Sleek and elegant Soviet research ship, the ‘Vityaz’, is the central component of the museum and therefore the one to visit at all costs. Originally built and launched as a German passenger ship called the ‘Mars’ in 1939, in the aftermath of WW2 it was awarded as war reparations first to Britain and then to the USSR. After several changes in name and duties, it was finally converted into a scientific research vessel under its existing name and served as a ‘sailing university’ between 1949 and 1979.

Now restored to its former glory, with a highly authentic feel and featuring a series of mini-exhibitions (with a good amount of information in English and German) dedicated to the history of navigation and geographical discovery, it's right up there with the best that Kaliningrad has to offer in terms of museums.

Tip: You can book a guided tour in English or German in advance on the museum website for this or any of the other museum components. To do this you either need a minimum of 5 people or else pay for 5 tickets!