Kronshdat
Yesterday I went to Kronshdat, and island in the gulf of Finland reachable only by hydrofoil or a treacherous bus-ride over a 10km man-made spit, roughly 30 metres wide. Kronshdat was an essential in the Red Army's victory over the Nazi's during the siege of Leninigrad. Allied supplies were secreted into Leningrad through Kronshdat. It has always been a naval city. Before the war, The Russian Navy built a large installation there, which remains today.
Some of the tiny islands that surround it were used for bubonic plage research facilities...you can see the ruined shells of the research buildings on the bus ride in. During the cold-war, Kronshdat was a submarine dock and repair facility. It was off limits to all but non-residents of the island up until 1996. It was quite strange to be walking in a place once forbidden to me. Had I found myself in Kronshdat in 1980, I would've been arrested if not shot on the spot.
Our old friend Vladimir Illych Lenin, standing proud in the park. Very interesting. Kronshdat seems trapped in the soviet era. There has been little development on the island, save upgrades to the naval installations. It hasnt seen the kind of commercial movement and advances that St. Petes and Moscow have.
Furthermore, Kronshdat is home to scores of sailors. Some live at the academy, others find less conventional homes amongst the trees and greenery of the island.
Russians arent a particularly religous people. It seems though, that sailors (despite their coarse tongues) like to feel the warm light of providence on their shoulders as they set out for a long sea journey. Who can blame them? Kronshdat is a small island, but it boasts two amazing churches. The first, this quaint Orthdox church nestled near the island's Gostinny Dvor.
And this, "the Church of the Sea." This is said to be based on the design of one of the largest churches in Constantinople and is the best example of Byzantine architecture in all of Russia. It sits atop a hill that descends into the Letny Sad (summer garden) and overlooks an old docking pool for ships, and later subs. The handles of the doors to the chapel are actually fish. Amazing
Nearby, the father of the Russian Navy steers his fleet towards their destiny, braving the icy northern seas, his beard frozen, cold waves licking his feet.
Some of the tiny islands that surround it were used for bubonic plage research facilities...you can see the ruined shells of the research buildings on the bus ride in. During the cold-war, Kronshdat was a submarine dock and repair facility. It was off limits to all but non-residents of the island up until 1996. It was quite strange to be walking in a place once forbidden to me. Had I found myself in Kronshdat in 1980, I would've been arrested if not shot on the spot.
Our old friend Vladimir Illych Lenin, standing proud in the park. Very interesting. Kronshdat seems trapped in the soviet era. There has been little development on the island, save upgrades to the naval installations. It hasnt seen the kind of commercial movement and advances that St. Petes and Moscow have.
Furthermore, Kronshdat is home to scores of sailors. Some live at the academy, others find less conventional homes amongst the trees and greenery of the island.
Russians arent a particularly religous people. It seems though, that sailors (despite their coarse tongues) like to feel the warm light of providence on their shoulders as they set out for a long sea journey. Who can blame them? Kronshdat is a small island, but it boasts two amazing churches. The first, this quaint Orthdox church nestled near the island's Gostinny Dvor.
And this, "the Church of the Sea." This is said to be based on the design of one of the largest churches in Constantinople and is the best example of Byzantine architecture in all of Russia. It sits atop a hill that descends into the Letny Sad (summer garden) and overlooks an old docking pool for ships, and later subs. The handles of the doors to the chapel are actually fish. Amazing
Nearby, the father of the Russian Navy steers his fleet towards their destiny, braving the icy northern seas, his beard frozen, cold waves licking his feet.
posted by Lukin at 4:05 AM
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