Zelenogradsk

Russia, Russia

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Zelenogradsk is a charming seaside resort town in Russia’s Kaliningrad Oblast, located 34 kilometers north of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea coast near the Curonian Spit.

Formerly known as Cranz under German rule until 1946, it was a popular seaside resort on Germany’s eastern Baltic coast comparable to Bognor Regis in England, and today it maintains a cozy, welcoming atmosphere with a population of about 15,500–17,300 people. The town is famously called Russia’s “cat capital” because cats are beloved everywhere—from cat-themed souvenirs, graffiti, and mini-benches to traffic lights with flashing cats and even a dedicated cat caretaker position in the city administration, all stemming from a legend that cats once saved the town from destructive rodents.

Visitors can enjoy a long, broad sandy beach with plenty of space, the unique Murarium Museum housed in an old 1905 water tower (where real cats live alongside cat statuette collections), Kurortny Prospekt as the main street filled with cat attractions, and various restaurants serving seafood and European-Russian cuisine.