In the village of Yantarny, Kaliningrad region, there is one unique tourist object that is a popular attraction not only of the village, but also of the entire region - this is the observation deck of the existing Primorsky open-pit amber mining.
The observation deck is also known as: the observation deck of the Amber Combine, the observation deck of the amber quarry, the observation deck of the Primorsky quarry or the observation deck of the quarry.
The Primorsky amber quarry, introduced in 1976, replaced the spent and closed Walter quarry, which today is Lake Sinyavinskoye.
Amber is still being mined in the Primorsky quarry. The average depth of the quarry is 55 meters.
The Primorsky quarry is the only place in the world where amber is extracted on an industrial scale by an open method.
Near the quarry there is an object of tourist display of the Kaliningrad Amber Combine - the "Observation deck of the Primorsky quarry", opened in 2008 and today is part of an open-air complex, which includes, in addition to the observation deck, other tourist facilities. Information boards with annotation materials about this or that object are placed near the objects.
Observation deck of the Primorsky quarry
The observation deck, located at an altitude of more than 50 meters, allows you to observe the work in the amber quarry in real time.
The amber-bearing layer, the so-called "blue earth", is clearly visible from the observation deck.
There is a screen on the site where you can see the process of amber extraction.
On the observation deck there is an additional observation tower, which you can climb up a spiral staircase and view the quarry and the surrounding area from an even higher point.
Other objects of the amber quarry observation deck complex
In addition to the observation pit itself, the complex of the territory includes:
- landscaped recreation area;
- pavilion with cafe, trade and exhibition hall and WC;
- "Amber Tree";
- "Amber pyramid" made of natural amber.
It took more than 700 kilograms of sunstone to create the pyramid, which is said to have a beneficial effect on human health.
You can enter the amber pyramid. Inside there are benches. And on fine sunny days, the amber walls of the pyramid glow, playing with golden shades. Learn more about the Amber Pyramid...
- attraction "Amber mining" ("Prospector"), located in a large "sandbox", in which there are shovels, and amber is hidden in the sand.
Each visitor can independently engage in the "extraction" of amber in an "open way" and take away with him as a souvenir (if, of course, the prospector tries) a small present - independently found Baltic amber.
We found and took away with us such a "treasure";
- a mock-up of the entrance to the Anna Mine, which makes it possible to visualize exactly how the first mines on the Baltic Sea coast were organized, in which amber was extracted in a closed way.
The name "Anna Mine" is not made up! During the history of amber mining, a mine with this name existed - this is the former Anna amber mining mine, which was founded in 1883 in the village of Pilmniken in East Prussia (now the village of Yantarny in the Kaliningrad region).
The Anna mine became the most productive (the second mine was Henrietta, founded in 1873). Since 1922, due to unprofitability, work began on the conservation of the mine, and soon the production was closed. By the early 1930s, the extraction of amber began to be carried out in an open-pit manner with the help of quarries.
Currently, only small remnants remain of the Anna mine, including the remains of the Anna mine retaining wall, above which there is a small observation deck "Anna Mine";
- a mock-up of the "Gallows" set up for photography.
The layout allows you to "visually" acquaint visitors of the site with the medieval era and inform them about the order of amber extraction that existed during the reign of the knights of the Teutonic Order on these lands.
"With the arrival of the Teutonic Order on the Sambian Peninsula from the end of the 13th to the beginning of the 16th centuries, the collection of amber stone was taken under strict state control. The increased demand for amber required an increase in its production. Amber began not only to be collected, but also to be caught by boats in the sea.
The Crusaders introduced "amber regalia" regulating the extraction and trade of amber. The local population was allowed to collect amber, but it could not be stored and processed on the territory of the order. Amber should have been sent to special storages and workshops far from the Baltic. Therefore, the first amber in Konigsberg (now the city of Kaliningrad) appeared only in 1641, after the expulsion of the Teutonic Order.
Special serfs have been collecting amber for a long time. To supervise the execution of the law, "amber gentlemen" were appointed, who oversaw the collection of the gem, paying off the prospectors with salt or cash.
In the 15th century, an absolute ban on collecting amber on the coast was established under threat of death penalty. For being on the beach without a supervisor, even ordinary fishermen were punished with a whip or imprisonment. So, according to legend, Vogt (official) Anselm von Lozenberg issued a decree that anyone who is caught in the illegal "turnover" of amber will be hanged on the first tree that comes along. Old engravings often depicted a gallows against the background of amber hunters - as a warning to all those who thought of appropriating part of the raw materials."
- some amber mining equipment.
Practical information
The observation deck of the Primorsky quarry is located just southeast of the village of Yantarny.
You can walk from the center of Yantarny (Masters Square), the distance is about 2.7 - 3.5 kilometers, depending on which way to go. Public buses do not run to the observation deck.
Coordinates of the observation deck of the Primorsky quarry: 54°51'43"N (54.861992), 19°58'19"E (19.972205).
If you follow the observation deck by car from Kaliningrad (you can walk or drive from the center of Yantarny in the same way), then turn right from Sovetskaya Street, near the entrance to the village - at the entrance sign "Virgin of the Baltic" with the inscription "Amber", made in the form of a mermaid in the sea waters.
Then, without turning anywhere, follow straight along the road
Until you run into a small checkpoint with a barrier and a sign "Observation deck of the Primorsky quarry". Here, in the checkpoint booth, you can buy tickets to the observation deck.
It is necessary to follow the barrier in the same way, right along the road - directly to the observation deck, near which there are Parking spaces.
The observation deck of the Amber Combine can be visited from Kaliningrad as part of one of the excursions, for example:
The time of independent stay on the observation deck during the day is not limited.
The observation room is part of the Kaliningrad Amber Combine, which also includes the Amber Chamber exhibition hall (better known as the Amber Combine Museum), located in the village of Yantarny, at 1 Balebina Street (entrance from Zheleznodorozhnaya Street). The distance between the exhibition hall "Amber Chamber" and the observation deck of the Primorsky quarry is about 4 kilometers.
You can visit and, accordingly, purchase tickets for one of the objects or visit two objects using a single integrated ticket. Tickets, including complex ones, can be purchased at the ticket offices at any of the two facilities.
If you have purchased a complex ticket at the museum of the Amber Combine, then when visiting the observation deck of the Primorsky quarry, at the ticket office near the barrier, you just need to show the ticket and pass (pass).
We recommend specifying the opening hours of the museum and the viewing room, as well as the cost of tickets and conditions of visits, immediately before visiting, on the official website: ambercombine.
All accommodation facilities in Yantarny, including in the center of the village and near the beaches, can be viewed and booked here
