Administrative center : the city of St. Petersburg - the location of government bodies. At the same time, St. Petersburg is not part of the region, being an independent subject of the Russian Federation. The Leningrad Region is the only constituent entity of the Federation whose authorities are completely located on the territory of another constituent entity.
The region was formed : August 1, 1927.
Geographical position The
Leningrad Region is located in the north-west of Russia and is part of the North-West Federal District. The region is adjacent to three regions - Vologda, Pskov and Novgorod, the Republic of Karelia and two countries - Finland and Estonia. In the west, the region is washed by the Gulf of Finland.
Committee for Culture of the Leningrad Region
The area of the Leningrad Region is 83,908 km km, the population is 1.8 million people (2016).
Committee for Culture of the Leningrad Region
Many districts of the region have been turned into federal and regional nature conservation parks and reserves, which opens up great opportunities for ecological tourism. Of great interest is the Babinskoye swamp, located on the "Sokoliy Mokh" swamp massif and famous for the adjacent dry lands, the canyon r. Lava and the valley of the Sharya river, swamp massif "Fox Moss" with the Dry Islands.
On the right bank of the river. Svir is the Lower Svir State Natural Reserve, on the basis of which the ecosystems of the southern Ladoga area are preserved and studied. Migratory waterfowl nest on the territory of the reserve, rare and valuable species of birds and animals are preserved - osprey, black stork, eagle owl, great gray owl, gray crane, wolverine, flying squirrel, lynx. Rare and valuable commercial fish go to the Svirskaya Bay to spawn. More than 80 species of commercial fish are found in the sea and fresh waters of the region - herring, Baltic sprat, cod, sea pike, smelt, salmon, brown trout, eel, whitefish, pike perch, bream, smelt. Fishing and hunting is permitted in the Leningrad Region, but this requires a special permit.
In the Gatchina region, on the Oredezh River, there is a regional geological natural monument. Here rocks of the Devonian and Ordovician periods come to the surface, in the deposits of which there are unique fossils - cross-finned and armored fish, ancient animals.
Another unique natural complex is in the town of Sablino, 40 km from St. Petersburg. There are two waterfalls in Sablino, the ancient canyons of the Tosna and Sablinka rivers, rocks of the Cambrian and Ordovician periods come to the surface. Also here are the camp of the army of Alexander Nevsky and, of course, the famous Sablinskie caves-labyrinths, which stretch for tens of kilometers. The walls of the caves are made of red and white sandstone, and the vaults in some of the halls are slabs of green glauconite limestone. Instead of stalagmites, unique cave pearls were formed here. There are lakes and underground rivers in the caves. It is believed that the Sablinskie caves have healing air, which makes it possible to prevent various diseases.
Committee for Culture of the Leningrad Region
The city of Vyborg is located 120 km from St. Petersburg and 30 km from the Finnish border. Its history begins in 1293, when the Swedes founded the Vyborg Castle (translated from Swedish as "Sacred City") on this place, although even before that there was a settlement at the construction site. In Vyborg, many ancient monuments have been preserved - a knight's castle on the island, the Old Town with houses made of boulders, a clock tower and a town hall, ancient military fortifications, old churches.
Committee for Culture of the Leningrad Region
Five fortresses have survived on the territory of the city, this is not the case in any other European city - the Vyborg castle itself, the Annenkron earthen fortress, the Round Tower and the Panzerlax bastion, which are the remains of the Horned Fortress, fortifications of the Mannerheim line. In the Vyborg Castle every year a theatrical knight's tournament is held, and festivals of early music are organized. Also in the city is the Mon Repos landscape park, which descends to the bay. The park annually hosts a folk festival and various exhibitions.
Committee for Culture of the Leningrad Region
In the Volkhovsky district of the region there is the village of Staraya Ladoga, the oldest of the settlements of the Eastern Slavs. It was from Staraya Ladoga, not from Novgorod, that "the Russian land has gone". The year of foundation of the settlement is considered to be 753. Until the 18th century, the city was simply called Ladoga, and only after another settlement was built nearby, called "New Ladoga", the word "Old" was added. Lake Ladoga got its name from the name of the settlement.
Committee for Culture of the Leningrad Region
Many events are connected with Staraya Ladoga: the path "from the Varangians to the Greeks" began from here, and in 862 Rurik began to rule here, and only then he moved to Novgorod. Here, according to legend, the Prophetic Oleg met his death. In 1114, the mayor Pavel erected the first stone fortress in Staraya Ladoga, which was soon attacked by the Swedes and survived.
Committee for Culture of the Leningrad Region
In Staraya Ladoga there are two churches of the pre-Mongol period - Georgievskaya and Uspenskaya, Staraya Ladoga fortress, two monasteries - Nikolsky and Uspensky, as well as the oldest street in Russia - Varyazhskaya. In the 70s of the XX century, a historical, architectural and archaeological museum-reserve was opened in Staraya Ladoga, excavations are still underway. Also, the village annually hosts the Festival of the early Middle Ages "Staraya Ladoga", which attracts reenactors, blacksmiths, and musical groups. Within the framework of the festival, shows of historical costumes, knightly duels are held, and shopping and craft rows are lined up along Varyazhskaya Street.
Sights:
For more information about the region, see the Internet resources of the state authorities of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation.