by hidden europe
There is a part of Russia that finds itself curiously isolated from the Motherland. hidden europe reflects on the Kaliningrad puzzle.
Consider, for a moment, the Kaliningrad puzzle! Here is a small detached area of Russia on the Baltic coast. It is about half the size of Belgium. In the days of the old Soviet Union, Kaliningrad citizens could travel overland to ‘Russia proper' with relative ease.
For Odesa writer Issac Babel, his home town was 'the most charming city of the Russian empire'. For many visitors today, Odesa is one of the most striking Black Sea ports. Join us as we head up the Potemkin Steps to discover Odesa.
In Frombork, a tiny port on Poland's Baltic coast, the ferry terminal has closed down for the winter. A lone fisherman sits at the end of the pier and looks out over the lagoon to Russia. But the town where Nicolaus Copernicus lived and worked turns out to have a rare off-season appeal.
Join us to discover the Polish village of Wojnowo which was created from nothing almost 200 years ago. A community of devout Russians arrived on foot and settled on the reedy banks of the River Krutynia.
