Holidays in seaside resorts at affordable prices without intermediaries! Yantarny village, Kaliningrad region - what to do, what to see.

Hi friends. In the west of the Kaliningrad region is the village of Yantarny. A landmark of world scale - here are the largest deposits of amber and the world's only museum of this ornamental stone. Periodically, "amber storms" occur on the coast and the sea brings tons of "honey stone" ashore. They say that at the end of the 19th century, after such a storm, near the village, so much amber washed up on the shore that the inhabitants of the area collected it for several years.

Now the village of Yantarny is a town immersed in greenery with ancient history. Here, there is an open amber quarry, where industrial extraction of amber is carried out. You should definitely visit Yantarny, especially since tourism is developing well in the town and the service is decent. And we will tell you what to see here.

You can plan half a day / day for the trip, depending on whether you want to walk around the city, walk along the famous promenade, see the Anna mine, visit the museum and dig up amber for yourself, or limit yourself to an excursion to the mine and the museum.

Promenade and Baltic Sea

In good weather, you can stay longer here. Clean air and great beach. By the way, this is the first beach in Russia, 3 hectares long, awarded the Blue Flag in 2016.

The Blue Flag is awarded to the most environmentally friendly clean beaches peace

True, you can swim here only in good weather, when there is no rain and a strong Baltic wind, catching up with a picturesque wave, but not conducive to swimming. And good for water activities The weather doesn't happen here very often.

There are many countries with beaches where people sunbathe with pleasure, but either do not enter the water at all or dip slightly. These are the beaches of Germany, Portugal. Those planning to come to Yantarny should take into account the weather and the fact that the Baltic Sea here is cold.

A bit of history

These lands were inhabited by Slavic tribes, which are now called by one common name - the Balts. Where Kaliningrad and its region are now, the Prussians (Porus) lived. Since time immemorial, they have been collecting amber ornamental stone and making jewelry from it.

ancient prussian

In those days, the extraction of amber was manual, i.e. limited to what the sea brought.

In the XIII century - the knights of the Teutonic Order began to seize the lands of the Balts and build their fortresses on them. They declared all the amber to be their property, and those who did not agree were held "amber courts" and hanged.
In the XIV century, the village of Palveniken was first mentioned, which in translation from Prussian means "treeless swamp, wasteland."
In the 16th century, a new way of extracting stone appeared - fishing. Algae were caught from the boats with nets, and large amber was selected from them.
XVII century - the second mention of the village, now under the name of Palmeniken.
XVIII - the first experiments in the extraction of amber by digging. These shafts along the coast were simple pits up to 20 meters deep. To prevent the sand from falling asleep, they were reinforced with boards.
XIX - the technology of amber mining improved significantly: open pits appeared, where miners and divers worked, and the first steam engines - excavators scooped up water.
The name of the village was transformed into Palmniken.
In 1946, the village was renamed Yantarny.

You can see how amber is mined now by visiting the observation deck of the amber quarry. I will tell about it a little further.

Talking about the village, it is impossible not to mention two people - Bekker and Stantien. These German entrepreneurs in the 60s of the XIX century became the owners of the land and the absolute masters of the amber industry.

The memory of one of them is preserved to this day. Amber has Becker Park and Hotel Becker.

Hotel Becker

If the park is related to the estate of this entrepreneur, then the hotel is not. It is new, built relatively recently. But Hotel Schloss is the former home of Maurice Becker. Which he built on a historic site.

Once there was a hunting lodge of the Elector Georg Wilhelm, later the Prussian King Frederick I expanded it. He came here from and to hunt. And then Moritz Becker became the owner. The amber king demolished the hunting lodge, and on its foundation he built his large manor house, laying out a park in front of it.

Please note that there are many types on the Internet. tourist maps where everything is confused. Probably because the error was on the map itself. There is a map with errors in the miniature (for comparison), and the map below in the article is correct.

Let's finish the story about Becker's manufactory. Apparently, the businessman's intuition did not let him down, and in 1899 he very profitably sold his possessions and business to the state.

Friends, now we are in Telegram: our channel about Europe, our channel about Asia. Welcome)

Attractions

The map is clickable, opens in a large size

This map with the correct designations of points of interest

I'll start with those for which bus tours come here.

Museum of the Amber Factory

You can come here with a sightseeing bus, mainly from Svetlogorsk or Kaliningrad (maybe there are also from other cities).

