The Forest Agency has recorded 11 natural monuments on the territory of Kaliningrad. Among them - the park of the regional ecological and biological center of students and the arboretum of the zoo. The remaining nine are individual plants, each unique in its own way. Unusual trees and shrubs were brought back in the last century for the landscaping of Koenigsberg, and then - Kaliningrad.

ginkgo biloba

Distribution area

Homeland - Southeast China, over the centuries, ginkgo has become widespread in Western, Eastern Europe and North America.

How to find out

Fan-shaped leaves;

Ginkgo is a dioecious plant: male specimens pollinate female specimens with their pollen. In autumn, yellowish seeds ripen on part of the tree, which resemble an apricot in shape.

Where to look

Kaliningrad, Prospekt Mira 89; st. Kutuzova 22; st. M. Raskovoy 5; Kaliningrad Zoo (at the main entrance).

Spruce prickly blue columnar

Distribution area

Homeland - North America, now the plant can often be found in Eastern Europe.

How to find out

Reaches a height of 20-40 meters;

The branches are directed towards the sun.

Where to look

Kaliningrad, st. Gogol 3.

Catalpa beautiful, catalpa lilac

Distribution area

North America, China, Japan, Western India.

How to find out

Small tree or large shrub with cream colored flowers;

Catalpa fruits are green "earrings" or "icicles" up to 40 centimeters in length.

Where to look

Kaliningrad, st. L. Tolstoy, 3; st. Transcaucasian, 19.

Yew berry

Distribution area

In Russia - mainly in the Caucasus, outside the country - in the Baltic States, Central and Atlantic Europe, Africa, Syria, Iran, Southern Scandinavia.

How to find out

An old yew tree or shrub can reach 15 meters. Yew is a long-liver. The oldest tree grows in Scotland, next to the church of the village of Fortingale. According to legend, Pontius Pilate was born in the shade of this yew.

Yew seeds are covered with a red fleshy shell, which makes them look like berries. That is why the plant got its name.

The leaf has a lanceolate shape, on top of it is a longitudinal vein.

Yew berry is listed in the Red Book of Russia and the Kaliningrad region. A couple of centuries ago, it was very common in vast areas of Europe and Asia, but strength and healing properties his bark became fatal to him. The man ruthlessly cut down the plant and used it to build housing. The yew was especially valued during mass epidemics for its antibacterial properties.

The bark, seeds and leaves of the plant contain a poisonous substance - an alkaloid, and therefore are deadly for animals and humans.

Where to look

Kaliningrad, st. Chkalova, 44; Botanical Garden of the IKBFU Kant, Kaliningrad Zoo (yew grows opposite the bear enclosure).

Magnolia Sulange

Distribution area

The hybrid was obtained in France in the XIX century. Magnolia grows well in sunny, wind-sheltered places and in humus-rich soils.

How to find out

Magnolia blooms before the leaves appear, in April-May. Its buds can be of different shades: from white to pink-red.

Plant height from 5 to 10 meters. In autumn, magnolia leaves turn from dark green to dirty yellow.

The leaves, bark, flowers and fruits of the plant contain healing essential oils that can help with diseases of the digestive and cardiovascular systems.

Where to see: Kaliningrad, st. Dmitry Donskoy, 41a.

Ivy

Distribution area

Southern Europe, Southeast Asia, in Russia often found on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus.

How to find out

Thanks to its sucker-like roots, the plant attaches itself to trees, houses, and rocks.

The fruit of ivy is a black berry, inedible for humans, serves as food for birds.

Where to look

Kaliningrad, st. Minin and Pozharsky, 7a.

Kaliningrad Regional Ecological and Biological Center of Students

The park was laid out in the 18th century. It once belonged to the famous Prussian public figure Johann Georg Scheffner. In 1806, King Friedrich Wilhelm III bought a villa with a garden and donated it to Königsberg University.

After the war, in 1951, the Regional Station of Young Naturalists was organized here, in 1992 - the Kaliningrad Regional Ecological and Biological Center of Students. More than 700 species grow on the territory of the garden, including the "Red Book" Japanese scarlet, Gingko biloba, sessile oak and others.

