On the other side of the river from Kaliningrad Cathedral, visitors to the city can discover a royal delight. At the café, only a few bags featuring Queen Louise’s image remain on sale. However, it’s the contents of these sweets that tourists are after – and they are selling like hotcakes. “The number of visitors who come specifically to buy ‘Queen Louise’ is increasing every month,” says Ksenia Kovalskaya, a senior waitress at the café.

The “Queen Louise” toffee brand is made from a special recipe. The café orders them regularly from Mariya Masalskaya, who handcrafts the sweets. “Welcome to my new workshop,” says Mariya. “Please come in; I was just making a batch of toffees.”

Mariya, a former journalist in the region, recently transitioned to a confectionery career. She enjoyed a successful media career but was forced to change her path by the Covid pandemic. “The pandemic broke out, and we all had to stay at home. I had a small child then, just nine months old. I was endlessly switching between my phone and laptop, feeling nervous and stressed. And I asked myself, what’s it all for?”

Maria began her culinary journey baking cakes on demand. She then came up with an edible souvenir that tourists could buy to take a piece of Kaliningrad with them. After several cooking courses and hundreds of recipes, she chose toffees as the perfect edible gift. “I take cream, sugar, glucose syrup, and fruit puree, or berry puree if a specific recipe requires it, and I start weighing everything – and doing a little magic.”

The toffee recipe is strictly confidential, and there are seven different flavors, including the classic cream flavor that Queen Louise herself adored. Mariya hopes that the dessert will not only tantalize taste buds but also stimulate curiosity. “When someone picks up Queen Louise’s favorite cream sweets, it makes them wonder, ‘I don’t know much about the Queen. Maybe I should read up about her, perhaps go on a tour.'”

Mariya’s business received an unexpected marketing boost when the region’s governor mentioned her toffees in a social media post, resulting in a deluge of orders. “I ran up to him with a box of my toffees, handed them to him, and in those ten seconds, I told him everything about these toffees and presented my product.”

“Queen Louise” toffees are now being ordered by sweet-tooths from Moscow to Magadan, Krasnoyarsk to Kemerovo, and numerous other cities. As business booms, Mariya has decided to hire some assistants, and the Queen’s brand appears poised for success.

kaliningrad Queen Louise Russia

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Taipei’s National Palace Museum Tells the Story of Chinese Civilization

On May 23, 2025

The National Palace Museum (NPM) in Taipei, located in the city’s Shilin District, stands as a beacon of Chinese cultural heritage. It houses one of the world’s most important collections of Chinese imperial artifacts, offering visitors an exceptional window into over 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.

Established in 1965, the Taipei branch of the museum was created when the Republic of China government moved a vast number of imperial treasures to Taiwan following the Chinese Civil War. These invaluable items, originally part of the Qing dynasty’s imperial collection, were preserved through turbulent periods, including the Japanese invasion and the Cultural Revolution. Today, the museum’s holdings exceed 690,000 items, with more than 80 percent tracing their origins to the Qing court.

The museum’s extensive collection features some of the most celebrated pieces in Chinese art history. Among them is the Jadeite Cabbage, a finely carved jade sculpture representing a cabbage stalk with a locust and katydid hidden within its leaves—an emblem of fertility and a perennial favorite among visitors. Another notable artifact is the Meat-Shaped Stone, a remarkable piece of jasper skillfully crafted to mimic the appearance of braised pork. Perhaps most historically significant is the Mao Gong Ding, a bronze tripod vessel from the Western Zhou dynasty, famed for containing the longest known inscription on any Chinese bronze, offering rare insight into the political and social structures of ancient China.

More than just a repository of antiquities, the National Palace Museum is a journey through China’s vast cultural and historical legacy. It invites art lovers, history enthusiasts, and casual visitors alike to engage with the artistic and intellectual achievements of one of the world’s oldest civilizations. A visit to the museum is a memorable encounter with the past, offering a deep and lasting connection to Chinese history and identity.

Chinese Cultural Heritage National Palace Museum Taipei

Sweet Success Story of a Journalist-turned-Confectioner in Kaliningrad

Taipei’s National Palace Museum Tells the Story of Chinese Civilization