The royal castle of königsberg before the war. Royal castle koenigsberg in kaliningrad. Royal Castle after the war
In the Soviet Union, no one knew how to build castles, but there were people who could destroy them.
Photo taken: September 2008
The history of the city of Koenigsberg begins with this castle. The Royal Castle of Koenigsberg (German: Konigsberg, translated into Russian as the Royal Mountain, also found as the Royal Castle) was founded in 1255 by the Czech king Ottokar II Premysl and lasted until 1968. This castle of the Teutonic Order gave the general name for the city that arose near the castle walls.
The Royal Castle was beautiful:
The Königsberg Castle has evolved from a wooden structure to a brick fortress and castle, which at different times was the residence of the leaders of the Teutonic Order, the Duke of Prussia, and later became the place of coronations of the Prussian kings.
Coats of arms of Koenigsberg
Below you can see all the coats of arms of Koenigsberg from the very foundation of the city to the present day.
This is where my patriotism ends. I like Prussian coats of arms more (and not only me, by the way). Obviously, any Prussian coat of arms looks more solid than the coat of arms of Kaliningrad, approved in 1996. It is more pleasant for many people to observe the greatness and significance of the royal symbols in comparison with the typical and primitive coats of arms of Russian cities.
The Royal Castle of Königsberg after the war
During the war, the Royal Castle was heavily damaged, but survived. Its condition was even better than the condition of the Cathedral, which suffered more during the bombing and storming of the city.
The ruins of the Royal Castle of Koenigsberg were a real treasure. The ruins of the castle were not guarded, so everyone was engaged in treasure hunting here: children, adults, local party workers, and visiting expeditions.
The Royal Castle is also famous for the fact that from 1942 to the spring of 1944 there was an amber room in it, which disappeared without a trace after the Soviet troops stormed Koenigsberg in April 1945.
From the memoirs of Kaliningraders:
“We, children, also climbed in the ruins, looked for mysterious passages, treasures, found something, broke something, but the atmosphere around the castle was always magical, mystical and romantic.”
However, the Royal Castle of Koenigsberg, as a "stronghold of the Prussian military and militarism" did not give rest to the leadership of the Kaliningrad region.
From "Information about proposals for the conservation of the ruins of the Royal Castle in the city of Kaliningrad" dated December 3, 1965:
“The royal castle in the former Koenigsberg was founded in 1255 by the knights of the Teutonic Order as a stronghold for aggressive campaigns against the Slavic peoples on the shores of the Baltic. For centuries, this castle, being the residence of the highest ranks of the order, and later of the Prussian kings, was the personification of the predatory aspirations of the Teutonic-Prussian conquerors against the Polish, Russian, Lithuanian lands and peoples.
During the period of Hitlerism, Hitler, Himmler, Goering and other prominent Nazis were repeatedly received in it. All this determines a special attitude towards him on the part of the apologists of fascism. At present, revanchists in West Germany are writing scientific treatises on the role of the castle in the history of the creation of Prussia, regretting its destruction.
Given this, the thesis that the ruins of the castle are of cultural and historical value and deserve to be immortalized in the ensemble of the new socialist city of Kaliningrad is extremely doubtful.
...Restore castle ruins, which was a symbol of the Teutonic Order, and later Prussian militarism, Hitlerism, investing huge investments, in fact, in the construction of a new building, we consider it inappropriate. The draft of the new master plan of the city center developed by Giprogor provides for the demolition of the ruins of the castle and the construction of a new public building in their place, which will really adorn Soviet Kaliningrad.”
In short, the fate of the Royal Castle was tragic. The castle, which stood for 700 years, was completely destroyed in 1969.
Today, on the site of the Royal Castle of Koenigsberg, there is an observation deck of its ruins and the House of Soviets. Among German tourists, this House of Soviets is called the “new castle of Koenigsberg”.
To the left of the entrance to the observation deck of the Royal Castle, you can see a memorial plate to Immanuel Kant.
There are many inscriptions in German at the entrance, 2008
The observation deck of the Königsberg Castle is a mountain of stones, each of which has a sign indicating which part of the castle these stones and debris were.
Photo 1. Concrete lining of the balustrade of the southern promenade of the Royal Castle
Photo 2. A group of brick blocks left from the destruction of the castle walls (16-18 centuries)
Photo 3. Step into the castle church (18th century). In the background - the House of Soviets
Warhead of a (probably French) siege gun, 1914-1918.