You can come here on your own, but go to the territory of the plant only as part of organized excursion with a guide. This is an operating enterprise and the entrance to it is only through the checkpoint.

Tours run every day and every hour. The first one starts at 9:00 am and the last one starts at 4:00 pm.

The ticket can be bought at the checkpoint of the plant (checkpoint). Address st. Balebina, 1

An adult ticket to the museum costs 180 rubles
Children's 100 rubles

To avoid disappointment, you should know that you will not see the process of mining and processing amber. You will see documentary, unique exhibits: stones of different sizes and shades, magnificent products of amber masters.

The guide will tell you about the amber itself and how it is mined, about the Anna mine, where the tragic events of 1945 took place - the execution of 3,000 Jewish prisoners of concentration camps. There is a monument to the Holocaust in the mine. Here traces of the famous " Amber room».

You can learn more about amber at the Amber Museum in Kaliningrad. These two museums are unique as they are the only ones in the world dedicated exclusively to amber and its products.

Amber quarry and observation deck on it

The quarry is located at the entrance to Yantarny Settlement. Landmark - a monument to the Mermaid. From the monument, stomp through the mud for about 2 kilometers. Therefore, it is more convenient to get to the site by car or bicycle. But the work is worth it.

The scope of the action is enormous: from a height of 60 meters, truly lunar landscapes open up, along the hills of which bugs-excavators move.

Of pleasant entertainment. On the observation deck there is a "sandbox" for adults. Everyone can feel like a prospector, digging amber pebbles out of the sand with a spatula or hands (which is more convenient). Every day, the museum workers pour a new portion of amber into it for tourists.

Whatever you dig up, you can take with you as a souvenir. You will also be given a document stating that you are a miner-prospector, in which you enter your last name.

Ticket for observation deck costs 180 rubles. for adults, 100 rubles. for kids.

Museum complex "Amber Castle"

This is a 14th century castle. Naturally restored. Everything inside has been remodeled. The castle houses a variety of expositions - a little bit of everything. In general, the sensations are very pleasant. What's inside?

Dishes, household items, traditional Prussian costumes sewn by modern craftsmen, an amber pyramid, inside which you can sit on a chair and recharge your batteries.

Grinding machines from production, amber cosmetics.

"Red Corner", photos of famous people.

Torture room (not a single cultural European castle can do without it - the Inquisition left its ugly mark everywhere), maps and models of Balts houses and, of course, amber jewelry.

Museum opening hours: from 10:00 to 18:00. No weekends or breaks.

Ticket price 100 rubles.

The next important attraction of the village is the promenade.

This walking path is located on the very coast and goes along coastline seas. The length of the promenade is 2 km.

For the convenience of walkers, it is raised above the ground (on piles) and from boards. Therefore, neither puddles nor sand threaten you.

Walks along the sea are especially useful for those who have respiratory diseases or asthma.

I talked about the beach at the beginning of the article. Now I want to add that both the promenade and the beach are equipped with good toilets, there are sun umbrellas and cafes (not cheap and not as many as we would like, so you can take food with you).

You can go down to the beach in different places. The beach is very wide, you will not often see such beaches all over the world. The sand is yellowish, not fine. The central descent / ascent to the beach along a wooden staircase leading to the Maurice Becker Park and the Schloss Hotel.

The hotel is comfortable and beautiful. On its territory there is a swimming pool - a small glazed light building like a veranda.

Path from the sea to the hotel Schloss

Church

The former evangelical church, the architecture of which has not been changed. Built in 1892. Now it is the temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

Take a shoulder wrap with you. Handkerchiefs are issued inside.

Sport

In Yantarny there is a lake where divers train and dive.

You can also rent a catamaran there.

There is a bicycle rental in the village.

Another attraction is the Water Tower.

This structure, preserved from the time of Prussia, can be seen if you move from the church towards the sea along the right road.

Masters Square

Modern square with nice shopping arcades. Nearby there are eateries, cafes, restaurants, toilets.

I really liked the city. Quiet, pleasant, clean.

Although it can be noisy here when music festivals and holidays are held. It's worth coming here.

Where to stay

Places lot. Fine hotels: Schloss hotel, Hotel Becker are the most famous. There is a hotel for divers on the lake. There is private sector. You can, as I understand it, rent an apartment or even a house and live in the air.