Where to look

Kaliningrad, st. Botanical, 2.

Arboretum of the Kaliningrad Zoo

The plant collection of the Kaliningrad Zoo dates back to pre-war times. As a legacy from the former owners, he got lindens, oaks, ginkgo, berry yew, red-leaved beech.

In spring, sakuras and magnolias, apple trees and rhododendrons bloom on the territory of the zoo, and in summer colorful flower beds, as well as quiet maple and oak alleys, delight the eye.

Where to look

Kaliningrad, Mira Ave., 26.

The Forest Agency of the Kaliningrad Region searches for and inventories separately standing trees, shrubs and entire parks, which received the status of natural monuments 30 years ago. Many plants are more than a hundred years old, and therefore they are valuable. According to experts, there are 62 such monuments in the region.

Or ex defended

Now experts are working with the 1985 document. It contains the general coordinates rare plants: about 60 breeds and state farms and forestries responsible for them, which no longer exist.

“Therefore, the necessary trees must still be found. Ecologists and the population help us with this. In general, the trees are in good condition. However, not everyone is alive, ”says Leading Consultant of the Regional Forest Agency Natalya Stemalshchuk.

A huge plane tree on Mira Avenue in Kaliningrad has been lost. The same fate awaited the 90-year-old Siebold nut in the village of Novaya Derevnya. The owners intended to cut it down - they say, it obscures the site. I had to convince them of the uniqueness of the plant. But in the village of Timiryazevo, at the teacher's house Galina Bryukhnevich, centenary yew fit perfectly into the landscape design.

The 800-year-old mighty oak is considered the totem of the ancient pagan Prussians. The tree grows in the yard of the former cheese factory in Ladushkino. This oak is also displayed on the coat of arms of the city. Photo: AiF / Stanislav Lomakin

After the "census" on natural monuments, it is planned to issue security obligations, and then install information boards near them. Although some exotics are already local brands.

It is difficult to imagine Svetlogorsk without girlish grapes that surround the mud baths and the water tower. The oldest pedunculate oak in the region has become the symbol of Ladushkin. He is over 800 years old.

Treated with cement

Until the middle of the 19th century, Konigsberg was a typical medieval city with densely built-up quarters, defensive fortifications and rare trees. Only noble people could afford parks and gardens.

Later they began to give them to the city. Intensive cultivation and planting of valuable ornamental woody plants in East Prussia took up at the beginning of the 20th century.

Varietal apples and pears from old German orchards in Soviet time got to the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition. True, to the stand of the Moscow region, where everything was the best. But the gardens that survived the war could not resist modern developers.

“When I arrived in Kaliningrad in 1947, there were only ruins around. The surviving trees were already wounded. We treated them with a cement-based compound. At the intersection of st. Komsomolskaya and Mira Avenue, such a tree has been preserved, but basically those that we saved have already been cut down, - recalls 95 year old, who headed the Green Economy Trust for twenty years. “We made the city a garden, starting from scratch.”

Kant Island. View from above. Photo: AiF / Stanislav Lomakin

Limes were dug up on Kant Island and brought from the forest. Then they planted chestnuts there - the Germans also loved them very much. Blue spruces were presented to Talyzin in Riga. True, under New Year of the fifty spruce trees planted in the city, the locals cut down and took home 38. From the surviving cones, they took the seeds and began to breed.

“Moscow helped us with seeds, but when we organized our own nursery, all the seedlings were already our own - poplar, linden, maple, mountain ash,” recalls the veteran. - Up to a million flowers, tens of thousands of shrubs, hundreds of trees were planted on the streets a year. It is very painful to see how our garden city is being destroyed.”

But it seems that it is still possible to return Kaliningrad-Kenigsberg to its former glory as a garden city. A new green nursery in the region will be laid in the spring of 2016. Seeds will be brought from St. Petersburg. For urban forests, under which 1200 hectares are occupied, oaks, pine and spruce will be grown. For the needs of the city - hornbeam, mountain ash, linden.