An exhibit of the military-historical exposition of the Muscovite Hall (4th floor of the western wing)
The Royal Castle in Warsaw is a baroque and classicist castle located in Warsaw at Castle Square 4. The palace is a museum and a hallmark of the city.
Royal Castle in Warsaw. Photo from the East-West highway
History of the Royal Castle
At the end of the 13th century, during the reign of the Mazovian prince Konrad II Czersky, a wooden and earthen castle was built, called the "Small Manor" (lat. Curia Minor). The next prince, Casimir III, in 1350 decided to build the first brick building in Warsaw - it became the Great Tower (lat. Turris Magna) (today it is the Grodskaya Tower). Between 1407 and 1410 the Warsaw prince Janusz Mazowiecki erected a castle, the floors of which were made in the Gothic style, and called it "Great Manor" (lat. Curia Maior). The style of the new residence of the Polish princes and its size (47.5 m by 14.5 m) determined the new status of the castle, which since 1414 functioned as a ducal court. Since 1526, when the last princes of Mazovia, Stanisław I and Janusz III, died, the castle became a royal residence, and after the transfer of powers to manage the capital to the Warsaw princes, also the seat of the Sejm and the Senate. After the creation of the Seim of the Commonwealth in 1569, the castle was expanded - it included the New Royal Court, designed by the Italian architect Giovanni Baptista di Quadro. October 29, 1611 In the Senate Hall of the castle, Tsar of Russia Vasily Chuisky, captured by Hetman Stanislav Zolkiewski, took a solemn oath to the Polish King Sigismund III. In 1622, he significantly expanded the area of the castle thanks to the construction of a modern pentagonal courtyard.
On May 3, 1791, the Four-Year Sejm adopted at the Royal Castle. During the November uprising on January 25, 1831, the Sejm decided to overthrow the Russian Emperor Nicholas I from the post of King of Poland. In retaliation for this act, the Russians remodeled two halls: the Marble Study and the Senator's Chamber. In 1926-1939 the castle was the residence of the President of the Second Polish Republic, Ignacy Mościcki.
After the outbreak of World War II, all movable parts of the castle were moved to the National Museum. During the rescue operation, the curator of the castle's collection, Casimir Brokl, was killed. The castle was seriously damaged during artillery fire on September 17, 1939 - the roofs and helmets of the towers, the roof of the Great Hall were destroyed. After the shelling began at about 11:15, the clock on the statue of Chronos in the Knights' Hall of the Tower of Sigismund, engulfed in flames, stopped. This time has become a symbol for the Castle. And now every day at this very time you can hear a heinal (exact time signal) from the tower of Sigismund.
After the Germans entered Warsaw, it was decided to blow up part of the castle in the place where, according to the "Pabst Plan", the Hall of Glory (in German) was to be built. Volkshalle). At the turn of 1939 and 1940, about 10,000 holes were made in the castle for laying dynamite. However, the castle was not blown up at the time because the shock wave could have destroyed the Kerbedza Bridge, which was needed to transport German troops east. And only in 1944 the castle was blown up - during the events of the Warsaw Uprising.
Nowadays, fewer people realize that the castle we see today is just a building restored after the Second World War. In the few photographs taken in 1945, only small fragments of the walls are visible against the sky. The reconstruction of the Royal Castle, and in fact construction from scratch, began in 1971, when Edvard Gierek became the first secretary of the PUWP Central Committee, and was completed in 1981, when he retired. After the Second World War, almost nothing remained of the old Royal Castle. Only about 2% of the materials used in its reconstruction are genuine.
The Royal Castle is one of the most famous buildings in the world, not because it looks especially impressive, but because it is over 700 years old and was a royal residence in the past, and because Shakespeare used history in his play The Winter's Tale. that actually happened in the castle. The uniqueness of the castle lies in the fact that for 37 years it did not actually exist, and yet it was reborn like a phoenix from the ashes. It was destroyed, being a symbol of Polish statehood, and was restored as a symbol of statehood.
How to get to the Royal Castle for FREE?
Interiors of the Royal Castle
The interiors of the castle were most shaped during the reign of Stanisław August Poniatowski. Much of the equipment and furniture salvaged during World War II is from this period, although there are also many post-war gifts from around the world.