How to get there

From Kaliningrad. The most convenient way to get there is by bus 120 route Kaliningrad - Sinyavino (via Yantarny). It departs from the South Station. Departs every hour/30 minutes. The journey takes about an hour and a half.

The first bus leaves Kaliningrad at 6:30. Last from Yantarny at 21:05. The schedule may change for sure.

From Svetlogorsk to Yantarny by bus number 282 or 286 from the stop "Children and Youth Center" (DYuTS). Buses leave from 5:41 (No. 286). Return from Amber at 19:17 (No. 282).

Don't miss the storks! Their nests can be seen directly from the bus window to the left and right of the road, on poles. Before entering the village and in the village itself.

The village on the map

Thanks for reading our blog. We wish you memorable good travels. See you!

Yantarny is an urban-type settlement located on the coast of the Baltic Sea. The settlement is famous for the extraction and processing of valuable amber. After visiting Yantarny, every traveler can confirm the uniqueness of the place, in which the grandeur of nature is felt and excellent facets of history are revealed.

The history of Yantarny has more than seven hundred years, and amber has been successfully mined since the 17th century. Merchants and landowners could appreciate the rich deposits of valuable amber. Nowadays, many tourists are ready to visit a small urban-type settlement in order to make sure that the settlement is still unique.

So, what attractions are available to tourists?

The unique museum is located in the central part of Yantarny, or rather, in the castle of the XIV century. The castle is part of the Palmniken fortress.

The exposition is devoted to the history of the city, as well as to the extraction and processing of amber. Some exhibits are devoted to Slavic mythology, superstitions, spirits. It regularly hosts exhibitions of artists and musical events.

Location: Sovetskaya street - 61a.

Near the Anna mine there is a Monument erected in honor of the dead prisoners of concentration camps. In wartime, prisoners were shot near the mine and thrown into its adits.

The monument is a raised hand carved from granite. The height of the monument reaches seven meters. At the same time, the numbers of the dead prisoners can be seen on the hands. Such a performance contributes to the fact that each person thinks about the value of life.

Location: Soviet street.

The amber quarry operates today. The main task is the extraction of amber in an open way. It is here that about 90 percent of the total volume of amber is mined. Previously, a narrow-gauge railway worked in the quarry, but now it is possible to limit by car. Nearby is an amber factory.

Mermaid in the sea waves - interesting character urban-type settlement Yantarny. The object opens the border of the settlement, so every visitor sees the local landmark.

It should be noted that until 1946 Yantarny was called Palmniken (“Swamp Village”). The sculptural composition is an original sign that allows you to orient yourself with the territorial boundaries of Yantarny and find confirmation rich history village.

The building was built in 1892 as an evangelical church. At that time, boulders and figured bricks were used for construction activities. Previously, thematic stained-glass windows and an organ were installed in the church. However, valuable exhibits, stained-glass windows and an organ, were broken.

In the post-war period, the building was used for a club, a billiard room, and a warehouse. At present, the temple again performs its original function and was consecrated by the Metropolitan of Kaliningrad and Smolensk, His Eminence Kirill.

Location: Sovetskaya street - 69 a.

Moritz Becker is a well-known amber manufacturer, thanks to whom the development of amber mining in an urban-type settlement became possible.

The park complex was laid out in 1881 on the initiative of Moritz Becker. The gardener Levner was involved in the implementation of the project.

It should be noted that the park was created on the basis of the manor garden. Here it was possible to preserve the old powerful lindens, poplars, and ligatures. Moreover, the age of linden reaches two hundred years.

From different countries The world managed to deliver valuable ornamental plants for the development of the Moritz Becker Park. Such a move made it possible to diversify the collection of plants, thanks to which many people note the amazing diversity of the park.

As a result, walks through the park complex cause the best impressions. Maurice Becker Park is located between the coast of the Baltic Sea, as well as Sovetskaya Street.

Location: Sovetskaya street - 40.

The amber pyramid was built in honor of the 65th anniversary of the local plant. The attraction is located on the territory of the plant, not far from the observation deck.

The amber pyramid is a symbol of the amazing skill of the company's personnel. Its features are amazing:

Height - 3.3 meters.
Surface area - 25 square meters.
Facing each of the four walls with a thick layer of amber weighing 500 kilograms.
The pyramid can accommodate 10 - 12 people at the same time.

One can imagine how attractive the attraction is for tens of thousands of tourists who want to discover the beneficial effects of real amber.

