Piskariovskoye Cemetery
The sobering Piskariovskoye Cemetery is a poignant reminder of the scale of the tragedy the city lived through during the Second World War and the 900-day siege of Leningrad. For over two and a half years the Nazis kept Leningrad under siege, preventing any movement of people, food or armaments, but despite the horrors experienced by the city’s residents Leningrad did not surrender.
In St. Petersburg they take pride in the fact that during almost 300 years of the city's history enemy forces have never invaded it.
It is estimated that over a million Leningraders died in the siege, most starved or froze to death.
About half a million, including 420,000 civilians, are buried in the cemetery's 186 mass graves.
It is estimated that over a million Leningraders died in the siege, most starved or froze to death.
About half a million, including 420,000 civilians, are buried in the cemetery's 186 mass graves.
At the time of the siege the city's cemeteries were full, and the ground was frozen too hard to dig any new graves. The dead were piled up at the cemetery gates or left in the streets. So the half million bodies in Piskariovskoye Cemetery are all unknown. Their graves are nameless.
The mass graves are marked only by the year in which the bodies were found.
A long pathway leads the visitor to a monument with a statue of the Motherland, portrayed as a grieving woman.
Many of St. Petersburg families come to the cemetery once or twice a year to bring flowers and pay tribute to the city's defenders, perhaps to members of their own family, who died during the siege, which the Russians call blokada.
Near the entrance there is an eternal flame where everyone stops and gives a minute’s silence in mourning for all those lost during the siege.
There are two pavilions housing an exhibit of moving photographs and documents depicting the siege. During summer time Russians drop coins into the small ponds in the cemetery which go towards the maintenance of the site.
Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad
This powerful and impressive monument was built as the focal point of Ploshchad Pobedy (Victory Square) in the early 1970s to commemorate the heroic efforts of the residents of Leningrad and the soldiers on the Leningrad front to the repel the Nazis in the 900-day siege of Leningrad during World War II.
The design for Ploshchad Pobedy was highlighted by a broken ring surrounding a high-level composition dedicated to the Leningrad citizen's successful efforts to repel Nazis. The photo below shows that the circular design does NOT actually come full circle -- the gap in the ring represents the 900th day when the blockade was finally broken.
The tall and clean obelisk which rises up from the broken ring design will surely attract your attention as you enter St. Petersburg.
The sculptural ensemble placed at the pedestal of the obelisk is one of the best examples of Soviet monumental art dedicated to World War II victory.
The somber space inside the broken ring is lit with gas torches. Engravings on the walls of the monument are dedicated to the nationwide recognition of the courage shown by the defenders of Leningrad.
Inside the monument, in a vast underground memorial hall, there is an exhibition devoted to the siege. English-speaking guides are usually available upon request. Pay special attention to the detailed map of Leningrad defenses and the short documentary.
There are beautiful mosaics on the eastern and western walls of the hall.
On the outside, up a short flight of stairs from the exhibition, you can see the sculptures representing soldiers, sailors and civilians who did not surrender to the Nazis despite hunger, cold and constant bombardment.
"Let no one forget, let nothing be forgotten." --Olga Berggolts