The most interesting room in the castle is the former Chamber of Deputies, located on the ground floor, on the ceiling of which is the coat of arms of the province:
On the first floor are the New Chamber of Deputies and the Chamber of the Senate, where the Sejm was located in a later period and where the Constitution was adopted on May 3, 1791. It was there that Tadeusz Reitan lay down before leaving the ward with the words: "Kill me, do not kill the Fatherland!" In the Senate Hall in 1831, a Decree was adopted on the dethronement of Nicholas I. Later, in retaliation for this decree, the Russian princes divided the chamber into smaller rooms.
On the second floor in the Royal Chambers of Stanisław August Poniatowski is the Knight's Hall, which houses portraits of prominent Polish scientists and artists, as well as statues of Glory and Chronos with a clock on their backs. In another room - the Marble Study - there are portraits of Polish kings. Both rooms introduce visitors to Polish history before they enter the throne room, furnished and decorated by Jan Christian Kamsetzer. Also on the second floor are the Great Hall, designed by Dominik Merlini and Jan Christian Kamsetzer.
Photo of the throne room How to get to the Royal Castle?
Summer opening hours (May - September): Monday - Wednesday: 10:00 - 18:00, Thursday: 10:00 - 20:00, Friday - Saturday: 10:00 - 18:00, Sunday 11:00 - 18:00.
Opening hours in winter (October - April): Tuesday - Saturday: 10:00 - 16:00, Sunday: 11:00 - 16:00.
Entrance fee: 30 PLN, children under 16: 1 PLN.
Additional facts
- A model of the Royal Castle can be seen in the Minimundus park in the Austrian city of Klagenfurt, which has a fine collection of models of the most famous buildings in the world (including a model of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the Pyramid of Giza and the now defunct World Trade Center tower in New York) .
- Original fragments of cornices and windows of the castle, created at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, can be seen in the Warsaw Uprising Museum.
- In honor of the dramatic events that took place in September 1939, the Heinal of the Royal Castle is heard every day at 11.15 from the Clock Tower. The melody, written by Zbigniew Bagiński, is based on the motives of "Warsawianka". Hejnal is repeated three times to emphasize Poland's core patriotic values: God, Honor and Fatherland. Heinal was first performed on May 3, 1995, and since 2008 it has been the official time signal in Warsaw.
Treasures of the Third Reich in the dungeons of Kaliningrad. What does the former City of Kings of Koenigsberg hide?
Königsberg castle- Castle of the Teutonic Order in Königsberg (Kaliningrad), also called the Royal Castle. It was founded in 1255 by the Czech king Ottokar II Přemysl and existed until 1968. Until 1945, various administrative and public institutions of the city and East Prussia were located within its walls, there were museum collections and halls for ceremonial receptions. The name of the castle gave a common name for the city that arose near the castle walls. Along with the Cathedral, it was the most important and ancient landmark of the city.
The building had a maximum length of 104 meters and a width of 66.8 meters. The tallest building in the city - the Castle Tower, 84.5 meters high, was rebuilt in the years 1864-1866 in the Gothic style. Twice a day, a choral sounded from the castle tower. At 11 o'clock in the morning - "Oh, keep your mercy", at 9 o'clock in the evening - "Peace to all forests and fields."
The castle was rebuilt many times, and combined a variety of architectural styles (Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo). Changed in accordance with the periods and its purpose. The original fortress acquired the features of a castle. The castle from the residence of power turned into a museum complex, became the center of spiritual life.
Components of the castle
German historian Dr. Gunnar Strunz recently paid a visit to Kaliningrad, the former capital of East Prussia, Königsberg. He visited this city with a series of lectures about the ancient order castle of Koenigsberg, destroyed by British bombing during the Second World War. This castle has a rich and interesting history dating back to 1257.
During his visit, he made a proposal to restore the most beautiful premises of this building, which the locals call the Castle of the Three Kings - kirhu, "Muscovite Hall" and others. In his opinion, this will help attract tourists to Kaliningrad and increase their interest in the historical heritage of this city.
Coronation of Frederick I in the Castle Church, 1701
In 1944, the building was severely damaged during the bombings carried out by British aircraft, and in the early 60s of the twentieth century, by order of the Kaliningrad regional committee of the CPSU, the ruins of this castle were finally demolished.
In 2010, the Kaliningrad authorities announced preparations for a referendum on the restoration of the Koenigsberg Castle. It was planned to hold it in March 2011 in order to combine it with the elections to the local regional duma. However, the referendum was never held. This is far from the first unsuccessful venture to explore and restore this architectural monument, as will be seen below.
