Leningrad as a hero city. Hero City Leningrad: History and Photos

Leningrad - the cradle of the proletarian revolution of 1917, was a special city for the USSR, therefore the plans of the Hitlerite command were its complete destruction and extermination of the population. Fierce fighting on the outskirts of Leningrad began on July 10, 1041. Numerical superiority was initially on the side of the enemy: almost 2.5 times more soldiers, 10 times more aircraft, 1.2 times more tanks and almost 6 times more mortars. As a result, on September 8, 1941, the Nazis managed to capture Shlisselburg and thus take control of the source of the Neva. As a result, Leningrad was blockaded from land (cut off from the mainland).

From that moment on, the infamous 900-day siege of the city began, which lasted until January 1944. Despite the terrible famine that began and the continuous attacks of the enemy, as a result of which almost 650,000 inhabitants of Leningrad died, they proved to be real heroes, directing all their forces to the fight with the fascist invaders.

Notable facts in the history of the military chronicle of the city on the Neva were the following figures: more than 500 thousand Leningraders went to work on the construction of fortifications; they built 35 km of barricades and anti-tank obstacles, as well as more than 4,000 bunkers and bunkers; equipped with 22,000 firing points. At the cost of their own health and lives, the courageous heroes of Leningrad provided the front with thousands of field and naval guns, repaired and released 2,000 tanks from the assembly line, manufactured 10 million shells and mines, 225,000 machine guns and 12,000 mortars.

The first breakthrough of the blockade of Leningrad occurred on January 18, 1943 by the efforts of the troops of the Volkhov and Leningrad fronts, when an 8-11 km wide corridor was formed between the front line and Lake Ladoga. A year later, Leningrad was completely liberated. On December 22, 1942, by the Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces, the medal "For the Defense of Leningrad" was established, which was awarded to about 1.5 million defenders of the city. For the first time, Leningrad was named a Hero City in Stalin's order of May 1, 1945. In 1965, this title was officially awarded to it.

The tragic events of 1941-44. in the city on the Neva, many monuments and monuments are dedicated. On May 9, 1975, in honor of the 30th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Memorial to the Heroes - Defenders of Leningrad was opened. It is an area of ​​1200 sq. m, with a majestic granite obelisk in the center of the broken ring, inside there are sculptural compositions "Defenders of the City", "Blockade". The underground part houses a museum containing material exhibits and documents reflecting the feat of the courageous defenders of Leningrad and its inhabitants during the war.

A mournful monument dedicated to the Leningrad victims of the war is the Piskarevskoye cemetery, the grand opening of which took place on May 9, 1960. The Motherland Monument is its central figure. It represents the majestic figure of a woman with a garland of oak leaves in her hands, braided with a mourning ribbon. So "Motherland - Mother" mourns its heroes. A funeral stele with high reliefs depicting episodes from the life and struggle of the heroes of the city of Leningrad became part of the Piskarevsky cemetery.

The title of Hero City was awarded to Leningrad in 1965. And 20 years later, on May 8, 1985, in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Victory, an obelisk "To the Hero City of Leningrad" was erected on the largest square of Leningrad - Ploshchad Vosstaniya. It is a vertical granite monolith with a total height of 36 meters, decorated with bronze high-reliefs and crowned with the "Golden Star of the Hero". In the lower part of the obelisk, oval high reliefs are installed, which depict the main moments of the heroic defense of Leningrad - "Blockade", "Rear - to the front", "Attack", "Victory". On the decorative cartouche the Order of Lenin and the inscription “To the Hero City of Leningrad”. This is the second largest granite monolith in St. Petersburg after the Alexander Column on Palace Square.

In 1965-1968, a complex of memorial structures was created on the borders of the battle for Leningrad, known as the "Green Belt of Glory". The total length of the Green Belt of Glory is over 200 km and includes green spaces, within which there are 26 monuments. Additionally, nine monuments were installed at the Oranienbaum bridgehead and seven monuments on the Road of Life. Consists of the Big and Small blockade ring. On the former front line there are over 80 monuments, obelisks, steles and other structures united in memorial complexes. The symbolic center of the Green Belt of Glory is the monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad on Victory Square.

