Eduard Anderson (1873—1947), an original painter and a graduate of the Königsberg Academy of Arts, was the first curator of the museum of Königsberg’s history. He was inspired by Königsberg, its views, and the Curonian Spit – those were his favourite themes. He was a talented manager and did a lot for the city: he initiated the construction of a new exhibition hall and was instrumental in the opening of the Art Gallery.

The painting Industrial Port on the Pregel River is a winter industrial landscape created through the play of light and dark shades. The artist depicts the view of Koenigsberg from the industrial port. In the distance, the viewer can see the outlines of the railway bridge over the Pregel River and the grandiose steeple of the New Ross-Garten church.

Anderson had an almost photographic vision, which allowed him to accurately convey the smallest details of the industrial landscape as well as of the atmosphere of the port. The artist chooses a rather dark color scheme: everything is in a brownish gloom. It makes the outlines of the buildings, ships and people even more pronounced and accentuates the melancholy mood of the evening.

The port, the focal point of the painting, played a crucial role throughout the history of the city. The first mentions of the port date back to the 14th century. Presumably, it was established in 1339. It continued to develop and expand its territory to become one of the main trade hubs in the region. At the beginning of the 19th century, the government of East Prussia granted the local merchants the right to manage the port: in 1818 alone, more than 320 merchant ships called the port. Ten years later, it welcomed Copernicus, the first steam boat that called the port.

Königsberg’s growth and economic prosperity was always closely linked with trade, especially between Russia and Germany. Through Koenigsberg, Russia shipped grain, flax and many other commodities to Europe. The industrial harbor depicted by Anderson was built on the south bank of the Pregel River in 1924. During the Second World War, the port was seriously damaged. At the end of the war, in 1945, the city became part of the Soviet Union