However, the idea of restoring and reconstructing the castle was not abandoned and forgotten. She did begin to receive practical implementation, although in a different way than originally planned. The government of Kaliningrad agreed to the proposal, which came from the German side, to perpetuate the architectural appearance of the old Koenigsberg in bronze.
Funds for the implementation of this project - the implementation of the layout of the historical center of Königsberg in the form in which it was before the massive bombing of British aircraft in 1944 completely changed its face - were collected by former residents of the capital of East Prussia. The project is a bronze copy of the architectural ensemble of the old city with a diameter of 3 meters, where the Castle of the Three Kings will also be built. It is planned to install the layout on the island of Kant near the restored Cathedral.
But this is data only about the outer part of the castle. There are also numerous dungeons and passages located under the Castle of the Three Kings. They are completely walled up and well preserved. And, according to the Moscow archaeologist Ivan Koltsov, they will not require much effort and money to restore. In addition, they are able to bring huge profits to the treasury of Kaliningrad. On what is this assertion based?
Castle courtyard - west and north wing
Reporting to the Central Committee of the CPSU
Russian journalist Sergei Turchenko, studying archival documents in the Central State Archive of the Russian Federation, which contained information about cultural property stolen by the Germans in the former USSR, found a memorandum from dowsing engineer Ivan Koltsov, sent to the Central Committee of the CPSU and dated May 8, 1982.
This note indicated that his research allowed him to draw up a diagram of the main underground passages and structures of Koenigsberg. There is reason to believe that they contain huge valuables stolen by the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War. According to assumptions, this is a large amount, amounting to tens of tons of gold, silver, amber, and precious jewelry. Perhaps it is there that the fragments of the Amber Room, paintings, books and much more are located.
The network of underground passages and structures, in which valuables are hidden, was built at different times, starting from the 13th century, and is located at various depths from 16 to 68 meters. It has several main directions radiating from the city center, that is, the former Royal Castle. Also, the memorandum mentions a certain special room where the plans-schemes of all the dungeons of Koenigsberg are stored.
The same note contains information that the central entrance to the dungeons of Koenigsberg, which was located on the territory of the Castle of the Three Kings, was blown up and littered with debris to a depth of at least 16 meters. But the author of the note believes that at a greater depth the corridors are in a state suitable for research and are not flooded. He also believes that there were other entrances to the dungeons.
Sergey Turchenko managed to find the author of this note - Ivan Evseevich Koltsov, who in the 80s of the last century was an employee of the "closed" dowsing bureau under the Council of Ministers of the USSR. In 1982, Ivan Evseevich Koltsov, as part of an expedition, examined the ruins of the former Koenigsberg, at the same time he drew up detailed schemes of the dungeons under this city and sent his report to the Central Committee of the CPSU in the above-mentioned memorandum.
But the reaction that followed his report was, according to Ivan Evseevich, at least strange. He was suspended from participating in the State Historical and Archaeological Expedition, which after some time completely ceased to exist. To the best of his knowledge, the charts he had drawn up had not been used in any search operations in the area.
eyewitness testimony
The conversation with Koltsov left more questions than answers. Can we trust his data on the dungeon system near Kaliningrad? If possible, how much? Do other sources confirm these data? Sergey Turchenko decided to look for answers in Kaliningrad itself.
At the beginning of his journey, while still in a train compartment, he heard a story in which the dungeons of this city appeared. A fellow traveler told him that the son of her friend once brought home a large piece of synthetic fabric. He said that he found her in the cellars of one of the flooded forts, where he climbed with friends. From that fabric, her friend sewed a shirt for her son, surprised that the fabric, despite the fact that it had been in the water for a long time, looked like new.
When the mother began to iron this shirt, the fabric flared under the iron, like gunpowder. The frightened woman called the police. Divers were sent to the indicated fort, who discovered the sweetness of such rolls in it. In this form, the Nazis produced gunpowder. The history of further searches in this direction remained unknown. As will be seen from further eyewitness accounts, the authorities continue to show surprising indifference to such facts. What is the reason for this lack of interest? Perhaps the internal affairs bodies simply did not believe the frightened townswoman?
The researcher decided to turn to other sources.
Some references to the dungeons of Koenigsberg are also contained in post-war literature. In particular, Stanislav Garanin in his book "Three Faces of Janus" wrote about eight hundred and sixty-two quarters in the city, each of which was connected with others by a single defensive system. Transitions connected the cellars of houses. Under the ground were power plants, ammunition depots, hospitals.