The Kaliningrad region is a unique region of Russia. First of all, thanks to my geographical location. In our article you will find a description of the nature of the Kaliningrad region, with photos and a story about the most interesting places. In particular, you will learn about the relief, climate, flora and fauna of the region.

Kaliningrad region: geographical location and diversity of nature

Kaliningrad region - motherland for more than one million Russians. It is located in Eastern Europe and is an exclave Russian Federation, that is, it has no land borders with its main territory. The region borders on Poland (in the south) and Lithuania (in the north and east). From the west it is washed by the waters of the Baltic Sea.

The diversity of nature in the Kaliningrad region is simply amazing. Here, on a relatively small piece of land, you can see various types of landscape: sand dunes, coniferous forests, oak groves, lakes, swamps, lush meadows ... The territory of the region is densely dotted with rivers, streams and streams, and its bowels hide real riches.

About the nature of the Kaliningrad region, its relief, climate, flora and fauna, we will now tell in more detail.

Relief and minerals

The relief of the region is predominantly flat (see the map below). The maximum heights (up to 230 meters) are located in the southeastern part of the region, where the Vishtynetskaya Upland enters the borders of the Kaliningrad Region. Some areas of land are located below sea level. Most of them are in the Slavsky district. These are the so-called polders - lands under the constant threat of flooding. The average height of the surface of the region above the ocean level is only 15 meters.

Another unique feature of the nature of the Kaliningrad region is the presence of real sand dunes within it. They are found on the Baltic and Curonian spits. The largest of these dunes reach a height of 50-70 meters.

The bowels of the Kaliningrad region are rich in various minerals. The main wealth of the region is, of course, amber. According to geologists, about 90% of the reserves of the planet's "sun stone" are contained here. In addition to amber, the Kaliningrad region has deposits of oil, brown coal, rock and potash salts, phosphorites, sand and peat.

Climate and surface waters

The climate of the Kaliningrad region is transitional from maritime to temperate continental. The Baltic Sea has a significant impact on the weather and climate conditions of the region. Thus, average annual temperatures decrease from +7.5 °C in the southwest of the region to +6.5 °C in its northeastern part. In summer, the air here warms up to +22…26 °C, and in winter the thermometer can drop to –15…–20 °C. True, both prolonged heat and prolonged frosts are not typical for this region.

Average annual quantity precipitation ranges from 600 to 750 mm. Most of them fall in summer and autumn. The snow cover does not last long. In autumn, storm winds often blow over the region, especially windy weather is typical for the coastal zone.

The Kaliningrad region has a dense and well-developed river network. In total, 148 rivers flow through its territory. The largest of them are Neman and Pregolya. The basins of these two rivers cover almost the entire territory of the region. There are quite a lot of lakes in the southeastern part of the region. The largest among them - Vishtynetskoye - is located on the border with neighboring Lithuania.

Flora and fauna

The flora of the Kaliningrad region includes about 1250 species of higher vascular plants. Many of them were brought here from other regions, in particular from the Crimea and the Caucasus. The total forest cover of the territory reaches 18%. The most forested eastern regions of the region are Chernyakhovsky, Nesterovsky and Krasnoznamensky. On the Curonian and Baltic spits, artificially planted forests perform an important function of containing sands migrating deep into the continent.

All forests in the region are secondary, they were planted in the XVIII-XIX centuries. The main forest-forming species are spruce and pine. Birches, maples, oaks, hornbeams, lindens are also common. In Zelenogradsky and Pravdinsky districts, there are patches of beech forest, and near Zelenogradsk itself there is a grove of black alder.

The fauna of the Kaliningrad region has over 700 different species, of which 325 species are birds. The largest representative of the animal world is the elk. Roe deer, deer, fallow deer are found here, wild boars, from predators - ermines, foxes and martens. Wolves were exterminated by the 70s of the last century.

curonian spit

An amazing corner of the nature of the Kaliningrad region is the Curonian Spit, located in the northwestern part of the region. This is a narrow strip of land, stretching for almost 100 km from Zelenogradsk to the Lithuanian Klaipeda. The width of the spit does not exceed 2 km. national park, founded here, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. The most interesting natural monuments on the Curonian Spit are the Efa dune, the famous "Dancing Forest" and the beautiful Swan Lake.

