Moris Becker Park or simply Becker Park (Moritz Becker Park) is a city park that is a historical monument, a pearl and one of the most visited places in the village of Yantarny, Kaliningrad region.
M. Becker Park has an area of about 10 hectares. Located in the center of Amber, on an elevated terrace by the Baltic Sea and the Central Beach.
From some points of the park near the cliff there are panoramic views of the beach strip and the sea.
The park was created by a German industrialist and owner of amber quarries in Palmniken (Palmniken / Palmenicken) East Prussia (now the village of Yantarny) - Moritz Becker (Moritz Becker, 1830-1901), after whom the park later got its name.
Becker laid out the park on May 21, 1881 on the site of an old manor garden with a hunting castle.
Becker's son brought and planted rare trees from Japan and America in the park.
To this day, such rare trees have been preserved in the park as: red-leaved beeches, Japanese purple, larch, Sith spruce, Menzies pseudotsugu, Weimutov pine, as well as the North American Tulip tree, unique in its beauty, which has become a symbol of the park.
The decoration of the park is the linden alley, which runs in the northern part of the Becker Park.
European beech. The age is more than 300 years. The height of the trees reaches 30 meters, the thickness of the trunk - up to 2 meters. Blooms in spring. It grows slowly, but lives up to 400 years or more.
Currently, Becker Park is a favorite place for walking and recreation, both among locals and visitors to the city. On summer days, you can relax in the park and enjoy the coolness emanating from the abundant vegetation.
In Becker's Park
Memorial sign
A memorial stone (sign) to M. Becker, which was installed in the park on July 21, 2007.
The memorial sign is a boulder with a metal plate on which there is an inscription:
"In 1881, the Park was founded by Moritz Becker.
In 1985, the park was declared a natural monument.
2007 The park was named after Moritz Becker."
The memorial sign is located in the southeastern part of the park, near the Schloss Hotel. Coordinates: 54°52'2" (54.867367) S.sh., 19°56'12" (19.936834) V.D.
Former hunting castle (Schloss Hotel)
The hunting castle was originally built in the 17th century by Elector Georg Wilhelm, who was fascinated by Palmniken, around which there were rich hunting grounds.
In 1703, the new owner, the first Prussian King Frederick I expanded and enlarged the hunting castle.
In the future, the castle was rebuilt and changed until it acquired its final appearance in the 19th century thanks to Moritz Becker, who acquired it and the surrounding lands. In 1870, Becker demolished the old building and built a luxurious house on its foundation, called "Schloss" (Schloss) with sculptures on the roof and with a beautiful park spread over 12 hectares of land around.
This is how Becker Park was born, on the historical land of which we can walk today!
In 1899, the Becker house became the property of the Prussian state and was used as a hotel for numerous vacationers from different cities of Germany. Since that time, the house has been called "Schloss-Hotel" ("Schloss-Hotel"), which means "Castle-hotel".
During the Second World War, the building survived. Later, it housed first the library, and then the restaurant "Amber Coast".
In 2012, the new owner restored the historical part of the Schloss Hotel according to old drawings and photographs in the form in which it was built by Maurice Becker. Then a modern building was additionally erected on the territory of the hotel.
This is how the 5-star Schloss Hotel was born, surrounded by Becker Park, in the historical building of which guests of the village of Yantarny are housed today and which is considered the best hotel in Yantarny.
The hotel features: free Wi-Fi, spa center, sauna, fitness center, indoor pool with hot tub, terrace, restaurant and 24-hour lobby bar with fireplace. Breakfast is included in the room rate. Link to the hotel
Central Alley
The central alley stretches through the entire park, in the direction from east to west and connects the Schloss Hotel (rear exit from the hotel) with the central beach of Amber, which has the award "Blue Flag".
Along the alley there are:
- wooden motorcycle;
- amber fair, which consists of several kiosks from which amber and amber products are sold.
Attention! Be vigilant, there are a lot of fakes in such points;
- owl figure;
- rotunda, near which there are places to relax;
- another small amber fair;
- cafe "Becker", which operates from the 3-star Hotel Becker, located near Becker Park.
The cafe has an outdoor terrace with a panoramic view of the coast. There is a small playground on the territory of the cafe.