Also in the same literary work, a situation is described in which some heroes who descended into the dungeons through a sewer hatch saw an underground hall, along the wall of which there was a pier. At this pier stood a small, four meters long, submarine.
But this is a literary work that cannot claim documentary accuracy. The data presented in it strike the reader's imagination, but raise questions about their reliability. It was necessary to find evidence of real eyewitnesses.
The former head of the department of underwater technical works, Mikhail Matveyevich Leaf, said that although he does not fully know the underground communications of Kaliningrad, but only in the part that concerned his work, he can say that in the area of \u200b\u200bformer palaces and under fortifications there are two and three-story dungeons. Most of them are flooded or littered with stones. Some of them are used for warehouses and at the present time.
So these dungeons still exist? But are they really accessible to tourists? Perhaps these are just warehouses, partially destroyed during the bombing and nothing more. But Mikhail Matveyevich also mentioned some kind of underground aircraft factory. But this plant is also flooded and littered with stones. He also told a story about some home-grown "treasure hunters", which once had circulation in the circle of his acquaintances. As if these people found a grotto of artificial origin in one of the lakes, the entrance to which was closed by a German anchor mine.
One of the treasure hunters soon died under unclear circumstances - he fell from the fifth floor. Another turned for help to a familiar midshipman-sapper, who did not attach much attention to this request. But after the "treasure hunter" went missing, having gone on one of his trips, the sapper became worried and filed a complaint with the police. Unfortunately, police searches did not yield any results. Leaf also spoke about one of his colleagues and comrades, Grigory Ivanovich Matsuev, who had been in Koenigsberg since 1945.
Having retired from military service, Matsuev remained in the underwater technical work detachment. He has dozens of dives in the Pregol River and lakes. He just said that at that time the upper floors of the cellars of the Royal Castle had not yet been flooded. This is very interesting and echoes what Koltsov said. Could these floors have been flooded later, after the research carried out by the historical and archaeological expedition, which included Koltsov?
But let us return to the story of Mikhail Matveyevich Leaf about his comrade. One story in particular draws attention. Grigory Ivanovich once told that once, not far from the ancient city gates, a large hatch was discovered in the floor of a fortification. When it was opened, they saw that the tunnel, the entrance to which it closed, was completely flooded with water. Matsuev dived there and saw a large room with a large number of shelves, on which lay many rolls of unknown material.
Several of them were raised to the surface. Further analysis showed that it was gunpowder. Perhaps Germany, bound by the Treaty of Versailles, did not have the right to produce weapons and explosives in excess of the allowable quantity. Therefore, the gunpowder, which was made in Koenigsberg, was camouflaged under the fabric. But again, not a single mention of treasures. And that these passages may be available for visits. The researcher found it necessary to continue his search. What were Koltsov's assertions based on?
Archived data
Sergey Turchenko felt that this information was not enough, and he decided to return to the archives and continue his search there. Many months of painstaking work in the Central Archive of the Russian Federation did not take long to bear fruit. He found there several documents that attracted his attention and confirmed the existence of extensive dungeons near Kaliningrad.
He discovered a historical reference by the German researcher F. Lars about the Royal Castle. It said that the construction of the castle began in 1257 and continued until 1810. During this long six-century construction, the castle was rebuilt several times. Extensive underground work was also carried out. Professor Heydekk, who conducted geological excavations under the Royal Castle in 1889, mentioned 7-8-meter strata of "cultural" deposits. He also mentioned the ancient dungeons that stretch under the Castle Church, the former home of the Convention and the Blutgericht (Last Judgment) restaurant. But all these researchers mentioned only the dungeons of the first tier. For some unknown reason, deeper excavations were not carried out. Perhaps the limited technical capabilities of that period interfered.
But such work was not carried out in 1945. Although, in order to search for cultural property that may have been hidden in Koenigsberg, a special commission was created under the leadership of General Bryusov. His diary has been preserved, in which he kept a detailed account of the activities of this expedition. From this diary, we managed to find out the following interesting detail. A certain doctor Alfred Rode, who was the curator of the Koenigsberg museums and did not have time to leave the city when it was liberated by Soviet troops, actively dissuaded the expedition from excavations in the southern wing of the castle.
Rode argued this by the fact that during the war there was a hospital that was bombed and littered with stones. And nothing in these rubble, except for corpses, can not be found.
