Russia: New downloadable tourist guide to Jewish Kaliningrad

If you get to Kaliningrad, Russia — formerly Königsberg, East Prussia — you can now follow a Jewish heritage itinerary in the city.

Just a year ago, exactly 80 years after the grandiose New Synagogue was destroyed on Kristallnacht, a newly constructed near replica of the great domed building was dedicated on the same spot where the original synagogue stood.

The Jews in East Prussia History and Culture Society has now published a walking tour itinerary of the city’s former Jewish district that can be viewed online or downloaded as a PDF brochure.

The brochure includes photographs and a map, as well as historical information about the places and people.

The 10 stops on the route include the sites of former Jewish-owned businesses and factories; homes; major streets; the sites of synagogues and prayerhouses, and more.

The route ends at the replica New Synagogue.

The new synagogue is modeled on the original structure, which, 46-meters high, was built in 1894-96 for the Liberal Jewish community and designed by the Berlin-based architects Cremer and Wolfenstein.

The new building is smaller and differs in a number of other ways. — but is still grand.

• Click here to download the PDF of the printable brochure
• Click here to view the itinerary online
• Click here to read our article about the inauguration of the replica New Synagogue