One of the most striking monuments of this complex is the "Broken Ring" - a memorial on the western shore of Lake Ladoga. This sculpture in the form of two iron arches bent in a semicircle was opened in 1966. It symbolizes the ring into which the city was taken by the enemy, and the gap between the arches is the “road of life” along Lake Ladoga.

Another memorial to the Green Belt of Glory, erected in memory of those tragic years, is the Flower of Life in the Vsevolzhsky District of the Leningrad Region. The sculpture depicting a flower was opened in 1968 and is dedicated to the children of the besieged city who died. Each petal depicts the face of a smiling boy and the words: "May there always be sunshine."

In August 1941, the Finnish army, having carried out a successful offensive in the area of ​​northern Ladoga, cut the Kirov railway, the White Sea-Baltic Canal in the area of ​​Lake Onega and the Volga-Baltic route in the area of ​​the Svir River. In late August, German troops captured the Mga station 50 km east of Leningrad, and on September 8, 1941, the Germans captured the city of Shlisselburg on the shores of Lake Ladoga. The last railway linking the city with the rest of the USSR was cut. The blockade ring around Leningrad was closed. The only land route along which the supply of the city went was the transport highway through Lake Ladoga, known as the Road of Life. During the period of clean water, the supply was carried out by water transport, during the period of freeze-up, an auto-cart road worked across the lake. From the western coast of Ladoga, controlled by the besieged troops of the Leningrad Front, cargoes were delivered directly to Leningrad by the Irinovskaya railway. An automobile road ran parallel to the railway.

In memory of the events of those years, in the city of Vsevolozhsk, through which the Road of Life passed, a memorial was erected on Rumbolovskaya Hill in 1967. The monument is very expressive - large, upward-looking oak leaves, laurel and an acorn near them, as symbols of strength, glory and continuation of life. In 2012, a life-size bronze sculpture of a Gaz-AA truck with the inscription “In memory of a soldier car” was installed there.

One of the monuments of the Green Belt of Glory is the Katyusha memorial. Built in 1966, on a hill near the village of Kornevo, Vsevolozhsky district. Here, anti-aircraft artillery units were located, which defended the Road of Life from enemy aircraft. It represents five 14-meter steel beams, installed on a concrete base at an angle to the horizon, and symbolizes the rocket artillery machine, which was nicknamed "Katyusha" among the soldiers. Nearby is a stele with a commemorative inscription. The architect of the monument was L.V. Chulkevich, who commanded a convoy during the blockade and delivered food and ammunition along this route. For this project he received the Komsomol Prize.

Another monument of the "Green Belt" "Izhora ram" is located in Kolpino. Installed in 1967, at the forefront of the defense of Leningrad. Consists of two vertical reinforced concrete beams and one horizontal, pointed towards the side where the enemy positions were. Dedicated to the soldiers of the Izhora battalion of the Leningrad Front. An 85 mm anti-aircraft gun is installed nearby.

The Oranienbaum bridgehead (also known as the Primorsky bridgehead or Malaya Zemlya) played a huge role in the defense of Leningrad. It was a land area adjacent to the Gulf of Finland 65 km long and 25 km deep from the coastline west of Leningrad. The bridgehead from Leningrad was separated by units of the 18th German army. The western point of the bridgehead - on the Voronka River - was the most western point of the USSR, not occupied by the Wehrmacht troops.

In September 1941, the troops of the 8th Army, supported by the naval and coastal artillery of the Baltic Fleet, stopped the German offensive in the Kernovo-Peterhof area. However, the attempt of the Soviet 8th Army, simultaneously with the counterstrike of the 42nd Army from Leningrad (Strelna-Peterhof operation on October 5-10, 1941), to establish a direct connection with the city, failed. Having failed, the Soviet troops went over to a stable defense. This small enclave of Soviet troops for more than two years of war, the Germans did not manage to liquidate. Thanks to the Oranienbaum patch, the Soviet forces managed to retain control over a part of the water area of ​​the Gulf of Finland adjacent to Leningrad and create tension in the rear of the German troops. It was from the Oranienbaum bridgehead that the Krasnoselsko-Ropsha operation (also known as the "January Thunder") began on January 14-30, 1944, the result of which was the complete lifting of the blockade of Leningrad from the German troops.

