Fort Krasnaya Gorka is a defensive structure on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, which is over 100 years old. During this time, the fortress in the Lomonosov district of the Leningrad region survived in four wars, but after 1960 it ceased to be used as a naval fortification to protect St. Petersburg from the sea. Members of military historical societies, museum workers created a memorial complex on the territory of the fort. You can take a fascinating tour of the object that instilled fear in foreign invaders.
Purpose of the defensive structure
At the beginning of the last century, two forts, Ino and Krasnaya Gorka, were erected to strengthen the Kronstadt fortress , structures designed not to miss the enemy fleet to St. Petersburg. The start of construction dates back to 1909, and its completion is 1915. The best Russian naval specialists were involved in the design and construction of the fort. The name appeared by itself, as is customary in place names, - by the name of the nearest village.
So a new defensive area appeared - Fort Krasnaya Gorka. In different years it was called Alekseevsky and Krasnoflotsky; it became a powerful defensive center on the southern shore of the bay as part of the Kronstadt fortress. Artillery batteries reliably protected St. Petersburg from a sudden passage and attack of the enemy. Only once did British boats attack Russian ships in the roadstead (1918).
The map of the coast of the Gulf of Finland, on which the village and the fort are plotted, gives an idea of the location of the protective structure. Its garrison was manned in 1914 and totaled 4.5 thousand military personnel (artillerymen, infantry, sailors).
Naval Fortress in World War I and Civil War
Fort Krasnaya Gorka until 1919 did not participate in military operations. But the situation around the “cradle of the revolution" - Petrograd - was becoming more dangerous, Yudenich’s troops were advancing. In 1918, the fort was mined so that it did not go to the enemy, but they did not have to blow up positions. In the same year and later, the garrison opened fire on the enemy three times on land and in the Gulf of Finland. In the summer of 1919, an anti-Bolshevik uprising of sailors began, which suppressed the ships of the Baltic Fleet with fire.
Fort Krasnaya Gorka during the years of Belofin and World War II
On November 30, 1939, the Red Army began an operation to break through Finland’s well-fortified and considered impregnable defensive complex, the Mannerheim Lines. Fort batteries fired at Finnish positions, but not for long. A more difficult task was performed by the defensive structure during the defense of the Oranienbaum bridgehead from the Nazi troops. It was one of the most difficult moments of World War II. The garrison of the fort did not allow the Nazis closer than they could get artillery shots.
Two decades after the Great Victory of 1945, some of the guns were sent for re-melting, and in 1975 a memorial sign appeared on one of the batteries. After the collapse of the USSR, there was no one to guard the naval fortress, the weapons remaining here became the prey of the "metal hunters." Military historians have tried to save the fort Krasnaya Gorka. The photo of recent years is a distress signal calling to protect the monument from destruction and oblivion.
Memorial Creation
Documents found by military historians confirm that there was a granite stele on 60 m 2 of the fort, installed at the site of the mass grave of dead sailors from three destroyers, which were sunk on the outskirts of Kronstadt. There were memorial tablets with the names of the dead and buried in the grave. In 1974-1975, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Victory in World War II, the fortifications that remained were decided to put in order and widely use the monument for military-patriotic education. There was an action plan to create a monument “Sea Glory” and a branch of the naval museum, stands dedicated to the role of coastal artillery in the defense of the Oranienbaum bridgehead and Leningrad.
It was planned to build a parking lot for sightseeing buses, pedestrian walkways, observation decks, and an open-air museum zone. The memorial was inaugurated on May 9, 1975, but in those years they did not draw up security documents for the land and passport of the military-historical object itself. After 1990, the state changed the socio-political system, and the feasibility of material support for the memorial complex was called into question. The cannons were dismantled on its territory, but thanks to the enthusiasts, the monument was preserved.
Museum of the legendary fort
Almost 100 years after the start of the construction of gun positions, military sailors turned to the municipal authorities of the Lomonosov district of the Leningrad region with a request to revive the memorial complex and the Fort Krasnaya Gorka museum. The legendary sea fortress defending St. Petersburg should be preserved and open for inspection. Contributed to a positive solution to the question of perpetuating the memory of tourists' interest in this object on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. The museum resumed work, and its exhibits were replenished with items from the beginning and the middle of the 20th century, found in the dungeons of the sea fortress. They are placed in the premises of the former warehouse and infantry refuge.
How to get to the territory of the fort
On visiting the territory, you must agree in advance on excursion escort with the leadership of the military historical organization Fort Red Hill. The military historian-guide, locals and summer residents who often travel in the direction of Lebyazhye-Fort Krasnaya Gorka in summer will tell you how to get there. The district map will be required for those travelers who will travel by bus on the Lomonosov-Krasnaya Gorka route or take the Saint Petersburg-Krasnoflotsk electric train, which departs from the Baltic Station in the Northern Capital. By car, the fort can be reached through Lebyazhye.
Excursions to the fort are conducted by excursion bureaus of the Leningrad Region and St. Petersburg. Museum and Memorial Zone covers an area of 20 hectares. A tour of the fort lasts 8–9 hours. A visit to the memorial complex and the museum is paid (800–1000 rubles). You must have a flashlight with you to inspect underground structures.
The main excursion objects of the museum and memorial complex "Fort Krasnaya Gorka":
- concrete positions and batteries;
- a monument to sailors and gunners;
- battery remnants and casemates;
- artillery railway conveyors;
- fort museum.
Fort Krasnaya Gorka (Leningrad Oblast). The fate of the monument
The first impression of visiting this site on the coast of the Gulf of Finland in the Lomonosov district is depressing. Concrete slabs covered with a layer of moss and lichen are visible in the grass and among the trees. Dugouts and rails are covered with bushes. Fans of the "Stalker" of the Strugatsky brothers may think that this is the very "zone". Concrete debris in the forest are traces of an ammunition explosion in 1918.
According to historians, there are undelivered shells in the land, not cleared mines laid in the Civil War. The territory is being cleared by professional sappers. Museum employees hope that after the work is over, tourists staying at the fort will be safer and new exhibits found by sappers will replenish the museum.