Vishtynetskoye lake

This reservoir is called the European Baikal for its depth, reaching 54 meters. The lake is the border between Lithuania and the Kaliningrad region of Russia. The purest water, remoteness from large settlements, the richest avifauna - all this makes Vishtynetskoye Lake an excellent place for a relaxing holiday and unity with nature.

red forest

In the southeastern part of the region is the legendary Rominten (or Red Forest) - a huge forest area of ​​360 km2. The beauty of this piece of nature in the Kaliningrad region was duly appreciated by the German nobles, who, since the time of the Teutonic Order, have been organizing Sunday hunting here. Rominten is an alternation of hills, dark hollows and picturesque forest lakes, formed during the Ice Age.

A wide variety of native species and introduced plants (brought to us from different corners planet) makes the Kaliningrad region a unique place in terms of natural diversity. We have compiled for you a flowering calendar of the most beautiful plants, indicating the place of growth of each species.

1. Sleep-grass, or lumbago(lat. Pulsatilla)- This is a perennial herbaceous plant, which received its first name for the drooping, as if sleepy inflorescences. The sedative effect of drugs based on sleep grass is known. It is believed that this species was formed in Altai, but this plant can also be found in the European part of Russia. In particular, in the Kaliningrad region, meadow lumbago grows on the edges of forest (pine) massifs of the Baltic Spit. Sleep-grass begins to bloom in mid-April: a delicate fluff that covers all parts of the plant protects it from night and return frosts, and great endurance allows even buds seized by spring cold to continue their early flowering. Surprisingly, when most plants are just starting to bloom, sleep-grass is already forming seeds. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

2. A frequent visitor on the spring streets of Kaliningrad is a shrub plant forsythia (lat. Forsythia), which begins to bloom with bright yellow bell-shaped inflorescences from mid-April. The flowering of this plant is more impressive due to the fact that the flowers bloom on bare branches, the leaves appear later. Magnificent specimens of forsythia adorn the city center, Gogol, Gorky, Krasnaya and many others. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

3. To admire the magnolias ( lat. Magnolia, one of the oldest flowering plants, you do not need to travel to countries with a warm climate. These exotic plants with attractive large fragrant flowers, usually blooming in the last week of April, can be found in our city on Leonova Street, on the square in front of the Drama Theater, on Nevsky Street and in the Kaliningrad Botanical Garden, outside of Kaliningrad - on the Curonian Spit and in the village of Otradnoe . Fruit unusual shape, a bright red-orange color appear on magnolias in early autumn. Several types of magnolias grow in our region: Kobus magnolia, naked magnolia, star magnolia, Sulange magnolia growing in Kaliningrad on the street. Dm. Donskoy and pleasing with flowering twice a year - at the end of April and at the end of July. But the most original, in my opinion, is the lily-flowered magnolia, a low shrub that impresses with the impressive size of pink or dark purple inflorescences that open in mid-May. This magnolia variety of varieties is presented in the Kaliningrad Botanical Garden. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

4. The first, truly sunny April days awaken to life seaside violet (lat. Viola maritima), decorating the entire coast of the Curonian Spit with soft purple inflorescences. This fragile-looking plant, capable of enduring the most adverse conditions, is found both on the moving sands of the dunes and on the edges of the pine forests nearby. Yes, and for the duration of flowering, seaside violet is a real champion: flowering specimens of this plant can be found in December! Photo by Natalia Antonova.

