Departure from St. Petersburg

1. The Finnish capital that never was

Zelenogorsk, formerly named Terijoki, was a small Finnish town on the border with the Soviet Union. Being the first town to fall to the Red Army in December 1939, it became the seat of Kuusinen's Finnish Communist government. We'll see the place from which this short-lived political entity issued its proclamations and stop by the Monument of Russian-Finnish Reconciliation.

2. VT-line

The VT line was one of the 3 defensive barriers built by the Finnish troops in 1941-1944. Poorly built and defended, it quickly fell to the Soviet troops in June 1944, opening them the way to Vyborg.

3. Mannerheim Line

Summakyla sector of the Mannerheim line was strategically located on the main highway which led from St. Petersburg to Vyborg. This was the area where the Finns built some of the heaviest defenses and where the Red Army repeatedly attempted assaults against Finnish positions, suffering large casualties. We'll see the remains of Finnish positions, visit one of the largest bunkers of the Mannerheim line and both Soviet and Finnish war graves.

4. Vyborg

This ancient medieval town, founded in the 13th century by the Swedes, saw numerous wars and battles throughout its history. Once the second largest town of Finland, it changed hands several times in the 1940's until it became part of the USSR after the end of WW2. We'll visit the medieval Vyborg Castle with its City Museum and walk along cobblestone paved streets where Soviet and Finnish armies fought, suffered defeats and held victory parades within the span of several years.

Return to St. Petersburg