After the mysterious disappearance of Rode, his deception was revealed. Military experts who studied the characteristics of the blockage of the southern wing of the castle proved that the explosion did not occur from above, as it should have happened if an air bomb hit this wing of the castle, but from below, which makes one think about its artificial origin. Dr. Strauss, who arrived in Koenigsberg at the call of the commission and was a former assistant to Rode, categorically denied the presence of any hospital in the southern wing of the castle. He confidently stated that museum values have always been concentrated there. Why did Roda arrange such a deception? To hide valuables? So that they do not fall into the hands of the Soviet expedition? For whom did he save them and where did he disappear to?
Already one such contradiction should have attracted increased attention to the excavations in the castle area. But, surprisingly, they were carried out superficially. After examining only part of the dungeons of the first tier, the Bryusov commission found more than 1000 museum exhibits stolen by the Nazis from the museums of Leningrad and Moscow. These were priceless works of silver, bronze, porcelain, paintings and furniture. Perhaps, if the excavations had been continued and carried out more carefully, more valuables could have been recovered?
Also in the archive, the researcher managed to find records of testimonies of former Soviet and foreign military personnel that were related to Koenigsberg, the competent authorities regarding the burial of cultural property by the Nazis.
A prisoner of the Warsaw prison A. Vitek told the following: during the war he was sent to forced labor in Koenigsberg. From the work camp in which Vitek was stationed, the Germans took people to work every day. The interrogated person got into a group that took out equipment from houses and institutions and brought it to the Wilhelm Castle (Royal - author's note) on Kaiser-Wilhelm-Straße. There things were sorted for subsequent shipment to Germany.
The prisoner helped pack the requisitioned equipment into boxes. He testified that he saw a large number of boxes marked with the same numbering. These boxes were in the right wing of the castle. The boxes were strictly guarded. Their safety was checked by Gauleiter Erich Koch himself. After that, the prisoner saw how bricks were brought into the palace of the castle and masons were called. The prisoner testified that the boxes had disappeared, but Vitek does not recall that the boxes were taken from the castle grounds. He suspects that the boxes were hidden in the castle cellars.
Professor G. Klumbis, a colleague and former associate of Dr. Rode, recalled that there was an old mine not far from the wine cellar of the palace. It is closed and has not been used for several centuries. No sign of her existence has been preserved, but Dr. Rode was aware of her presence in the indicated place. In his opinion, the mine is the best place to hide various valuables in wartime. If necessary, their transportation could be quickly carried out with small forces and imperceptibly. It was on this that his assumption was based that the basements of the castle contained cultural values exported from the USSR.
This point of view is shared by the former chief architect of the city of Kaliningrad D. Navalikhin. He believes deeper mines are possible. He himself descended into the dungeons of the castle and saw the mine inclined at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. This event took place in 1948.
In 1973, researchers came across another confirmation of the existence of dungeons under the Royal Castle. It consists in the fact that during the construction work, which consisted in the construction of the pile foundations of the House of Soviets, four piles up to 11 meters long were sunk into the ground to the full depth. No more than 4 centimeters of the pile was visible above the surface. Based on this, the participants in the construction work considered that there could be a bunker or an underground passage under this building. They allowed for the possibility that the Amber Room or other valuables stolen by the Nazis could be stored in this bunker.
But the memorandum of S. Kuleshov, who noted this fact, was followed by a strange reaction. The piles were ordered to be removed, the holes from them to be filled with concrete, and construction work to be carried out elsewhere.
It seemed to the researcher that these facts were enough to treat the words of Ivan Koltsov with confidence. The existence of dungeons can be considered proven. But do they contain the very values that the Nazis took out of the occupied territories? The results of Bryusov's expedition provide sufficient grounds for considering this to be true. But the presence in these cellars of the main Nazi warehouse of stolen valuables and the presence of the Amber Room there still remain a mystery.
Ivan Koltsov gives a fairly clear answer to this question. According to him, special equipment can determine what is underground - water, oil, ore or metals. And in this case, he believes, the equipment was not mistaken. Even now he is ready to show several entrances to the dungeons of the Royal Castle and places where, according to him, there are warehouses with mothballed equipment, cars, commissary property. with exploration of the dungeons of the Royal Castle in Königsberg. Perhaps the legendary treasures of the Third Reich still lurk there and wait in the wings.