5. The favorable climate of the Kaliningrad region makes it possible to grow here and different types rhododendrons (lat. Rhododendron), many of which are very demanding on the composition of the soil, and also have low winter hardiness. Nevertheless, mature bushes of yellow rhododendron, Japanese rhododendron and Sikhotinsky rhododendron, as well as the whole variety of varietal rhododendrons (the decorative effect of which is higher than that of the original species, but resistance to diseases is much lower) can be found in Kaliningrad near Victory Square and in the Kaliningrad Botanical garden. In the resort cities of Svetlogorsk and Zelenogradsk, these deciduous branched shrubs delight with repeated flowering in May-June of each year. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

6. The unspoken tree symbol of the city of Kaliningrad and the region is chestnut (lat. Aesculus): numerous representatives of this species adorn the historical center of Kaliningrad, where the Cathedral and the grave of Immanuel Kant are located. This plant is in wild nature found in the mountain forests of the Balkan Peninsula, in Russia it has been cultivated since the 16th century, nevertheless, some of its specimens regularly freeze out in harsh winters (most often this happens with young trees), but only in the Kaliningrad region, due to the favorable climate, the horse chestnut feels excellent and is found everywhere in the landscaping of the cities of the region. In mid-May, adult specimens acquire erect pyramidal cream-colored panicles. Recently, meat-red chestnut (Gorkogo Street) has also been grown in Kaliningrad. Despite its dissonant name, it is very beautiful trees with an expressive crown and large candles strewn with reddish-pink flowers that appear on chestnuts of this species at the end of May. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

7. Blooms in early June liriodendron tulipus (lat. Liriodendron tulipifera). AT natural conditions this tall deciduous tree with a powerful crown and large lyre-shaped leaves grows in the east of North America, however, the mild climate of the Kaliningrad region makes it feel at home here. You can admire the flowering of adult specimens of liriodendron in early June in the Central Park of the city of Kaliningrad, in the Kaliningrad Botanical Garden, at the Museum of the World Ocean, as well as in the park named after Moritz Becker in the village of Yantarny. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

8. Arrays of beech forests once covered almost the whole of Europe, but were almost completely cut down or destroyed by fires. To date, beech forests represented beech forest, or European (lat. Fagus sylvatica) little has survived in the Kaliningrad region: individual sites can be found on the Baltic Spit, in the vicinity of the city of Ladushkin, near the village of Klintsovka, Zelenograd region, and the age individual plants more than 400 years, however, in the landscaping of the cities of the region, this beautiful deciduous tree, reaching 30 meters in height, is ubiquitous. The noble dark green foliage of the forest beech in decorativeness can compete only with the copper leaves of the forest beech dark purple and with the pale yellow foliage of the forest golden beech, whose representatives can be admired in the Kaliningrad Botanical Garden. Even rarer wood beech specimens can be found near the entrance to the Central Recreation Park in Kaliningrad. It should be remembered that the forest beech is included in the list of rare plants in our region that need protection. Photo by Mikhail Ogorodnikov.

9. (lat. Viburnum)- a well-known shrub, common in the forests of the middle zone. However, the garden form of viburnum - viburnum buldenezh, popularly called " snowball". Terry white flowers, collected in spherical inflorescences, appear on the plant in the first half of June. In Kaliningrad, beautiful adult specimens of viburnum buldenezh can be admired on the territory of the zoo and in the Kaliningrad Botanical Garden. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

10. Few ornamental shrubs can argue with weigela (lat. Weigela) in the beauty and duration of flowering, which can last from May to July, and repeat in late summer - early autumn. During flowering, weigel branches droop from the abundance of inflorescences, the shades of which vary from pale yellow and pale pink to rich burgundy. This unpretentious plant is abundantly used in landscaping the streets of Kaliningrad (adult bushes can be found, for example, on Pervomaiskaya and Ozernaya streets) and the region, especially in the resort towns of Svetlogorsk and Zelenogradsk, however, the greatest varietal diversity of this species is represented in the Kaliningrad Botanical Garden. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

11. A plant with an unpretentious popular name"sea peas" is the botanical name of the seaside rank (lat. Lathyrus maritimus). This herbaceous plant is found in our region everywhere on the coast of the Baltic Sea, it combines extreme unpretentiousness, the ability to survive in difficult conditions - on strong wind and open sun. Structural features, in particular, a creeping branched rhizome, which conquers large spaces for the ground part, allow "sea pea" create green glades on bare sand, thereby strengthening these sands. Primorsky rank blooms from late spring to early autumn with bright crimson inflorescences-moths, the shape of which is characteristic of all legumes (lat. Fabaceae).Photo by Natalia Antonova.