A number of monuments and memorials have been erected in honor of the defenders of the bridgehead. In 1961, a granite stele with an embossed dedication on the front side was installed on the 32nd km of the Peterhof highway. Since 1967, on the 103rd kilometer of the Leningrad-Ust-Luga highway, there has been a concrete stele with an inscription about the feat of soldiers of the 8th Army and sailors of the Baltic Fleet, 30 meters long with brass bas-reliefs of the defenders of Leningrad. Nearby, there are genuine concrete anti-tank guns brought to the memorial from the defense lines.

Another significant memorial complex of the "Green Belt" is located in Peterhof, on the site of the Bolshaya Sloboda, which was razed to the ground during the hostilities. In 1961, a granite obelisk with bas-reliefs of the defenders of the coastal border of the Oranienbaum bridgehead was erected here. Later, in 1964 - 1971, the ensemble of the Bratsk Memorial Cemetery was formed. In 1967, on the other side of the highway on Oranienbaum, 350 thujs were landed, like the Baltic sailors, who were walking here in a bayonet attack in chains.

Another stronghold where the fate of Leningrad was decided was the old Russian fortress Oreshek, located on an island at the source of the Neva on Ladoga opposite Shlisselburg. A small garrison of the soldiers of the 1st division of the NKVD troops and sailors of the 409th naval battery of the Baltic Fleet defended the fortress from the German troops, who never managed to cross to the right bank of the Neva, close the blockade of Leningrad and cut the Road of Life. If the Germans managed to take the fortress, then the island would become a convenient springboard for them to land units for movement along the eastern shore of Lake Ladoga to join the Finnish troops. The heroic defense of the fortress continued for almost 500 days until January 1943, when Shlisselburg was liberated. A memorial complex in the form of three figures of soldiers on a pedestal, opened in the fortress on May 9, 1985, is dedicated to the defenders of the island.

Instructions

St. Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great. The exact date of foundation is considered to be May 16 (May 27 style) 1703. The history of the city is quite turbulent. Throughout its history, it has been renamed three times. The city was renamed for the first time on August 18 (31 according to the old style), 1914, then it became known as Petrograd. Then on January 26, 1924, it was decided to change the name again, the city received the name Leningrad. It had this name until September 6, 1991, when it was decided to rename it again: this time it was returned to its original name. Nowadays St. Petersburg is called the same as in the days of its foundation.

Despite the renaming, the people still call the city very differently. Some people still call it Leningrad, because they are used to it: for many people, long before the 1991 love spell, St. Petersburg is called Leningrad, and this cannot be changed by any papers or decisions. Others call the city Petersburg or informally Peter.

St. Petersburg is the administrative center of the North-West region. It is located on the banks of the Neva River, which flows into the Gulf of Finland. The city is home to important administrative institutions of Russia: the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, the Heraldic Council, as well as the inter-parliamentary assembly of the CIS countries. Since the city has access to the sea, the command of the country's naval military forces is also concentrated here.

The northern capital, as Petersburg is often called, has experienced three revolutions, all of which took place on the territory of this city. The first happened in 1905, then in 1917 there were two more revolutions: the February bourgeois democratic and the socialist.

The fate of St. Petersburg in the 20th century was extremely difficult. The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 did not spare him. For almost 900 days, it has been under blockade, during which the delivery of food was extremely difficult. About one and a half million people died of hunger. Despite the fact that St. Petersburg was seriously damaged during the air attacks, the city has now been restored, it is no longer so easy to find traces of the war that ended on its streets. Petersburg is one of the hero cities of Russia. Around it there are three more cities that have earned heroic military glory: Kronstadt, Lomonosov and Kolpino.

During the war, the population of the city was greatly reduced, but now St. Petersburg is one of the few cities in Russia, the population of which is only increasing. True, this happens, for the most part, at the expense of visitors. As of 2014, the population of St. Petersburg is approximately 5 million 131 thousand inhabitants.

