Monplaisir Palace

Monplaisir stands on the bank of the Gulf of Finland. It was built in the Dutch style. The garden in front of it is also the Dutch layout. The flowers are changed regularly. Oak trees that grow here probably saw Peter the Great. They are about 300 years old.

The central fountains are “Wheat Sheaf” and “Bells”.

The palace was built in 1714 to the design of Braunschtein. The brick wall that overlooks the north is thicker than the southern wall. It was built to protect residence from cold northern winds.

There’re 2 galleries on either side of the palace. There’s collection of pictures of Peter the Great. In the central hall Peter’s famous assemblies took place.

There’re Chinese studies. About 150 porcelain items situated in it and as this palace during the war was occupied territory it needed restoration but, to large extend, it survived and one can say that it’s one of the 3 authentic palaces in the environs of Saint-Petersburg.

23. The Blockade of Leningrad

The blockade of Leningrad is the most grim and tragic part of the city's history. It went on for almost 900 days, from September 8, 1941, till January 27,1944. History never before knew such an example of mass courage and heroism.

Hitler wanted to conquer Leningrad instantly, but his plans failed. With the armies of the Leningrad front the citizens organized a defense. Hundreds of thousands of people were mobilized, divisions of volunteers were created, on the outskirts of the city a defense was constructed. Almost 500 thousand people were called for defense work every day (men from 16 to 50, women from 16 to 45). They dug trenches and put in anti-tank barriers.

From the end of June, the mass evacuation of the inhabitants, especially children, began. Before the beginning of September 636 thousand people had been moved out, 86 of the biggest factories (people and equipment), many offices, institutes, theatres etc. A large part of the treasures of the Hermitage, Russian Museum and suburban palaces-museums was also moved out.

The front line was very close. In the south-west the fascists were 6 kilometres from the Kirov plant. The first line of the city's defences passed through the territories of modern Krasnoselsky, Kirovsky and Moscovsky Districts. In the north the front line stopped at the line of the pre-war Soviet-Finnish border.

Bombings and Artillery Fire in Leningrad

On September 8,1941, the fascists took Shiisselburg. Contact between Leningrad and the rest of the country was interrupted. About 2 million 887 thousand inhabitants stayed inside the boundary, among them about 400 thousand children. They had enough food and fuel for 1-2 months.

The first fascist planes penetrated to the city on July 18. Soon, the first wounded and dead appeared. Bombs began falling on Leningrad. Fires started, the water-pumping station was damaged.

During the war Hitler's armies dropped 107,158 high-explosive and fire bombs on Leningrad.

On September 4, 1941, the artillery fire started. You stillcan see on the facade of house number 14 in Nevsky prospect a marble plaque. And quite near there is the wartime inscription: "Citizens! During artillery fire this side of the street is the most dangerous."The waterway through Ladoga could not bring enough food to the city.On November 20, 1941 the worker's bread ration became 250 g and 125 g for the others. The people of Leningrad called these grams "grammiki" (little grams).The doctors began to write the horrific diagnosis of dystrophy (exhaustion) more and more often. In November 11 thousand inhabitants died of hunger, in December 53 thousand.(1942)

In November the electricity went off almost everywhere (apart from the most important places). The only way to light a room was by the "koptilka" —a tiny wick in a small jar full of some flammable liquid. At the beginning of December the trams stopped. Soon the sewerage systems had broken down. At the end of December the fierce cold began and the water-supply system stopped working.Many houses were still heated by stoves. But the fuel was as precious as the bread.The results of the famine grew. In January-March of 1942 about 290 thousand people diedof hunger in Leningrad. All in all according to official data about 641 thousand people died of hunger and the historians say 800 thousand.

All this was especially hard for the children. Thin, hunched and serious, they looked like little old men. But still the city lived and worked. The workers from the factories went to war, and women and teenagers took their places.

In the city schools and institutes worked, scientific research went on, theatres gave performances, newspapers were printed and the radio worked.

The breaking of the blockade in January 1943 made the situation in the city better, but the front line was still too close. Only on January 27, 1944, the heroic defense of Leningrad ended.That day an artillery salute thundered over the Neva

The Road of Life

On September 8,1941, the circle of the blockade round Leningrad was closed. From that day the city had contact with the rest of the country only by air and by water — across lake Ladoga.

