Nadezhda Sorokina

Renovation and restoration of the historical and cultural heritage site (Waldau Castle)

Age: 42

Kaliningrad Oblast, the westernmost region of Russia, has some of the richest heritage sites of the Middle Ages. There are as many castles and churches in the region as there are metro stations in Moscow. In 2007 Waldau Castle was declared site a cultural heritage of regional importance. But as a result of poor maintenance the castle deteriorated and later dismantled for building materials.

The year of 2016 was a turning point for the Waldau Castle. Two travelers, Sergey and Nadezhda Sorokins stumbled upon the castle by chance. And so they decided to restore the site to its former beauty. But where to start? Isn’t it a bad idea to assume the responsibility in the first place? What kind of secrets are kept inside the walls? For the 13th century castle was build 200 years before Leonardo da Vinci was born, and 180 years before the birth of Dracula.

As there was no manual on how to operate the castle, the family made a decision to leave their comfortable lifestyle in Belgorod and move to Kaliningrad and bring life back to the ancient building. Eventually, the castle started to reveal its treasures, kept inside since the time the Teutonic Order was around.

One day, while the family was clearing a medieval courtyard, asparagus broke through construction debris. The spring vegetable, rich in vitamins and absorbing all the secrets of the legend about Dorothea of ​​Denmark and her health gardens, was named after the castle. This is how the Waldau asparagus variety appeared, now included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of Russia.

Asparagus, the green gold, the gift of Waldau, its golden fleece. The castle’s gastronomic revelation attracted several cooking shows: «Heads and Tails» (Friday TV channel), Let’s go eat (NTV channel), Magic of taste (My Planet TV channel). The castle hosted the shooting episodes of the «According to the laws of wartime» TV series on «Russia» TV channel. Waldau has become a tourist destination for cultural and gastronomic travel. While visiting the castle, guests can chat with the owners, taste asparagus, and make plaster molds of original bas-reliefs preserved on the walls of the building with their own hands.