The amber factory, located in the village of the same name on the coast of the Baltic Sea, is the largest amber deposit (up to 90 percent of the world's reserves). For the production of products in the summer of 1947, on the basis of the Koenigsberg amber factory, it was possible to create the Kaliningrad plant. In 1951, an art workshop began to operate. Products are exported to America, Europe, Asia, Middle East.

The museum exposition includes amazing exhibits created on the basis of amber:

Clock.
Paintings.
Caskets.
jewelry: beads, pendants, brooches, necklaces.
Inclusions.
Souvenir products (figurines of birds and animals).

To create jewelry and souvenirs, the natural form of amber, which is distinguished by its rich palette, is used in an interesting way.

Today, the plant produces mass products and offers unique exhibits created on the basis of individual orders.

Location: Balebina street - 1.

One of the most worthy places for walking is the Square of Masters. Here you can not only buy paintings, souvenirs, amber jewelry, but also book a tour or rent a bicycle. It is not surprising that many tourists try to enjoy a walk on the Masters Square.

Location: Sovetskaya street - 72.

There are great views from the Lookout. From here you can see the amber quarry from a height of 50 meters. In addition, you can try yourself in the role of an amber catcher, because in the “mini-career” the tourists are engaged in mining on their own. The lucky ones, who caught a large number of drops of precious resin, receive a diploma of "Amber Prospector".

The construction of the water tower dates back to 1920. The height of the object reaches 35 meters, diameter - 11 meters.

In 2006-2007, repairs were carried out to restore the facade and roof. In addition, a unique weather vane in the form of a unicorn was installed. In 2012, the water tower functions for its intended purpose.

Location: Zheleznodorozhnaya street - 2.

Several staircases lead to the sea, and a wide strip of the beach goes beyond the horizon in two directions at once. The length of the promenade reaches two kilometers, and it was created on the basis of Siberian larch. Part of the promenade runs through salt lakes left after the extraction of a unique solar stone.

Every tourist can be convinced that the Yantarny urban-type settlement still has interesting sights. Such a journey can leave the most vivid impressions, allowing you to believe that in Russia there are beautiful corners that will still gain popularity.

Location: Park them. Becker.

The last day of our short trip allowed us to visually feel how changeable the weather is in the Baltic. The rain that fell at night ended in the morning, but the sky was in clouds. Having breakfast at the Croissant cafe, we watched the city residents rush to work, many put on light jackets, it was cloudy and not at all hot.
Today we had to "take" another "height" -.
The village of Yantarny in the Kaliningrad region is located on the coast of the Baltic Sea. The population of Yantarny is 5.5 thousand people. The distance from to the village of Yantarny is 50 km. We drove along the so-called old roads. We drove through different villages and settlements, managed to see a bit of the life of "non-urban" residents of the Kaliningrad region. This road from Kaliningrad is quite busy, with good coverage, but narrow and winding. We begin to meet the famous roads with rows of trees standing on the sides - "", in dry and sunny weather, the road along them looks very picturesque. At the entrance to the village meets a mermaid:
Rest in the village of Yantarny, Kaliningrad region
In Yantarny for tourists there are several hotels and a bunch of accommodation offers in apartments. In the short Baltic season, almost everything is booked. Locals say that Yantarny village is not oversaturated with tourists. We were only one day, and even then - all day on the beach, but the village (in its coastal part) seemed to me quiet, not noisy.
Becker Park in Yantarny
Here, on an elevated terrace by the sea, is the Moritz Becker Park. Becker is a German, owner of amber quarries. By his will, on the site of the old garden in 1881, a park was laid out with lindens, maples, oaks, chestnuts and rare plants brought specially from Japan and America. On the territory of the park (13 hectares) residents and guests of Yantarny walk. Becker himself was one of the owners of the Shtantin and Becker company, which developed a quarry method for extracting amber back in the 19th century. By the way, the name of the park in honor of its founder was given only in 2007, that is, in recent history Russia.
Festival "Amber Beach"
Yantarny organizes various bright events every summer. For example, a couple of days ago (we were in Poland at that time) there was an electronic music festival "Amber Beach". Concert pavilions, large screens, campsites, food courts are organized on a special territory. There were musicians from Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Iceland, etc. We then talked with the bartender on, he told how everything went - there were a lot of people, there was also a lot of good music. This year, on the last day (the Festival runs for three days), it rained heavily in the evening, but none of the spectators were "washed away". It's all over in the morning.
Amber plant Kaliningrad region