12. If in the summer, while traveling around the Kaliningrad region, you can take a ride along the Kaliningrad - Svetlogorsk highway, you can observe endless thickets lupine multifolia (lat. Lupínus polyphýllus) , a large perennial, whose bright inflorescences create a feeling of endless blue space. So familiar to our eyes, this plant is nevertheless a native of northeastern North America, and it feels great with us. Breeders have bred a wide variety of lupine varieties, but even among wild plants you can find specimens with white and pink inflorescences. Flowering begins in June and lasts at least a month. Photo by Mikhail Ogorodnikov.

13. (lat. Cotinus coggygria), popularly called the “wig tree”, can hardly attract attention with the beauty and splendor of the inflorescences, however, after flowering, in early July, the skumpia, which has the shape of a tall bush or tree, is covered with red and white elongated pedicels that make the bushes look like wigs. In addition, skumpia is also distinguished by bright autumn foliage, which is why the Curonian Spit, the place where this introducer feels excellent, seems to be on fire in September. High decorative effect of tannery throughout the growing season and good resistance to adverse conditions allows you to use it for landscape design of streets and squares of Kaliningrad and the region. Photo by Mikhail Ogorodnikov.

14. In 2014, red oak became the plant symbol of the Kaliningrad region. (lat. Quercus rubra), an introduced plant brought to us from North America. This tree can reach 25 meters in height and in our conditions it has an enviable resistance to fungal and viral diseases, plus high phytoncidal properties. Another distinguishing feature is the huge vitality of acorns: usually the space under each adult copy of the red oak is completely covered with young one-two-year-old shoots of young oaks. Mature specimens of red oak can be found in the Max Aschmann Park in Kaliningrad, as well as in the parks of regional cities, for example, in the main park of the village of Zheleznodorozhny. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

15. powerful tree honey locust trithorn (lat. Gleditsia triacanthos), whose homeland is North America, primarily strikes not with its openwork crown, greenish inflorescences that appear in mid-May, or outlandish fruits: long beans twisted into a spiral, but with powerful sharp thorns located directly on the trunk. It is because of this feature that these deciduous trees recommended to grow as hedges. Despite the low requirements for growing conditions, in the Kaliningrad region, Gleditsia is represented by a few specimens in Kaliningrad on the street. Sergeant Shchedin, in the dendrological collection of the local botanical garden and in the city of Sovetsk. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

16. Stag sumac, which is also called vinegar tree (lat. Rhus tuphina), also a native of North America and a close relative of the mango. From a distance, its specimens resemble an elegant low palm tree with several trunks, dark green velvety leaves are distinguished by openwork, however, it is in autumn that sumac becomes even more attractive, because its leaves take on all shades from scarlet to purple. Of great importance is the fact that this plant remains ornamental in winter, thanks to bright brushes, in which small fruits of dark red color are collected. This is probably why the deer-horned sumac is gaining more and more popularity: in Kaliningrad it can be found on Partizanskaya, Lesnaya, Chekistov, Chkalov streets, as well as in regional cities: adult specimens of this tree grow in the city of Chernyakhovsk. Photo by Mikhail Ogorodnikov.

17. (lat. Berberis) very decorative, but prickly at the same time. This plant with bright sour fruits has been known to us since childhood, not so much because of the medicinal properties that it has, but because of the name caramel. Different types of barberry differ primarily in the size of the bush: in nature and in horticultural culture, there are dwarf forms (no more than 30-40 cm) and large bushes up to 2.5 meters in height. Unusual species of this plant, represented in our region by introducers: Amur barberry and Thunberg barberry, native Far East . During flowering, which usually begins with the flowering of hawthorn in May, yellow fragrant flowers appear on the branches of the barberry, collected in a brush; fruiting occurs in mid-August. Extensive thickets of barberry can be found on the Curonian Spit. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

18. calling card Kaliningrad and the cities of the region are buildings, on the walls of which rises parthenocissus (lat. Parthenocissus quinquefolia). It covers the walls so tightly that it often completely hides the facades. In spring, its young foliage pleases the eye with juicy greenery, but by autumn the leaves turn fiery red. In the photographs of the sights, which are made by almost all the tourists who came to our region, the tower and the building of the hydropathic clinic, built in Svetlogorsk (then - Raushen) in 1908, are almost completely twined with girlish grapes. Photo by Mikhail Ogorodnikov.

