Fort Krasnaya Gorka is a fortification on the coast of the Gulf of Finland, which is over 100 years old. During this time, the fortress in the Lomonosov district of the Leningrad region withstood 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 inspired fear in foreign invaders.
Designation of defensive structure
At the beginning of the last century, two forts were erected to strengthen the Kronstadt fortress - Ino and Krasnaya Gorka - structures designed to prevent the enemy fleet from reaching St. Petersburg. Construction began in 1909 and completed in 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 toponymy, - by the name of the nearest village.
So appeareda new defensive area - Fort Krasnaya Gorka. In different years it was called Alekseevsky and Krasnoflotsky, it became a powerful defensive center on the southern coast of the bay as part of the Kronstadt fortress. Artillery batteries reliably protected St. Petersburg from a sudden passage and attack by 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 completed in 1914 and consisted of 4.5 thousand military personnel (artillerymen, infantrymen, sailors).
Sea fortress in the First World War and the Civil War
Fort Krasnaya Gorka until 1919 did not participate in combat operations. But the situation around the "cradle of the revolution" - Petrograd - became more and more dangerous, Yudenich's troops advanced. In 1918, the fort was mined so that the enemy would not get it, but it was not necessary to blow up the positions. In the same year and later, the garrison opened fire three times on the enemy 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 B altic Fleet with fire.
Fort Krasnaya Gorka during the White-Finnish and Great Patriotic Wars
On November 30, 1939, the Red Army launched an operation to break through the well-fortified and considered impregnable defensive complex of Finland - the Mannerheim Line. The batteries of the fort fired at the Finnish positions, but not for long. More difficult task completeda defensive structure during the defense of the Oranienbaum bridgehead from Nazi troops. It was one of the most difficult moments of the Great Patriotic War. The garrison of the fort did not let the Nazis get closer than artillery shots could reach them.
Two decades after the Great Victory of 1945, some of the guns were sent for remelting, 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 sea fortress, the weapons remaining here became the prey of "metal hunters". Military historians have tried to preserve the Krasnaya Gorka fort. Photos of recent years are a distress signal calling to save the monument from destruction and oblivion.
Creating a memorial
Documents found by military historians confirm that at 60 m2 the territory of the fort there was a granite stele installed at the site of the mass grave of dead sailors from three destroyers that were sunk on the outskirts of Kronstadt. There were memorial plaques with the names of the dead and those buried in the grave. In 1974–1975, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the surviving structures of the fort were put in order, and the monument was widely used for military-patriotic education. There was an action plan to create a Naval Glory monument and a branch of the Naval Museum in the fortress, stands dedicated to the role of coastal artillery in the defense of the Oranienbaum bridgehead and Leningrad.
Foreseenconstruction of a parking lot for sightseeing buses, walking paths, viewing platforms, an open-air museum area. The memorial was solemnly opened on May 9, 1975, but in those years they did not issue security documents for the land plot and the passport of the military-historical object itself. After 1990, the socio-political system in the state changed, and the expediency of material support for the work of the memorial complex was called into question. Tools were dismantled on its territory, but thanks to enthusiasts, the monument has been 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 museum "Fort Krasnaya Gorka". The legendary sea fortress that protected St. Petersburg should be preserved and open to the public. The interest of tourists to this object on the coast of the Gulf of Finland contributed to a positive solution to the issue of perpetuating the memory. The work of the museum was resumed, and its expositions were replenished with objects from the beginning and middle of the 20th century found in the dungeons of the sea fortress. They are located in the premises of the former warehouse and infantry shelter.
How to get to the fort
On visiting the territory, it is necessary to agree in advance on excursion escort with the leadership of the military-historical organization "Fort Krasnaya Gorka". How to get there, a military historian-guide, local residents and summer residents who often go todirection "Lebyazhye-Fort Krasnaya Gorka". A map of the area will be required for those travelers who will travel by regular bus along the Lomonosov-Krasnaya Gorka route or use the St. Petersburg-Krasnoflotsk train, which departs from the B altic Station of the Northern Capital. By car, you can get to the fort through Lebyazhye.
Excursions to the fort are carried out by excursion bureaus of the Leningrad region and St. Petersburg. The museum and memorial area covers an area of 20 hectares. The 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.
Main excursion objects of the Fort Krasnaya Gorka Museum and Memorial Complex:
- concrete positions and batteries;
- monument to sailors and gunners;
- remains of batteries and casemates;
- artillery rail transporters;
- fort museum.
Fort Krasnaya Gorka (Leningrad region). The fate of the monument
The first impression of visiting this site on the coast of the Gulf of Finland in the Lomonosov region is depressing. Concrete slabs covered with a layer of mosses and lichens are visible in the grass and among the trees. The dugouts and rails were overgrown with bushes. Fans of "Stalker" by the Strugatsky brothers may think that this is where the very "zone" is located. Concrete debris in the forest are traces of an ammunition explosion in 1918.
According tohistorians, in the ground there are shells that have not been removed, mines that have not been cleared, laid back in the Civil War. Demining continues on the territory, which is carried out by professional sappers. Museum staff hope that after the work is completed, the stay of tourists in the fort will become safer, and the museum will be replenished with new exhibits found by sappers.
