From year to year, Stanislav Pokrovsky tries to capture through his lens the fast-paced and vigorous life of Kaliningrad. He photographs its people and landscapes of the Vistula Spit, and also documents the most important city events. Stanislav Pokrovsky moved to Kaliningrad from Moscow in 1957. He has been a photographer for more than 40 years and his works have won numerous awards. This is what he says about the key principles of his work:

The photograph on display presents the barque ‘Kruzenshtern’, one of the symbols of Kaliningrad. The four-masted barque made of steel was launched in 1926 as Padua and belonged to a German ship owner from Hamburg. After the Second World War, the barque was surrendered to the USSR as war reparation and renamed after Ivan Kruzenshtern, an explorer, who led the first Russian circumnavigation of the globe in the early 19th century.

In 1995-1996, the barque circumnavigated the world twice. Stanislav Pokrovsky captures the moment when Kruzenshtern returns to the port of Svetly in the Kaliningrad region after one of the voyages. In the foreground there is a cheering crowd welcoming the sailors home after the difficult voyage.

Kruzenshtern is the last traditional tall ship in the world; they were also called wind jammers. Initially, it was built to cross the sea only under sail, without an engine.

Today, Kaliningrad is the barque’s home port. The vessel is part of the Baltic State Academy of the Fishing Fleet of Russia where graduates of marine academies do their training and apprenticeship. In addition, when in foreign ports, the sailboat is often used as a venue for politicians and representatives of the maritime community. The barque still continues to do transatlantic cruises and take part in international sailing regattas. Periodically, Kruzenshtern welcomes residents of Kaliningrad aboard to see the barque from the inside.