The building was built in 1912 by Berlin architect, Richard Zeil, originally the city hall (Stadthalle) and also a performing arts center in Königsberg, Germany.

The Stadthalle was planned by Oberbürgermeister Siegfried Körte [de] in 1907 and opened in the Vorder-Roßgarten district in 1912 according to designs by Richard Seel.

It included concert halls (Körtesaal, Krohnesaal, and Gebauhrsaal), a restaurant, and a garden cafe in front of the castle pond Schlossteich.

It includes exhibits on regional nature, archaeology, history, World War II, and post-war Kaliningrad.

A large part of the archaeological collection is composed of exhibits from the Prussian Museum, which were considered lost and found.

This hall is dedicated to the history of the region, from the time of the conquest of Prussia by the Teutonic Order Knights (13th century) until 1945.