The 900-day Siege of Leningrad

In September 1941, less than two and a half months after the Soviet Union was attacked by Nazi Germany, German troops were already approaching Leningrad. By 8 September, German forces had largely surrounded the city, cutting off all supply routes to Leningrad and its suburbs, and the Siege began. It lasted for a total of 900 days, from September 8, 1941 until January 27, 1944. The city's almost 3 million civilians (including about 400,000 children) refused to surrender and endured rapidly increasing hardships in the encircled city. Food and fuel stocks were limited to a mere 1-2 month supply, public transport was not operating and by the winter of 1941-1942 there was no heating, no water supply, almost no electricity and very little food. In January 1942 in the depths of an unusually cold winter, the only food available to the citizens was 125 grams of bread per day. In just two months, January and February of 1942, 200,000 people died of cold and starvation. Despite these tragic losses and the inhuman conditions, the city's war industries still continued to work and the city did not surrender.

Several hundred thousand people were evacuated from the city across Lake Ladoga via the famous "Road of Life" - the only route that connected the besieged city with the mainland. During the warm season people were ferried to the mainland, and in winter - carried by trucks that drove across the frozen lake under constant enemy bombardment.

Meanwhile, the city lived on. The treasures of the Hermitage and the suburban palaces of Petrodvorets and Pushkin were hidden in the basements of the Hermitage and St Isaac's Cathedral. Many of the city's students continued their studies and even passed their finals exams. Dmitry Shostakovich wrote his Seventh "Leningrad" Symphony and it was performed in the besieged city.

In January 1943 the Siege was broken and a year later, on January 27, 1944 it was fully lifted. At least 641,000 people died in Leningrad during the siege (some estimates put this figure closer to 800,000). Most of them were buried in mass graves in different cemeteries, with the majority in the Piskariovskoye Memorial Cemetery, resting place to over 500,000 people and a timeless reminder of the heroic deeds of the city.

The Siege was undoubtedly the most tragic period in the history of the city, a period full of suffering and heroism.

1. When did the siege start?

2. How long did it last?

3. How many people were there in the city when the siege started?

4. How big was the city’s daily ration in winter of 1941-1942?

5. When was the siege broken?

6. In which month was the siege lifted?

6. How many people died during the Siege?

7. In which way are the Siege victims commemorated?

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Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1216