People and cargoes were moved by the ships of the Ladoga military flotilla and the North-Western River Steamship Line. In November the cold weather started, and the waterway was blocked by the freeze-up. Ice reconnaissance began (the scouts were on skis). From Vaganovsky slope to Kobona a road was laid out for 30 km on the ice and marked by stakes. On November 20,1941 a sleigh train of 350 sleighs pulled by horses went across. The ice was becoming more solid, and in the evening of the same day a reconnaissance column of 10 cars went across the sleigh track. This way the Road of Life, military vehicle route 101, was born. It was a great victory. The road worked every day, in spite of snow storms and cold, artillery fire and bombs, raids and mines. It was guarded by infantry units, marine brigades, the aviation and anti-aircraft units out of Leningrad. The first two weeks 126 cars got stuck en route, people were drowned and the vehicles broken. On the dangerous parts rescue workers and road builders waited.

The Road of Life really saved the lives of many Leningrad people. All in all 1 million 376 thousand people were moved out of the city by it.

Near the Osinovets cape a museum of the Road of Life was created as a branch of the Central Navy Museum. The exhibition is dedicated to the people who worked on the Road of Life or protected it.

The monuments of Victory

The Primorsky Vicroty Park.

Situated in the western part of the Krestovsky Island. It was laid out in the October 1945 in honour of the naval victories during the Great Patriotic Was. It was planned for holidays, mass festivals and sports events. There is a central alley leads tp Kirov Stadium(the compositional centre of the park) 168 hecrates.

Moscow Victoty Park

Situated between Moscow prospect and Yuri Gagarin prospect. Before there was a front road near, brick factory and fortifications. There is a Avenue of Heroes. On the radial paths there are monuments of Zoya Kiosmodemyanskaya and Alexander Motrosov.

During the Great Patriotic War on the place of today's park thousands of Leningrad people killed or died of hunger were buried. In 1986 an Orthodox cross was put up in their memory, and in 1995 — a monument. After celebrating the 50th anniversary of the victory over fascist Germany at the beginning of May, 1995 a monument to marshal Georgy Zhukov appeared in the park. Zhukov commanded the Leningrad front in September and October of 1941.The territory of the park is about 68 hectares.

The Green Belt of Glory

The Green Belt of Glory is a memorial dedicated to the heroism and endurance of the defenders and inhabitants of Leningrad in the years of the blockade. It consists of obelisks, memorial signs, military fortifications and also green plantations — parks, gardens and avenues. The trees join up with the "green belt" the various monuments which stand far apart. The total length of the Green Belt of Glory is 200 km. It is situated on the front lines of the Leningrad battle of 1941-1944. Here the fascists moving on Leningrad were stopped.

The first monuments at the battle fields were put in place by 1944-1945.

The Green Belt of Glory consists of the Great Blockade Circle, Small Blocade Cercal, wester and eatern parts of the Road of Life on both sides of ladoga and the Kronshtadt memorial.

Kirovsky Mound

Pert of the Green Belt. It marks the boundary in Kirosky District where Soviet warriors, sailors and volunteers stopped the fascist attack in September 1941.

The Broken Ring

Situated on shore of Lake Ladoga. There the land part of the Road of Life began.

Two arches 7 m. tall symbolize the encirclement of the blocade. The opening between is the Road of Life.

The Flower of Life and the Hill of Mourning

This monument di-dicated to the memory of the children who died in the blockade of Leningrad. On the petals are the words from the famous song “Let it always be sunshine” .

The Friendship avenue connects the flower of life with the hill of mourning. On the hill stand eight concrete slabs with words from Tanya Savicheva’s diary. It is kept in the State Museum of History of Spb. (PPC)

Piskarevskoe Memorial Cemetery

During the Great Patriotic War in the northern part of Leningrad in the district known as Piskarevka a common burial-ground appeared where hundreds of thousands of the inhabitants of the city who died in different districts were brought. After the war it was decided to organize a memorial here as a great monument of eternal glory.