Kaliningrad Museum Of Fine Arts Hoffman City Editorial Image

The exhibition space appears to the viewer as a city within a city. The scenery of the Hoffmaniade cartoon recreates the interiors and urban views of the XVIII–XIX centuries, transformed by the creative imagination of Hoffman and the creators of the cartoon based on his works. The dots on the map of Koenigsberg of the Hoffmann era grow into landscapes of places associated with it. Dreamers Ernest and Anselm, salamander Lindhorst, mechanic Mosh Paulman live in a fictional city, and the seller of optical devices can turn into a sinister Sandman at any moment. Here, the townsfolk attend balls and musical evenings, carouse in taverns, walk along the embankment, not noticing that their entire "real" world is just an artist's dream.