Kotlin Island is a small land area of sixteen square kilometers located in the Baltic Sea. From an administrative point of view, it refers to the Kronstadt district of St. Petersburg. According to researchers, it was formed about 5.5 thousand years ago. As of today, the island is an object of domestic historical heritage.
Short story
According to historians, the first people to visit here roughly in the seventh century were the Scandinavian Vikings. The oldest documentary memories of Kotlin date from the thirteenth century. At that time, he played the role of an important stopping point for merchants traveling from Novgorod to Europe, as well as in the opposite direction. According to the Orekhov peace treaty, signed in 1323, the principality of Novgorod and Sweden jointly owned the island, and in 1617, according to the Stolbov agreement, it was completely transferred to the ownership of the Scandinavian state. Almost a hundred years after that, Russia returned it to itself during the Northern War. On May 7, 1704, the construction of fortifications was completed here. Thus, it is now accepted that on this day a port city was founded on the island of Kotlin, which bears the name of Kronstadt.
Over the past two centuries, this stretch of land from time to time several times became the main base of the Baltic Fleet - first the Russian Empire, and later the Soviet Union, which was largely due to the loss of strategic positions in the Baltic States and Finland. It remains so today, at the time of the Russian Federation.
Geography
Scientists claim that the island of Kotlin was formed after one of the ice ages as a result of changes in the nature and direction of currents in the Gulf of Finland. It happened approximately 5.5 thousand years ago. In fact, it is a blurry moraine, the length and width of which are 11 and 2 kilometers, respectively. There are more and more supporters of such a version recently, which is facilitated by studies of recently discovered geological deposits, which, according to a number of indicators, correspond to the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
The shape of the island is slightly elongated in the direction from the southeast to northwest. Several bays have formed on the coast, which are very convenient for anchoring ships. As for the relief of Kotlin, it is mostly flat and has small hills over the entire surface. The highest points are above sea level at around 15 meters.
Residents
The port city located on the island of Kotlin, according to the latest census, is inhabited by about 45 thousand people. Residents of Kronstadt, in fact, are the population of this entire stretch of land in the Baltic Sea. From an ethnic point of view, the vast majority of the people living here are Russians. In addition to them, small groups of representatives of other nationalities living in the countries of the former USSR live here.
Climate
Over the territory on which the island of Kotlin is located, a humid, moderate type of climate dominates. In connection with the activity of cyclones, air masses here often change their direction of movement. The weather in the Gulf of Finland has a great influence on local temperature indicators. In summer, the air usually warms up to an average of 20-25 degrees above zero. As for precipitation, they fall here in the form of rain, snow or fog. Their average annual number ranges from 630 to 650 millimeters. In winter, winds usually blow from the southwest, and in summer from the northwest. When compared with the St. Petersburg climate, Kotlin is characterized by higher humidity.
Animal and plant world
Kotlin Island consists entirely of soil of medium podzolic and heterogeneous types. The result of an intense and long life of people was that the natural flora was almost completely replaced by anthropogenic. Representatives of the local fauna are mainly the pets of the people living here. A few centuries ago, a large population of seagulls lived in this place, but it is almost completely exterminated due to human activity.
Tourist attraction
The city on the island of Kotlin rightfully belongs to the historical and cultural heritage of the Russian Federation. This is not surprising, since over the past few centuries Kronstadt has become one of the centers of events that have had a significant impact on the further development of the country. On its territory there are many monuments, for which travelers come here from all over the world. The most significant include: St. Nicholas Cathedral and St. Vladimir Cathedral. The construction of the latter started in 1730. As practice shows, most of the visitors to the island come here for historical knowledge. In this regard, local guides recommend that tourists visit the Museum of the Marine Plant, the Museum of the Memory of A. S. Popov, the Italian Palace and the Kronstadt Admiralty. You can not ignore the forts, lighthouse and other protective historical fortifications. It should be noted that in Kotlin there is even a small beach, open for swimming in the summer.
How to get there
After Kronstadt lost its closed status militarily, tourists from Russia and other countries began to come here regularly. Although there is a small airfield, it serves solely to meet the transport needs of the army. The most common way to get here are ferries and passenger ships that regularly sail from St. Petersburg to the port on Kotlin Island. In addition, you can get to Kronstadt by road over the bridge connecting it to the mainland.