19. (Euonymus europaeus), a representative of the genus Euonymus familiar to us, usually occupies the undergrowth in deciduous forests. This deciduous shrub or low tree blooms in April with white four-dimensional flowers, but is remembered for the color and shape of orange seeds, as if dressed in bright pink clothes, and red autumn foliage. While admiring the beauty of the euonymus, one should remember that all its parts are poisonous. If you look into the Kaliningrad Botanical Garden in mid-September, you can find another very decorative type of euonymus - the Far Eastern euonymus Maak, whose pointed foliage turns pale pink in autumn. Photo by Mikhail Ogorodnikov.

20. The only representative of the monotypic class Ginkgoaceae, still called a living fossil, ginkgo biloba (lat. Ginkgo biloba) most likely not found in the wild anywhere on the planet. But these trees conquered it a second time as an ornamental plant, which is also cultivated in Kaliningrad and the region. Gingko specimens of different ages with graceful fan-shaped leaves can be found on the territory of the Kaliningrad Zoo, the Kaliningrad Children and Youth Center for Ecology, in the Central Park of the city of Kaliningrad, on M. Raskova and Kutuzov streets, in the Kaliningrad Botanical Garden, in the park named after Moritz Becker in Yantarny village. This plant is especially beautiful in September, when its leaves acquire a bright yellow color and, falling off, cover the ground with a golden carpet. Photo by Natalia Antonova.

The Kaliningrad region is one of the smallest regions of Russia in terms of area.

But, despite this, here you can find a wide variety of natural landscapes. And oak groves, and pine forests, and many kilometers of swamps and meadows, and even sand dunes on the Curonian Spit.

The entire Kaliningrad region is dotted with rivers, streams and streams. And on the sea coast are the main Kaliningrad resorts - Svetlogorsk and Zelenogradsk. They have federal status. However, you can relax on the sea in other wonderful coastal towns: Pioneer or Yantarny.

You can relax in the Kaliningrad region not only in summer. Healing air and a developed network of balneological establishments allow you to relax and be treated throughout the year.

Choose , or plan an independent trip with the help of ours.

Baltic Spit

The Baltic Spit is an amazing natural monument that has retained its virgin charm.

The Baltic Spit has been named one of the most unusual peninsulas in the world, writes The World Geography portal.

How to get there?

You can get to the Baltic Spit using a ferry from Baltiysk.

Departure from Baltiysk - from the 1st berth from the Peter the Great embankment (50 meters from the lighthouse and the monument to Peter the Great).

The spit ranks fifth in the ranking after attractions such as Canada's La Dune de Bouctouche, Zlatni Rat in Croatia, Spain's La Manga del Mar Menor, and Ocean City in America.

The Polish part of the spit has long been mastered by the tourism industry, but from the Baltiysk side the spit remained a restricted area for a long time.

On the one hand, because of this, the infrastructure on the spit is practically absent, with the exception of a small camp site, on the other hand, here tourists are given a unique chance to feel like “savages”.

At your service are endless beaches, the Baltic Sea and the freshwater Kaliningrad Bay, pine forests, fields full of berries. Extreme lovers can explore the dungeons of the former military base, and street racers arrange races on the runway of an abandoned military airfield.

Kaliningrad Bay

The Baltic Spit separates from the sea another extraordinary attraction of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea - the Kaliningrad Bay.

The Kaliningrad (Vistula) Bay is a water area located in the southern part of the Baltic Sea. It is bounded on the north south coast the Zemland Peninsula and the Baltic Spit, which separates it from the sea from the northwest.

This is a beautiful lagoon that combines salt and fresh water, commonly called transitional waters.

red forest

In the south-east of the region is the Red Forest - the legendary Rominten, which was once the largest forest in Germany.

