs to implement current projects of cultural and social significance.