Stanislav Pokrovsky has been doing photography for over forty years. He records the daily life of Kaliningrad, takes portraits of the city people and the landscapes of the Baltic Spit. He’s even mentioned sometimes as the Kaliningrad biographer: since the 1960s, the master has been recording events and landmarks in the city, many of which no longer exist.

The photographer moved here from Moscow in 1957 and entered the theatre department of the Sovetsk Culture School in Sovetsk, Kaliningrad region. Today Pokrovsky’s works have been awarded many prizes, he teaches at the Kaliningrad School of Photography. 

This image was taken in the post-war period, when the city was dilapidated. The infamous British air raid in 1944, and then the Soviet assault in 1945, turned Koenigsberg into ruins. The Soviet government did not pay attention to the German heritage, so the old town, the Koenigsberg Castle and many other sights were in a state of dereliction for a long time. These circumstances have turned Kaliningrad into a perfect war movie set. The streets of the city did not require additional set design and could pass for both Soviet and German settlements.

Stanislav Pokrovsky captured the shooting of a Soviet film that took place near the ruins of the Koenigsberg Castle. The photographer took this picture from near the Haberturm (the Oat Tower), which was damaged during the Second World War. The castle itself was seriously damaged during the Koenigsberg assault in 1945, and eight years later its ruins were blown up. Soon after, the House of Soviets was built in its place. The restoration of the historic building is under constant discussion, but no progress has been made so far.

More than 30 films about the war were shot in Kaliningrad during the period of 1949 to 1966. Secret Agent (1947), Encounter at the Elbe (1949), Zhenya, Zhenechka and Katyusha (1967) and many others are among them. Over time, the centre of Kaliningrad less and less reminded of a city that survived battles yesterday. That’s why cinematographers' interest in the city has gradually faded.