Translated material
The Reich Chancellor is asked to make room
The new residence of the Russian President will be built on the site of the Bismarck Estate
Rumors that the head of state would be “registered” in the westernmost Russian region have been circulating for a long time. The Vremya Novostei newspaper first wrote about this last year. On January 31, we also reported about the potential location of the new residence - in the city of Pionersky. However, only now this information has been officially confirmed. Kaliningrad Governor Georgy Boos, returning from vacation, told local media that the information about the residence was pure truth.Construction of the complex will begin this spring on the territory of a former military camp in a pine forest on the seashore in the vicinity of the town of Pionersky. The construction period is set at one and a half to two years. According to Governor Boos, the appearance of a state residence in the region (where the president will be able not only to relax, but also to hold meetings at the highest level) “will contribute to even more dynamic development of the economy of the Kaliningrad region, strengthening its political role in Russia’s relations with the European Union.” Mr. Boos is confident that “when such a residence appears in the region, its problems at the federal level will be solved much faster and more efficiently than today.”
Let us note that the idea of building a residence for the head of state in the westernmost region of Russia is not new. Back in 2004, local authorities proposed to “register” the president on the territory of the Curonian Spit National Park (now it is a special tourist and recreational zone). However, at that time in Moscow they reacted coolly to such an idea. And only at the end of August 2006, when President Vladimir Putin received Governor Georgy Boos in Sochi’s Bocharovo Ruchey, did an officially formalized proposal to build a residence in the Kaliningrad region land on the table of the head of state. Three options were considered as alternatives - again the Curonian Spit, the Baltic Spit (similar to the Curonian Spit, but the nature is wilder), as well as the resort town of Pionersky.
The last option was chosen. The special commission came to the Kaliningrad region several times - at the end of December last year and at the end of January this year. The project is personally supervised by the head of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Kozhin. According to Vremya Novostey, it is under his leadership that a meeting is to be held in Moscow by the end of the week (local officials are invited to it), at which it will be finally decided what the residence of the head of state will be like.
At least 100 hectares are allocated for development. These lands are located practically on the shores of the Baltic Sea, very close to Pionersky. The places are beautiful - the “gray” Baltic, powerful pine trees, clean air. In the German era, Pionersky (then called Neukuren) was considered one of the best health resorts in East Prussia. It was especially recommended for “nervous patients.” And it was in German times that the so-called “Bismarck Manor” was built there - several mansions in a typical Hanseatic style.
The German Reich Chancellor Otto von Bismarck himself was not in Neukuren. The estate (as well as several hundred others like it throughout Prussia) was only named in his honor. The mansions have not really survived to this day. But it is planned to take exactly the Hanseatic style in which the estate was built as the basis for the architectural style of the presidential residence.
In recent decades, the land chosen for the construction of the residence has been empty - in Soviet times there was a military camp there, but now there is nothing. It is also convenient to build “object number one” here because you won’t have to resettle anyone (although the local authorities of the resort town still keep one apartment building nearby uninhabited - just in case). There are even few tourists there - Pionersky in the Kaliningrad region is considered a very mediocre resort. Almost every year, during the peak of the beach season, the pipes of the local sewage collector burst near Pionersky - and all the waste flowed directly into the Baltic Sea. The last time the pipes leaked was last summer during the Baltic Debuts film festival.
However, after the construction of the residence of the head of state was officially announced, the current sewer seems to be a minor problem. Municipal authorities expect that along with the construction of “object number one,” many other local difficulties will be resolved. Thus, according to Vremya Novostei, it is planned to build a bypass highway around Pionersky, providing the city with uninterrupted gas and water supply, as well as electricity.
On the territory of the “Bismarck Estate” itself, a whole complex of buildings will be built - including apartments for the head of state to live in, for holding negotiations and summits at the highest international level. The service personnel will also be accommodated there during the visits of the first person. Since the residence will be very close to the sea, a long pier will extend from the complex, near which the yacht of the head of state will be located. A helipad will also be built on the territory and its own power generation facilities will be installed.
During the construction period, the entire territory will be controlled by special services, and it is assumed that from the Baltic Sea it will be covered by a warship of the Baltic Fleet.