Perhaps someone will now say “fu, remake”, and I will say that the newly built Royal Castle in the center of Warsaw is very cool. And although he does not cause admiration, but his presence here definitely causes respect. Especially if you look at what was left of it after its methodical destruction in the period from 1939 to 1944 in the photo under the cut (here I remembered the Kaliningrad, that is, Königsberg, Royal Castle, but that's another story). And the fact that it is a “remake” is nothing terrifying: some 100 years will pass and it will cease to be a “remake”.
2.
First, a fortress appeared on an artificial hill above the Vistula. It was built in 1294-1313 by Prince Bolesław II, ruler of Mazovia. Since that time, the fortress (and later the castle) became the residence of the Mazovian princes, and then the Polish kings. As often happens, each owner contributed and diligently completed the construction, altered and strengthened. But the global reconstruction of the castle took place in 1569 and lasted 13 years. Italian architects were engaged in restructuring and thanks to them the Royal Castle acquired a Renaissance look. 
3.
In 1596, Warsaw became the de facto residence of the Polish kings and the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, and in 1600 another rebuilding of the castle was started. After 19 years, it was turned into a large complex, very similar to what we can see now. But during the Swedish invasion in 1655-1656, all this splendor was looted and partially destroyed. 
4.
Restoration work began during the reign of King Augustus II (since 1697). The 18th century was rich in transformations - at first the castle suffered again during the Northern War, then the projects for its next restructuring were coordinated for a long time, but during this time part of the castle managed to burn down. New architects and new projects appeared, however, they had more to do with the alteration of the apartments, and not the appearance. 
5.
The 19th century was fickle and extremely diverse for the owners of the castle. We will not deal with their many now and will immediately move on to 1918, when Poland regained independence and became a republic. The castle became the official front building. In 1935, the Constitution was signed in the Knights' Hall. 
6.
The first bombs fell on the Royal Castle in 1939. It was decided to save everything that could be endured. In three weeks, art historians, architects and employees of the National Museum moved 80% of the art from the castle. Now they form the basis of the interiors of the restored building. But people didn't stop there. In the winter of 1939-1940, they dismantled doors, panels, floors, fireplaces, moldings, ceiling lamps, and even fragments of paintings. They hid everything that could be carried away, because the complete destruction of the castle had already been announced. To do this, holes were drilled in the walls of buildings every 75 centimeters in several rows. In September 1944, explosives were placed in these holes, and only a pile of stones remained in place of the castle. 
7.
Rebuilding the Royal Castle began in 1971, although the decision to do so was made as early as 1949. True, in those days there was something to rebuild besides him - Warsaw was almost completely destroyed. The Poles are very fond of their “Phoenix that has risen from the ashes” also because all the construction was carried out with funds raised by the people. During the construction, everything that was saved and hidden in the basements of the National Museum was used. 
8.
In 1984, the Royal Castle opened as a museum. Many halls have the look in which they were created under the brightest of their owners. All art objects were rescued from the Knights' Hall, which now stand in their original places. Including Kronos, who continues to carry his heavy load and point out to us with the tip of a scythe the transience of our earthly hours. 
9.
The Great Hall at the time of the kings was a banquet-ballroom, as well as a ceremonial-reception. 
10.
11.
I personally liked the Marble Chamber the most. Its first version was made in the middle of the 17th century. 
12.
13.
The throne room of the castle is extremely laconic. 
14.
But the conversation room next to it (or the Cabinet of European Monarchs) is painted from top to bottom. 
15.
To be honest, here I wanted to take off my shoes. 
16.
The private royal rooms have also been restored. There are six in total. This is the most beautiful with the official name "bedchamber". There are no other beds in the room, only this one. It is unlikely that she is foldable. Therefore, I would like to think that King Stanislav Augustus slept somewhere else, and here he only rested in between worries about the state. 
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In one of the audience rooms we were captivated by the fireplace. Hercules and the lions were discharged from Rome at the end of the 18th century. 
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Absolutely amazing Canaletto Hall. It is surprising that all 23 paintings by the famous Venetian artist survived the war. True, they were taken to Germany, but returned to the Royal Castle in 1984 safe and sound. 
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Entrance to the Small Chapel. 
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John Paul II prayed here twice. Now several times a year they serve a holy mass here. 
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Senate Chamber. Such decoration was seen by members of the Senate during meetings. And the throne even remembers the august ass, because it was saved during the war. 
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Well, a little more fabulous beauty and we go out to the Castle Square. Where they walk, clatter and smile invitingly. After all, Warsaw does not live as a "castle alone". 
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