In the Village there is an Amber Combine - an enterprise for the extraction and processing of amber. The Palmniken settlement on the site of today's Yantarny settlement arose in the 17th century, and the first inhabitants, in addition to traditional fishing, were engaged in the extraction of amber. And the settlement received development at the end of the 19th century, when railway from the German Fishhouse (modern Primorsk Russia), along which the mined amber was taken for processing to other parts of Prussia.
Amber in the Baltic pursues at every turn, and in the Baltic part of Poland, and in Lithuania, and, of course, in the Kaliningrad region.
The enterprise for the industrial extraction of amber was founded in 1947 on the basis of the former Königsber amber manufactory. On the basis of the German manufactory in Palmnikin, two stone mines were opened - "Henrietta" and "Anna". The Anna mine is also infamous for the fact that Jews who were driven here in 1945 from concentration camps in East Prussia were shot near it. In memory of this event, a monument to the victims of the Holocaust was erected in Yantarny. The Nazis flooded the quarries in Palmniken at the end of the war. The Soviet government already in 1947 took measures to restore mining, and in 1948 the first hundred tons of amber were mined! In the 90s, the amber plant changed the status of the enterprise several times, acquired debts. But it seems that the bad times are over, and now the Amber Plant is working stably, with a profit. Now there is a special hall-museum with historical data on the extraction of amber, excursions are held, there is a special excursion to the quarry where you can watch the extraction of amber. And in October 2016, the first Economic Forum of the Amber Industry of the Russian Federation will be held in Svetlogorsk, organized by the Amber Plant.
What is amber, how is it formed?
I read a lot about this stone and so I realized that there is no consensus on how amber was formed. There are many myths and legends about this. More Egyptian pharaohs and the priests carried pieces of yellow stone for decoration or for something else. There is a certain scientific version, which is considered official.
About 50 million years ago there was dry land in some part of the Baltic Sea. Pine trees grew there, which, unlike modern ones, were more resinous. Pine trees, under the influence of special physiological and various other physico-chemical processes, released resin (gum), which flowed from the trunk and formed literally clusters on the trees. Under the influence of the wind, the trees bent and broke, the resin flowed to the ground. Or birds, in search of insects, hollowed out the bark of trees, leaving holes through which the resin flowed out. One way or another, pieces of resin fell to the ground, oxidized and crusted. Then there was climate change, global warming, the convergence of huge glaciers. As a result, part of the land with pieces of amber became the sea.
There are deposits of stone in Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Mexico, Azerbaijan, Romania, Sakhalin (!), in Japan, in the Dominican Republic. And in the area of the village of Yantarny in the Kaliningrad region in Russia, it turns out that there is one of the most big places deposits of amber. 90% of the world's amber reserves are mined on its territory, you think about it - 90%! Stone deposits (layers) are located at a depth of fifty meters, the main part of this layer is in the sea, but part is on land, on the coast. It is possible to get amber before and now in Yantarny, just walking along the coast and picking up pebbles.
Amber mining methods
There were several ways of extracting amber: from simply "catching" pieces with a net from a boat from the depths of the sea to the construction of such peculiar amber mines or pits. Since the middle of the 20th century, amber mining has become more technologically advanced. Amber is found in nature in various forms and types. In Kaliningrad, in the Amber Museum there is a specimen weighing more than 4 kg, and in London, in the Museum natural history there is a "pebble" weighing more than 15 kg. By the way, in July 2016, a piece of amber weighing about 2.5 kg was found in the Kaliningrad region, which has not happened in recent years. And the most expensive specimens are inclusions: in the stone there are frozen great amount thousands (maybe millions) years ago insects or small animals. Presumably, insects or animals literally stuck to the pieces of resin and stayed there forever. The cost of such a piece with a frozen lizard, for example, reaches several tens of thousands of dollars.
The deposit in Yantarny is unique in that raw materials are mined here in the marine and coastal-marine parts, and here, in the village, it is processed at the Yantarny plant. In addition, it is curious that amber is washed ashore by storms on its own: about two tons were carried out near the village of Yantarny at the end of the 19th century, and in Solnechnogorsk in 1914, after a storm, about a ton of amber was found on the shore. Statistics show that in the Kaliningrad region about 40 tons of amber are taken out of the sea per year. But, of course, the main part is mined in an industrial highly mechanized way.