St Petersburg--Siege City

Saturday, June 27, 2015
St. Petersburg, North-West Russia, Russian Federation
Actually we're closer to Moscow than St Petersburg now. So many things to do and see, people to talk to-- suddenly I'm running out of time.

No one really wants a travelogue so I'll pick the most fascinating /disturbing / unusual things we've come across on this cruise .

But to enable this program to build a map, I'll have to do a few shortish entries.

So... St Petersburg.

We were there 4 days and saw all the main sights but what interested us both most - and to our shame -- was something we barely knew about before -- the terrible suffering endured in this city during WW2.

I know all about the London blitz from Mum's experience living through it, and POW camps from Dad's ship being torpedoed by the Germans and him spending months in an Italian camp in Somalia. 

But -- the siege of Leningrad--just words.

Yes, the art of the Hermitage was wonderful (when we could get a glimpse through the crowds), the beautiful decorations of the Catherine Palace and the Peterhof were amazing. 

But it was the story of the preservation -- and what I didn't realise -- the restoration of so much of this that really took our breath away .

Nearly 3 years of starvation when the population couldn't get food in - apart from the 'Road of Life' across frozen Lake Lagoda - where even then huge numbers of trucks sank through the ice -- brought the city to breaking point--until the siege ended 70 years ago.

No wonder May Day is so enthusiastically celebrated today!

So many people dead, so many buildings bombed, so many national treasures lost. 

I had no idea how much damage the Nazis inflicted. 

If it weren't for stashing what they could in the Hermitage, thankfully spared from destruction, it would have been even worse. 

We got a close look at a precious theatre in the Hermitage where we saw a performance of Swan Lake one evening. 

Thank heavens that escaped!

The Catherine Palace--razed to the ground -- with the amber room stolen by the Nazis, never to be seen again .

The Peterhof Palace -- mostly blown up and left without a roof and barely a wall standing. All the trees in the grounds cut down... what wanton destruction!

But the most amazing discovery was the quality of the reconstruction. 

Somehow, with all the financial problems Russia has over the years, they got the money together to repair so much of the damage and to train artisans where none existed any more.

Amazing -- and all credit to them.

The parks were full of colourful wedding parties and exuberant high school students celebrating their graduation.
 
What a change! 

Seventy years later - the city has bounced back magnificently.

 

 

Comments

anne maher
2015-07-03

omg. I never knew anything about these travesties either, it just goes to show that history is all about viewpoint. Doing heaps in garden over hols, have enlisted tom and his mates for tomorrows marathon. It doesn't appear to amount to much after you look at the effort. Looking at price of places OUT of Sydney recently, in the unlikely event that I can invest in something, I can't believe the prices in places like wollongong, Richmond and any other more remote place that you would think of. Don't know what hope Tommy has, will have to live in shed when it finally goes through council, still waiting.

2025-02-17

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