Shlisselburg
슐리셀부르크
A fortress town at the head of the Neva River where it flows from Lake Ladoga. Its capture by German forces on 8 September 1941 completed the land encirclement of Leningrad, beginning the 872-day siege. Retaken during Operation Iskra in January 1943, its temporary rail bridge carried the first supply train into the blockaded city.
In depth
Origins and the Fortress
The town originated as the wooden fortress of Oreshek (Орешек), built in 1323 by the Novgorod Republic on Orekhovy Island. Captured by Sweden in 1611 and renamed Nöteborg, it was retaken by Peter the Great in 1702 during the Great Northern War and renamed Shlisselburg, from the German Schlüsselburg meaning 'key-fortress.' Under the Empire the fortress served as a political prison; Lenin's elder brother Aleksandr Ulyanov was executed there.
Great Patriotic War
In late August 1941 Army Group North captured Mga, severing Leningrad's last railway, and took Shlisselburg on 8 September, completing the land encirclement. The fortress on Orekhovy Island was never taken: a garrison of 350 Red Army soldiers held it for 500 days, preventing the Germans from crossing to the right bank of the Neva.
On 18 January 1943 Operation Iskra liberated the town, and in just 17 days a temporary railway bridge was thrown across the Neva. The first supply train reached Leningrad via the Shlisselburg–Polyany line on 7 February 1943; thereafter 20 to 35 trains crossed the bridge each night.
In 1944 the town was renamed Petrokrepost (Петрокрепость, 'Peter's Fortress') to remove the German-derived name, and regained the historical name Shlisselburg in 1992 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Related historical events
Sources
- Wikipedia (RU) etymology (Schlüsselburg = 'key-fortress'), founding 1323 as Oreshek, Swedish capture 1611, Peter's recapture 1702, political prison (Aleksandr Ulyanov executed), German occupation 8 Sept 1941, 500-day fortress defense, liberation 18 Jan 1943, temporary railway bridge and first supply train 7 Feb 1943, rename to Petrokrepost 1944, return of name 1992
- Wikipedia (EN) full administrative and military history, UNESCO World Heritage site, fortress defense and Operation Iskra, Petrokrepost period, Nevsky shipyard economy
- history.com German capture of Shlisselburg on 8 September 1941 completed the land encirclement, beginning the 872-day siege