The largest pipe organ in Russia and one of the largest in Europe
One of the largest organs in Europe can be heard in the Kaliningrad Cathedral. To be more precise, there are two organs, a large and a small, connected to each other and equipped with computers.
The large one has 6,301 pipes, the small one – 2,224 pipes. There are 122 registers in total. And the cathedral hall itself is equipped with an advanced acoustic system: it is possible to make multi-channel recordings and broadcast music in high quality simultaneously with accurate sound delivery.
The organ itself, meanwhile, is decorated with carved sculptures of the Virgin Mary with a baby and the Phoenix bird, which move in time with the music.
The Kaliningrad organ was installed in 2008 during the restoration of the 14th century Cathedral. Until 1945, Königsberg, as Kaliningrad was then called, was part of East Prussia.
The cathedral was badly damaged during the Great Patriotic War and it took a long time to restore it. Now, the cathedral has become the cultural and historical center of the city.
There are classical, spiritual and modern music organ concerts, organ competitions, as well as informative excursions around the cathedral and the museum of German philosopher Immanuel Kant, who lived in the city all his life. His tomb is also located near the cathedral.
