The Leningrad Blockade was the citys defining event of the 20th century. Around one million people died from shelling, starvation and disease in whats called the 900 Days (actually 872). By comparison, the USA and UK suffered about 700,000 dead between them in all of WWII.
After the war began on 22 June 1941, with the Germans fast approaching, many residents fled. Art treasures and precious documents from the Hermitage and other museums were moved out by the train-load; factories were evacuated and relocated to Siberia; historical sculptures were buried or covered with sandbags. Yet no-one could have predicted the suffering to come.
The Nazi plan, as indicated in a secret directive, was to wipe the city of Petersburg from the face of the earth. A fragile Road of Life across frozen Lake Ladoga was the only (albeit heavily bombed) lifeline the city had for provisions and evacuations.
Food was practically nonexistent, and at one point rations were limited to 175g of sawdust-laden bread a day. People ate their pets, even rats and birds disappeared from the city. The Paste behind wallpaper was scraped off and eaten, leather belts were cooked until chewable. Cannibalism started in the shelters for refugees from the neighbouring towns; without ration cards, they were among the first to die. The exhausted and starved literally fell over dead on the streets. There were periods when over 30,000 people per day died of hunger.
More than 150,000 shells and bombs were dropped on the city during the blockade, the effects of which are still visible on some buildings (notably on the west wall of St Isaacs Cathedral and the northwest corner of the Anichkov most). Still, life went on. Concerts and plays were performed in candlelit halls, lectures given, poetry written, orphanages opened, brigades formed to clean UP the city. Most famous was the 9 August 1942 concert of Shostakovichs 7th Symphony by the Leningrad Philharmonic, broadcast nationally by radio from the besieged city.
According to survivors, random acts of kindness outnumbered incidents of robbery and vandalism, and lessons learned about the human spirit would be remembered for a lifetime. From a Poem by Olga Berggolts, written after the blockade was lifted: In mud, in darkness, hunger, and sorrow, where death, like a shadow, trod on our heels, we were so happy at times, breathed such turbulent freedom, that our grandchildren would envy us.
For a detailed, harrowing description of the blockade, read Harrison Salisburys 900 Days: the Siege of Leningrad. Otherwise, a visit to one or all of these Blockade-related sites - St Petersburg History Museum, Blockade Museum, Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad and Piskaryovskoe Cemetery - would greatly enrich your understanding of its history.
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Text 9. KRONSHTADT ()
Within a year of founding St Petersburg, Peter - desirous of protecting his new Baltic toehold - started work on the fortress of Kronshtadt on Kotlin Island, 29 km out in the Gulf of Finland. Its been a pivotal Soviet and Russian naval base ever since, and was closed to foreigners until 1996.
The main reason to visit here is to see the unusual and beautiful Naval Cathedral (Morskoy Sobor). Built between 1903 and 1513 to honour Russian naval muscle, this neo-Byzantine-styled wonder stands on Yakornaya pi (Anchor sq), where youll also find an eternal flame for all of Kronshtadts sailors, and the florid Art Nouveau monument of Admiral Makarov. The intricately detailed facade (anchors and all) repays close inspection, while inside a section of the cathedral houses the mildly interesting Central Naval Museum.
Otherwise, Kronshtadt is pleasant to stroll around. In fhe harbourside Petrovsky Park, 700 m southwest of the cathedral, theres a statue of Peter the Great and you can glimpse Russian warships and even some submarines: be careful about taking photographs though. For a drink or snack try Skazka (pr Lenina 31), a cute café on the main drag decorated with Disney characters.
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In recent summers, Kronshtadt and some of the surrounding sea forts have been the scene of big dance parties - check the St Petersburg media for details of events here.
Catch bus 510 to Kronshtadt from metro Staraya Derevnya (R20, 30 minutes) or take a marshrutka from metro Chyornaya Rechka; exit the station to your left and cross the street to find the stop. In Kronshtadt, the bus stop is on the corner of ul Grazhdanskaya and pr Lenina. From there its about a 1 km walk southeast to the Naval Cathedral.
