One of the significant attractions of Tour to Russia is monumental structures that you can find around the country honoring Russia's heroes in the past wars, including the Second World War, which took a lot from Russia (Soviet Union). One of the great attractions of St. Petersburg tour is the Heroic defenders of Leningrad on Moskovsky Prospect, which you can visit during your travel to Russia. When you research the history, you'll realize that many wars happened worldwide from the bronze age to the current date. The leading cause of most of the battles was to increase territories. There are several global wars that directly or indirectly involve all or most of the world's major nations. However, in the modern era (the 20th century and later), only three global wars had happened; the first world war or the Great War, World War II or the second world war, and the cold war. The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between The United States and the Soviet Union alongside their allies. The Second World War, also known as the Great Patriotic War in Russia, was lasted six years from 1939 to 1945. The second world war was one of the most significant global wars in history, which directly involved more than 100 million people and about 30 countries around the world. It was also the deadliest conflict in the history of humankind, in which more than 80 million fatalities, mostly civilians of China and the Soviet Union, were recorded. During the war, Russia (as the Soviet Union) had formed and military alliance with the United States, United Kingdom, and China called the Allies, who eventually won the war against the Axis (Germany, Japan, and Italy). However, the Soviet Union had lost many civilians during the war, mostly during one of the most horrific military blockade in the world, the Siege of Leningrad.
Siege of Leningrad, or 900-day Siege, was a prolonged military blockade undertaken from Nazi Germany against the Soviet Leningrad city, which lasted 872 days from 1941 to 1944. During this horrific time, more than one million citizens of Leningrad and the Red Army lost their lives, mostly because of starvation, disease, and bombard. Hitler insisted on capturing Leningrad, and it was one of the main three goals of Nazi Germany. However, due to various heroic acts from the people, Red Army soldiers, and Leningrad's workers, Nazi Germany never achieved its goal. After the war, several monumental structures were constructed to honor those heroic acts of people of Leningrad, including one of the first monumental attractions of Russia tour in St. Petersburg, the Moskovsky Victory Park on Moskovsky Prospect.
Moskovsky Victory Park locates in the south of St. Petersburg on Moskovsky Prospect. It was one of the first monument built in honor of the heroes of Leningrad, which marked the victory of the Allies over Nazi Germany immediately after the war was finished. In the beginning, the Victory Park had only occupied 1/7 of the territory that it holds today, and it took about a decade for the park's area to reach the current size. Over the years, several ponds, summer stages, fountains, and pavilions had added to the park. One of the famous pavilions constructed in the park was two propylaea-like buildings at the main entrance. Later, several statues of heroes of Leningrad were also erected in the park. However, the history of the park is much darker than anyone believes. The site that the park was built on was formally the brick factory, and the primary goal of creating this park was to redevelop the area. The brick factory was used to cremate victims of German blockade and bombardments, starved, and people who have died because of disease during the Siege of Leningrad. The brick factory, which was only a kilometer away from the front-line of the defense, was heavily active during the war. It's estimated that more than 600 thousand bodies were cremated in that factory during the Siege of Leningrad. When the war was finished, the redevelopment of the area took place immediately to erase the factory and all the sorrow of it from the Leningrad ground. There even was a rumor that until a cross was erected inside the park, the ghosts of those who died during the Siege of Leningrad and their bodies were cremated in the brick factory had haunted visitors of the park. It was rumored that people felt short of breath, fainted, or even choked when they visited the park, but when the cross was erected in the park, the ghosts of those who died had ceased to haunt people.
Today, Victory Park is one of the places that St. Petersburg locals would frequently visit to have fun or relax. The park has multiple exciting entertainment options. These include a small amusement park for children and toddlers, a boat rental for the big pond, a mini-golf field, several tennis courts, multiple cafes and restaurants, and an ice-skating rink, which is operational during winters. One of the leading tourism features of Victory Park during the tour to St. Petersburg is the Alley of Heroes, in which you can find multiple statues of heroes of Leningrad during the second world war and the Siege of Leningrad, including one of the heroes who have commanded the defenders for over a year at the beginning of the blockade, Soviet marshal Georgy Zhukov. You can also find monumental statues of Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, who became the face of resistance during the war, and Alexander Matrosov, who sacrificed his life to save his comrades in this alley. Although the Victory Park isn't a very major attraction in Russia tour, people who have decided to visit Moskovsky Prospect during their tour to Russia have also visited this park as part of their tour, which is why we recommend our tourists that if they visit this avenue, they should also visit this park.
Several major monumental attractions in Russia have honored multiple things, such as war heroes, scientists, artists, emperors, people, cities, and politicians. If you want to learn about their names, their locations, and their history, you can always check our website.