Peter is a city on the Neva that has changed its name three times. Founded in 1703 by Peter I, it became St. Petersburg. The Russian emperor named it after the Apostle Peter. There is another version: Peter I lived for some time in the Dutch Sint-Petersburg. In honor of him, he named his city.

Base

Peter - which was once a small fortress. In the 18th century, the construction of each settlement began with a citadel: it was necessary to create reliable fortifications from enemies. According to legend, the first stone was laid by Peter I himself in May 1703, on the Hare Island, located near the Gulf of Finland. Peter is a city built on human bones. At least that's what many historians say.

For the construction of the new city, civilian workers were involved. They worked primarily to drain the swamps. Many foreign engineers arrived in Russia to supervise the construction of structures. However, most of the work was done by masons from all over Russia. Peter I from time to time issued various decrees that contributed to the accelerated process of building the city. So, he banned the use of stone in the construction of any structures throughout the country. It is difficult for a modern person to imagine how hard the work of the workers of the 18th century was. At that time, of course, there was no necessary equipment, and Peter I strove to build a new city as quickly as possible.

The first inhabitants

Peter is a city inhabited mainly by soldiers and sailors in the first half of the 18th century. They were necessary to protect the territory. Peasants and artisans from other regions were brought here forcibly. became the capital in 1712. Then the royal court settled here. The city on the Neva was the capital for two centuries. Until the 1918 revolution. Then in St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg) there were quite important events for the whole history.

sights

We will talk about the Soviet period in the history of the city later. First, it is worth mentioning what was done in tsarist times. Peter is a city that is often called the cultural capital. And it is no coincidence. There is a huge number of historical monuments and unique attractions. Peter is a city that combines Russian and Western culture in an amazing way. The first palaces, which later became the property of culture, began to appear already in the first half of the 18th century. Then the famous palaces were built. These buildings were designed by I. Matarnovi, D. Trezin.

The history of the Hermitage begins in 1764. The name of the attraction has French roots. "Hermitage" in translation from Walter's language means "hermit's hut". It has existed for over 250 years. Over its long history, the Hermitage has become one of the most famous. Every year it is visited by tourists from different parts of the world.

In 1825, an event took place on Senate Square in St. Petersburg that influenced the course of Russian history. Here an uprising of the Decembrists took place, which served as an impetus for the abolition of serfdom. There are many more significant dates in the history of St. Petersburg. It is impossible to tell about all cultural and historical monuments within the framework of one article - many documentary works are devoted to this topic. Let's briefly describe the impact the February Revolution had on the status of the city.

Petrograd

Peter lost the status of the capital after the revolution. However, it was renamed earlier. The First World War had a strong impact on the fate of the city. By 1914, anti-German sentiment was so strong that Nicholas I decided to rename the city. So the capital of the Russian Empire became Petrograd. In 1917, there were supply problems, there were queues at grocery stores. In February, Nicholas II abdicated the throne. The formation of the Provisional Government began. Already in November 1917, power passed to the Bolsheviks. The Russian Soviet Republic was created.

Leningrad

Peter lost its capital status in March 1918. After Lenin's death, it was renamed Leningrad. After the revolution, the city's population declined significantly. In 1920, a little more than seven hundred thousand people lived here. Moreover, most of the population from workers' settlements moved closer to the center. In the twenties, housing construction began in Leningrad.

In the first decade of the existence of the Soviet region, the Krestovsky and Elagin islands were developed. In 1930, construction began on the Kirov stadium. And soon new administrative units were allocated. In 1937, a general plan for Leningrad was developed, which provided for its development in a southern direction. Pulkovo airport was opened in 1932.

St. Petersburg during the Second World War

More than a quarter of a century ago, the city was returned to its former name. However, what he had in Soviet times will never be forgotten. The most tragic pages in the history of St. Petersburg fell on the period when it was called Leningrad.

The capture of the city on the Neva by the German command would have made it possible to achieve important strategic goals. Namely:

• Master the economic base of the USSR.
• Capture the Baltic navy.
• Consolidate dominance in the Baltic Sea.