At the Becker Hotel: free Wi-Fi, swimming pool, spa and wellness center, German-style restaurant, rooms and apartments with fully equipped kitchens. Link to the hotel
- cafes and eateries located at the western end of the Central Alley.
Descents to the sea
The western end of the central alley leads to the central descent to the sea, which is a wide staircase equipped with a lifting platform for people with disabilities.
The central descent to the sea leads to the central beach and the promenade in Amber.
In addition to the central descent to the sea, a ramp-shaped descent leads from Becker Park (Amber Alley) to the promenade and to the beach, convenient for people with disabilities, the elderly and parents with small children in strollers.
View of the promenade, the beach and the descent to the sea from Becker Park
This descent/ascent offers views of the promenade, the beach and the Baltic Sea.
Literary and Amber Trail
The literary-amber path (Coastal Alley), paved with paving slabs, leads along the sea line, to the north from the western part of the central alley in Becker Park.
The trail was opened on July 20, 2019 thanks to the idea of Valentina Luchnikova, with the assistance of Pavel Malykhin and Alexander Firm.
Along the eastern side of the trail there are stands with profiles of famous poets and poetesses and excerpts from their works. Including: Gaia Pliny the Elder, Immanuel Kant, Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov, Anna Akhmatova, Marina Tsvetaeva, Boris Pasternak, Vladimir Vysotsky, Bella Akhmadulina, etc.
Species swing
From the literary-amber trail, you can go to the swings installed on the site above the cliff of the park in such a way that when swinging on them, views of the Amber Beach and the Baltic Sea open up.
The swing is located on a wooden platform, on which, in addition to the swing itself, there are places for rest, urns. Panoramic views also open from the playground and benches. Learn more about the swing...
Museum of the Baltic Sea Countries
The open-air museum, whose sculptures, located near the alleys in Becker Park (central, coastal and middle), with the help of mythical creatures or heroes of national fairy tales, tell about the environmental problems of the Baltic Sea that Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Estonia and Germany are currently facing.
The museum was created to attract the attention of guests and residents of the Kaliningrad region to the environmental problems of the sea.
There are 9 sculptures with an information description and an info stand in Becker Park (located near the Schloss Hotel), which shows a guide to the museum and indicates the locations of the sculptures:
- Alkonost Bird of Paradise (Russia), which tells about the problem of changing ecosystem connections due to marine life alien to the Baltic Sea;
- naughty Flounder (Poland), reminiscent of excessive industrial and amateur fishing, which leads to a reduction in the populations of some fish species;
- ship spirit Clubauterman (Germany), which protects ships from accidents and collisions, as a result of which the sea waters are polluted;
- the little mermaid (Denmark), representing the problem of accumulation of dangerous substances in the depths of the sea;
- the water spirit of Nekken (Sweden), telling about the problem of stopping spawning migrations in rivers flowing into the sea;
- god Ahti (Finland) - the problem of the death of seals in the Baltic Sea;
- a pharmacist and his student (Estonia), reminding about the problem of dumping pharmaceuticals into the sea;
- Blue cow (Latvia), associated with the problem of nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from fields in the sea;
- Giantess Neringa (Lithuania), helping to protect the Baltic Sea from flooding and destruction due to global climate change. More about the Museum of the Baltic Sea countries...
Family Alley
The Family alley is located in the eastern part of Becker Park and runs from the Schloss Hotel in a northerly direction to the exit to the Park Square.
Along the alley are located:
- composition "Basilio the Cat and Alice the fox";
- the figure of a bear climbing out of a tree;
- figures of a family of wild pigs;
- a figure of a dwarf carrying a bag of amber on his shoulders, mounted on a boulder near a flower bed.
Location of Moritz Becker Park
Moritz Becker Park is located in the center of the village of Yantarny.
On the west side, the park borders the beach and the sea, on the east - with Sovetskaya Street. On the south side of the park there is the central square of the village - the square of Masters, and on the north - the Park Square with the mark of the so-called "Amber Way".
Photo of Masters Square
Photo of the Park Square
Coordinates of Becker Park: 54°52'1"N (54.867183), 19°56'11"E (19.936617).
The layout of the Moritz Becker Park
All accommodation facilities in Yantarny, including near Becker Park and beaches, can be viewed and booked here
