Fans of traveling to historical places where fights took place during the Great Patriotic War will appreciate the “Sestroretsky Frontier” - a museum and a memorial. Once in the forest near St. Petersburg, as if you are in the past. You can feel like a real gunner. After all, it is allowed to touch the exhibits with your own hands, including guns. If you manage to get here during the next historical reconstruction, a complete immersion in the past will take place. And here they treat soldiers with porridge.
A few years ago, the Sestroretsky Frontier was abandoned and was in poor condition. There was no question of visiting him, for example, with children. But now everything that is here is washed, cleaned and open to the public. And before, only lovers of extreme trips to forgotten places of military operations could get here.
What is it for?
Why did the “Sestroretsky Frontier” become the defense area of Leningrad? This happened back in the late 1920s, when they decided to strengthen the country's large cities so that they would not be captured in the first place if a war ensued. And the threat was very substantial. Indeed, to the border with Finland - only 40 kilometers. Sestroretsky defense district became part of the Karelian fortified area. Like the other links of the defense chain, located from the Gulf of Finland to Lake Ladoga, the Sestroretsky Frontier had a bunker. Now admission is free. The main artillery complex of this defensive area had the call sign "Elephant".
Sestroretsk half-papier
The territory of the lake, located near the fortification, is swampy. And precisely because of its obstruction, a bunker was built here in 1938. Its area was 200 m 2 . This firing point had its combat missions. Gunners had to block access to the highway and railway to Beloostrov with their guns. Inside the bunker, everything was preserved, as it was during the hostilities. Two L-17 guns, an easel machine gun, two casemate guns, a Maxim machine gun. Interestingly, the guns had a cooling system, and powder gases were removed from the room itself.
The enemy could not get here unnoticed by gunners. All accesses were viewed through embrasures. In addition, the firing point commander observed the course of hostilities through the periscope with a 10-fold increase. Communication with the outside world was maintained using a walkie-talkie. A characteristic detail - a portrait of I. Stalin hangs over the workplace of the radio operator. Communication inside the “Elephant” was organized using the telephone and intercoms.
Security
Inside the bunker, people were safe. After all, the wall thickness was 1.5 meters. She was not afraid of hitting even a 350 mm shell. A special air filtration system protected against chemical attack . In winter, the bunker was heated. For this, a heater was used. The one who planned the Sestroretsky Frontier even foresaw the possibility that the main exit would be damaged. In order for people to get out, they made an additional exit through the mine. He was also protected by an armored cap. The embrasures located on it made it possible to survey the surroundings.
Life support
A bunker is a place where people not only fight, but also live. Therefore, they must be provided with everything necessary to satisfy their primary needs. Electricity was provided by a diesel generator. Its power was 7.2 kW. Water was taken from the well, which was right there, using a pump. In case of emergency, the fuel bunker kept a supply of fuel for several days and water tanks. People slept on the bunks in the barracks, equipped with wardrobes for clothes and shelves for personal belongings and weapons. Convenience and comfort were not discussed. Everything was very simple and plain.
That's not all
The memorial complex is constantly updated with new exhibits. Indifferent people bring here "fragments" of war. Thanks to this, the exposition is constantly expanding. Volunteers began to restore half-capier, filling it with items of military life, when it was still not clear whether they could restore the situation of those years. In the end, everything worked out, and the efforts of people were not in vain.
Should I go to the "Sestroretsky Frontier"? The photos, which are laid out by museum visitors, give only a superficial picture of this place. In order to understand and feel the wartime and feat of our soldiers, we must certainly go there ourselves. Words, too, cannot fully convey what the “Sestroretsky Frontier” is. The tour, which can be ordered individually, will help to get more information about the battles that took place here. Anyone who is here will appreciate the atmosphere recreated on the Primorsky highway near St. Petersburg.
Unfortunately, not all places of war are subject to reconstruction. Many of them are just running. But the main thing is that people show interest in their history, which means there is a chance that there will be more such memorials.