Officially, the beginning of the blockade of Leningrad is September 8, 1941. It was on that day that the land connection with the city was interrupted. The inhabitants of Leningrad could not leave it. The train service was also interrupted. In addition to the indigenous inhabitants, about three hundred thousand refugees from the Baltic States and neighboring regions lived in the city. This significantly complicated the situation.

In October 1941, famine began in Leningrad. At first, he expressed himself in cases of loss of consciousness on the street, then in the mass exhaustion of the townspeople. Food supplies to the city could only be delivered by air. Movement through Lake Ladoga was carried out only when severe frosts set in. The blockade of Leningrad was completely broken in 1944. Many emaciated residents who were taken out of the city could not be saved.

Return of the historical name

Petersburg ceased to be called Leningrad in official documents in 1991. Then a referendum was held, and it turned out that more than half of the residents believed that their hometown should be returned to its historical name. In the nineties and early 2000s, many historical monuments were erected and restored in St. Petersburg. Including the Savior on Spilled Blood. In May 1991, the first church service for almost the entire Soviet period was held in the Kazan Cathedral.

Today, the cultural capital is home to more than five million people. It is the second largest city in the country and the fourth in Europe.

I buy postcards in the second-hand book department, and recently I found a set of photographs of Leningrad in 1983.
This pleasure cost 110 rubles, and in 1986 the cost was 2 rubles 87 kopecks
1. Anichkov bridge

Leningrad Is a wonderful city on the Neva. It was founded in 1703. The history of Russia, its culture, the Russian revolutionary movement and the victory of the Great October Revolution are inextricably linked with this city. Three generations of Russian revolutionaries lived and fought here, the great Lenin, the creator of the world's first socialist state, teacher and leader of the world proletariat, lived and worked here.
Leningrad Is a hero city that has withstood a 900-day siege unprecedented in world history. The feat of Leningraders in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 is immortal.
Leningrad- a city of labor traditions, a city of renowned factories, a port of world importance. It is one of the largest political, scientific and cultural centers in the country.
The homeland highly appreciated the labor achievements and military exploits of the city: the Golden Star of the hero, two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner and the October Revolution shine on its banner. He rightfully bears the name of the great Lenin.
Leningrad- the city of white nights, sung by poets, immortalized by artists, a city of museums and monuments, amazing architectural ensembles and majestic palaces, parks and gardens, numerous bridges and canals, one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Thousands of people from different countries, feeling the need for communication with beauty, visit the halls of the Hermitage or the Russian Museum every day, visit the palace and park ensembles of the suburbs, revived from the ruins.

Photos and text E. Cassina, Artist V. Treptsov. LENINGRAD. Set of 28 colored leaflets. Publishing house "Planet", Moscow, 1986

2. The cruiser "Aurora"

3. White night on the Neva

4. Summer Palace Museum of Peter I 1710-1714
Architects D. Trezzini and A. Schlüter

5. Central Naval Museum (former Stock Exchange) and one of the sculptures near the Rostral Columns-Lighthouses. 1805-1810
Architect Thomas de Thomon, sculptor S. Sukhanov (after the model of I. Camberlain and J. Thibault)

6. Summer garden

7. Spit of Vasilievsky Island

8.State Hermitage (former Winter Palace) 1754-1762 Architect B. Rastrelli

9. State Museum-Monument "St. Isaac's Cathedral". 1818-1858

10. Building of the executive committee of the Leningrad City Council of People's Deputies (formerly the Mariinsky Palace). 1839-1844 Architect A. Stackenschneider

11. The building of the Admiralty. 1806-1823 Architect A. Zakharov

12. Palace Square

13. On Nevsky Prospect.

14. Smolny - the headquarters of the Great October Socialist Revolution. Building 1806-1808 Architect D. Quarenghi

15. White night. The building of the Kunstkamera. 1718-1734 Project by architect G. Mattarnovi

16. Monument to V.I. Lenin on Lenin Square. 1926 Sculptor S. Evseev, architects V. Schuko, V. Gelfreich

17. Monument to the fighters of the revolution on the Champ de Mars. 1917-1919 Architect L. Rudnev

18. Hotel "Leningrad". 1968-1970 Architect S. Speransky (project manager)

19. Lomonosov Bridge. 1785-1788 The author of the project is unknown

20. View of the Spit of Vasilievsky Island from "Konverk"

21. The pier at the building of the Academy of Arts. Ancient Egyptian Sphinx. Delivered to St. Petersburg in 1832.

22. Memorial ensemble at the Piskarevskoye cemetery. 1950-1960 The figure of the Motherland. Sculptors V.V. Isaeva, R.K. Taurite

