St. Petersburg, a city that is now one of the leading destinations for travelers during Russia tour, has experienced many good and bad days. From the reign of Peter the Great, the birth of this beautiful city, to the last days of the Russian Empire and the reign of Nicholas II and then the October Revolution and the relocation of the capital to Moscow, St. Petersburg has terrific and bad memories for the people of St. Petersburg and those who had decided to travel to Russia. However, one of the darkest periods in St Petersburg's history, in which grief, suffering, hunger, and death covered the entire city, happened after the outbreak of World War II. When the Nazi German put the invasion of Russia and the occupation of St. Petersburg at the top of their list. That decision by Nazi Germany led to one of the most horrific blockades in world history. St. Petersburg, then known as Leningrad, was under siege by the Nazi army for about 872 days. Had it not been for the self-sacrifice of Leningrad's inhabitants, perhaps we would not today have introduced a city called St. Petersburg as one of the main tourist destinations on tour to Russia.
Leningrad did not experience good days before the outbreak of World War II and the siege of the city. After the assassination of Sergei Kirov, who gave Stalin the excuse of The Great Purge, Leningrad found itself in a critical and uncertain situation. Many influential people in the city were exiled, imprisoned, or executed. Many citizens of Leningrad were also detained or executed on trumped-up charges. However, the conditions that Leningrad endured in those dark times were only a prelude to the bitter events that awaited this beautiful city of the Russia tour. The citizens of Leningrad only got three years after the Great Purge events to prepare for the upcoming dark times of the Second World War. If you want to learn more about the St. Petersburg's history before the Great Purge, visit the Sergei Kirov Museum during your trip to St. Petersburg. If you want to learn more about the events of the Great Purge, visit the Museum of Political History during your travel to Russia.
On September 8, 1941, Nazi troops, in cooperation with the Finnish army, laid siege to Leningrad. Of course, after retaking the areas they had lost in the winter war, the Finnish forces refused to advance further into the city. Still, they did not allow anyone to leave the city from the northwestern region of Leningrad. From September 8, 1941, to January 24, 1944, Leningrad was subjected to one of the longest and most horrific military sieges, in which one of the highest casualties occurred. Nearly one million citizens of Leningrad died of starvation alone. Of course, the Red Army forces in January 1943 managed to open a very narrow route to deliver some essential items to Leningrad. Still, for more than a year, Leningrad remained under siege by Nazi forces. If Leningrad had surrendered to Nazi forces during the three years of suffering it endured, not only we could have lost St. Petersburg as one of the top tourist destinations on travel to Russia programs, because Nazi Germany had plans to destroy the former capital of Russian Empire, It was possible that Nazi Germany and Axis forces would win World War II. One of the best places to get information about World War II events on the Russian tour is the Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow, which we at Star Travel Group recommend to our tourists touring our tour to Russia program.
Many influential artists and figures came to aid this city and its people during the siege of Leningrad. Among them is the famous composer Dmitri Shostakovich. He spent the early months of the blockade writing the famous Leningrad Symphony and creating one of the most memorable scenes in Leningrad's history when he and his tired, hungry, and frustrated orchestra were performing the Leningrad's symphony while Nazi Germany was bombing the area around them. We can also point out to the Soviet poet Olga Bergholz, who spoke to the public every day from the city's only radio station, reciting her poems to a tired and frustrated people of Leningrad. She later became the voice of Leningrad's hope and also a symbol of Leningrad's resistance. You can find more about these people at the literary and cultural museums, which are part of the St. Petersburg tour program.
During the siege of Leningrad, the tourist attractions of St. Petersburg were severely damaged. The Winter Palace, for example, was severely damaged by Nazi bombing. Fortunately, many of the treasures and valuables of the Leningrad museums, and the city's historic sculptures, were removed or heavily guarded before the siege began. The Bronze Horseman, one of St. Petersburg's symbols, was hidden from view by many wooden planks during World War II and the siege of Leningrad. However, its survival after the blockade is somehow a miracle. However, many of St. Petersburg attractions on the Russia tour that were severely damaged at the time have been restored to their former glory. You can visit them during your travel to St. Petersburg.
When you travel to Russia and visit St. Petersburg, you may encounter many monumental structures to the siege of Leningrad, which is now part of Russia attractive places on the St. Petersburg tour. Moscow Victory Park, for example, was built by volunteers just days after the end of the war. You can also visit the Victory Square and the famous monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad on Moskovsky Prospect. The Hero City Obelisk was built in the very first days after the war after receiving the title of the "hero city" by Leningrad in this city. Each of these monuments is reminiscent of the dark days of St. Petersburg. Of course, in addition to these dark days, they also show the willpower of the city's citizens and their stubborn resistance against the Nazi army's invasion. You can visit our weblog for more information on the places and people mentioned in this article. We also provide Russia tour services and useful tips and suggestions on travel to Russia.