Rominten Forest or Red Forest is a huge nature Park on the Vishtynetskaya Upland. Most (2/3) is in Russia, and the smaller (1/3) is in Poland. The area of ​​the largest forest area in the region is about 360 sq. km.

The alternation of hills, valleys and hollows, gentle slopes turning into colorful lakes - all this was formed back in the Ice Age. Thanks to this relief, the area has its own special quiet and calm climate.

Since the time of the Teutonic Order, Romintskaya Pushcha has been a place where a week-long hunt was organized for the Grand Masters of the Order.

Favorite hunting ground for German rulers

The unique forest landscape has become home to many animals.

47 species of mammals live in the forest, including red deer, elks, wild boars, beavers, roe deer, martens, muskrats, weasels. There are raccoon dog, wolf, lynx, otter.

There are fourteen species of fish in the Red River, including eel, pike, ide, barbel, and brook trout.

The flora of the Red Forest is no less diverse - about 100 species of plants are classified as rare.

Rominta Forest is a paradise for lovers of cycling and hiking.

You can walk in the Red Forest for hours - the diversity of the landscape, the murmur of streams, lakes, mushrooms, berries and bird chimes.

Vishtynetskoye lake

Lake Vishtynetskoye is a unique lake of glacial origin and is the oldest, deepest, largest, cleanest in the Kaliningrad region, it is often called European Baikal.

Vishtynetskoye Lake is rightfully considered one of the main assets of the natural world of the southeastern part of the region. The reason for this is not only the impressive size of the lake, but also the purest water, the volume of which is so large that it can be ranked among the most valuable sources of drinking water in Europe. All this, plus remoteness from settlements, makes Lake Vishtynets a wonderful place for a relaxing holiday alone with nature.

How to get there?

The best way to get to the lake is by car - first to the town of Nesterov, then to the south through the village of Nevskoye. Another option is also possible - to Nesterov by bus or train, and from there - by bus.

Be sure to stop at Yagodnoe, where the Pissa River flowing out of the lake is blocked by a dam, on which the picturesque ruins of an old mill are located.

To get to know the environment better natural world this area, you can stay in one of the rural estates of the Nesterovsky district.

curonian spit

There are places on earth that invariably evoke feelings of amazement and admiration. One of such unique corners of our land is considered to be the Curonian Spit - a narrow strip of land between by the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon, which stretches for 97 km from Zelenogradsk to Klaipeda.

If you came to the Kaliningrad region for one day and you have time to see only one sight, then do not waste time thinking - you simply must visit the Curonian Spit. It is no coincidence that the National Park "Curonian Spit" is included in the register of protected natural heritage UNESCO.

In the narrowest part, the width of the spit is 800 meters, in the widest part - 2 kilometers, the total length - 98 kilometers. Since 1987, the Curonian Spit has been a national park, and in 2000 it was included in the UNESCO World Register of Natural Heritage.

Ornithological station "Fringilla"

The Curonian Spit is sometimes called the "Bird's Bridge", people stop here migratory birds on the way from north to south. If you're lucky, you can become a witness, and sometimes a participant in the ringing.

A special attraction of the Curonian Spit is the local ornithological station Fringilla, one of the first in the world.

The forest is located on the 38th kilometer of the road that runs along the spit towards Lithuania.

No one has yet given a logical explanation for the “dancing forest”, which does not interfere with enjoying the view of this unique natural phenomenon.

How to get there?

You can get to the Curonian Spit by taxi, bus or private transport. Passengers in private transport and taxis are charged an environmental fee, the amount of which depends on the type of car and the number of passengers.

Buses to the Curonian Spit and along it go from Kaliningrad, Zelenogradsk and Svetlogorsk - 3-4 times a day. If you take the bus, ask the driver to make a stop near the Dancing Forest.

The mystery that envelops the origin of the phenomenon, the mysticism and unusual shape of the trees make the place especially attractive to tourists. This interest has led to negative consequences for the forest - trampling the soil, damaging the bark of trees. To protect and preserve the trees, the territory of the "Dancing Forest" was fenced off, and a special path made of wooden flooring was laid for tourists.

Come visit us to see everything with your own eyes! Believe me, you will want to come back here again and again.