23. Monument to the heroic defenders of Leningrad on Victory Square. 1975 sculptor M. Anikushin, architects V. Kamensky, S. Speransky

24. Monument to Peter I "The Bronze Horseman". 1782 Sculptors E.-M. Falcone, M.-A. Collot, F. Gordeev, architect Y. Felten

25. Leningrad Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. CM. Kirov (former Mariinsky Theater). 1860-1880 Architects A.K. Kavos (building), V.A. Schreter (reconstruction)

26. Ethnographic Museum. The beginning of the 20th century. Architect V.F. Svinin

27. Bank Bridge on the Griboyedov Canal. 1825-1826 Sculptor P. Sokolov, engineer G. Tretter

28. Monument to A.S. Pushkin on Arts Square. 1957 Sculptor M. Anikushin, architect V. Petrov

29. Tauride Palace. 1783-1789 Architect I. Starov

30. The building of the former Sheremetev Palace. Mid-18th century. Architect F. Argunov, S. Chevakinsky

31. Arch of the building of the former General Staff building

The official date of the founding of St. Petersburg is May 27, 1703 (May 16 according to the old calendar). Initially, until 1914 it was referred to as St. Petersburg, then as Petrograd, and until September 6, 1991 it was named Leningrad.

The history of the founding of the city on the Neva

The history of the beautiful city on the Neva, St. Petersburg, dates back to 1703, when Peter I founded a fortress called St. Peter Burkh on the land of Ingermanland, which was recaptured from the Swedes. The fortress was planned personally by Peter. The name of this fortress was given to the Northern capital. The fortress was named Peter in honor of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. After the construction of the fortress, a wooden house was built for Peter, with walls painted with oil paint imitating brick.

In a short time, the city began to grow on the present Petrograd side. Already in November 1703, the first temple in the city called Trinity was built here. It was named in memory of the date of the foundation of the fortress, it was laid on the feast of the Holy Trinity. Trinity Square, on which the cathedral stood, became the first city pier, where ships approached and disembarked. It was on the square that the first Gostiny Dvor and the St. Petersburg tavern appeared. In addition, the buildings of military units, service buildings and craft settlements could be seen here. The new city island and Zayachiy, where the fortress stood, was connected by a drawbridge. Soon, buildings began to appear on the other side of the river and on Vasilievsky Island.

It was planned to make it the central part of the city. Initially, the city was called in the Dutch way "St. Peter-Burh", since Holland, namely Amsterdam, was something special for Peter I and can be said to be the best. But already in 1720 the city began to be called St. Petersburg. In 1712, the royal court, followed by official institutions, began to slowly move from Moscow to St. Petersburg. From that time until 1918, the capital was St. Petersburg, and during the reign of Peter II, the capital was again moved to Moscow. For almost 200 years, St. Petersburg was the capital of the Russian Empire. It is not for nothing that St. Petersburg is still called the Northern Capital.

The significance of the founding of St. Petersburg

As mentioned above, the founding of St. Petersburg is associated with the founding of the Peter and Paul Fortress, which had a special purpose. The first structure in the city was supposed to block the fairways along two branches of the delta of the Neva and Bolshaya Nevka rivers. Then, in 1704, the Kronstadt fortress was built on the island of Kotlin, which was supposed to serve as a defense of the sea borders of Russia. These two fortresses are of great importance both in the history of the city and in the history of Russia. Founding the city on the Neva, Peter I pursued important strategic goals. First of all, this ensured the existence of a waterway from Russia to Western Europe, and, of course, the foundation of the city cannot be imagined without a trading port located on the spit of Vasilievsky Island, opposite the Peter and Paul Fortress.