The city of the past and the future

The rapid development of Kaliningrad, marked by the 750^th anniversary of the city celebrated in 2005, is accelerating. Kaliningrad has discovered Cannes and serious investors have discovered Kaliningrad. Ten large investment projects of the city were presented in Cannes during the annual commercial real estate exhibition MIPIM-2007. It is the second year since Kaliningrad has been presenting itself as the city worth to invest in.

The issue concerning the cultural heritage of the westernmost regional centre was vigorously voiced during the celebrations dedicated to the 60^th anniversary of the region. Yury Savenko, Mayor of Kaliningrad, proposed to renovate the Royal Castle at the suggestion of the intellectual elite of the city. Georgy Boos, Governor of the Region, as well as Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, who visited Kaliningrad during the festive days, shared this opinion.

The Order Castle later the Royal Castle was founded in 1255 by the King Pøemysl Ottokar II and served as the symbol of the Eastern Prussia for many centuries. The Royal Castle was destroyed as the result of the British bombardment in August 1944. The soviet authorities that inherited the ruins of the Castle decided not to renovate this symbol due to the ideological principles. During the period since 1959 till 1976 the ruins of the Royal Castle were eventually dismantled and the Central Square and the House of Soviets were located at

Today the transformation of the historical centre of the city is considered to be one of the priority cultural objectives. It is believed that the renovated Royal Castle as well as the Church of Christ the Savior, situated in the Victory Square, the Cathedral and the King's gates will become the visiting card of the city. On the one hand, the Royal Castle is a historical heritage of the city which marked the beginning of its history, on the other - an expensive land which can be used for the construction of a 5-star hotel and 400 parking places. Therefore, the government counts on culture, tourism and budget replenishment. In any case, the cost of the project will amount to several million dollars.

After the return from Cannes Yury Savenko informed that more than 100 potential investors expressed their interests in the presented projects. Half of these investors have already given their consent to sign the corresponding agreements. It will obviously happen when investors come to the amber region. Meanwhile, the investment boom in Kaliningrad is thriving. Kaliningrad is surpassing the North-Western Russian cities and St. Petersburg regarding the rates of construction development. According to the Mayor, having preserved and partially renovated the symbols of the past that attract tourists to the city, Kaliningrad will become the city of the future in 4-5 years.