V In the Gulf of Finland there are many islands, large and small ...
However, only a few will be able to name any islands other than Kotlin Island, on which Kronstadt is located. At the same time, there are very interesting and beautiful islands.

1. Kotlin Island
The most famous, most important and most populated island Gulf of Finland... The length of the island is about 12 km, the maximum width is less than 3 km, the area is about 16 sq. km. The island is connected to mainland by a road passing through a complex of protective structures against floods (Dam). The city of Kronstadt is located on a part of the island.

The island is located on the legendary routes "from the Varangians to the Greeks" and "from the Varangians to the Arabs", and is mentioned in the treaty of 1269 between Novgorod and the Hansa. The city that stood in this place was at least 500 years older than Petersburg. And given that the agreement said about the transshipment of ships on the island, "as it was from olden times" - the city was much older. Subsequently, the merchants who arrived on the island waited for the pilots from Novgorod, who conducted trade caravans across the Neva and Volkhov to Ilmen.

There is a legend according to which the Swedes hurriedly fled when the Russians landed on the island, leaving a pot on the fire. This legendary bowler hat is depicted on the coat of arms of Kronstadt. The name Kotlin allegedly comes from the word "boiler". According to another legend, Kotlin was named so because on old maps the mouth of the Gulf of Finland east of the island resembled a cauldron.

On an islet that was dumped on a sandbank south of Kotlin Island by Peter I in 1703, the fort Kronshlot was laid, which blocked the main fairway for a potential enemy leading to the mouth of the Neva, where new capital empire - St. Petersburg. On May 7, 1704, fortifications, which included two batteries on Kotlin Island, were commissioned (the date of foundation of Kronstadt).

In 1723, a fortress was laid on Kotlin and given the name Kronstadt. Peter I considered Kronstadt a part of the capital.

1. Gogland Island
This small granite island, located in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, is one of the most famous islands in the Gulf of Finland. Gogland is located 180 km west of St. Petersburg. Its area is about 21 sq. km, height - up to 176 m.

The basis of the island is granite, which forms many different-sized hills and valleys, where small fresh lakes glacial origin. The entire coastline is indented with hundreds of bays of all shapes and sizes.

Although the island is considered one of the most dangerous places for shipping in the Baltic, locals have long been considered excellent sailors and they were willingly hired as sailors on sailing ships.

Gogland's nature is rich and varied. There are about 700 species of vascular plants alone (for comparison, there are the same number of species in the Leningrad and Pskov regions, which are tens of times larger than Gogland). Almost 80% of the island's territory is covered with coniferous and small-leaved forests. The foot of the rocks is covered with blueberries, raspberries, alpine currant and juniper bushes.

The fauna is represented by 25 species of beetles, 6 species of amphibians and reptiles, 126 species of birds (and a quarter is included in the Red Book of Nature Leningrad region). As for mammals, their composition is unknown, as they are constantly changing. Shrews and various mice are often seen here, sometimes a white hare, squirrels and foxes, a European mink, and a raccoon dog.

Gogland is a Mecca for archaeologists and historians. Stone Age man sites, medieval pirates, Battle of Hogland, envoys of Peter the Great, death of Lefort, America, Struve meridian, Popov's radio session in 1900, 300 years of war, endless fortifications and dozens of sunken ships, World War II battles, constant a change of owners, which ended only in 1947 with the return of the island home to Russia.

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, on the islands of the archipelago, Alexander Popov tested his wireless telegraph, and from 1963 to 2012, the island of Maly Vysotsky was leased from Finland. During this period, specialized expeditions to Maly Vysotsky, which did not belong to Finland, but temporarily did not belong to Russia, were popular among radio amateurs, and where a special call sign was used for communication sessions.

3. Sommers
Peter the Great presented this rocky island to his jester Jan Lacoste, along with the derisive title of "Samoyed King". It is located in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland.

The next time the island was noted in the history of Russia already during the Great Patriotic War, and this happened under very tragic circumstances. In June 1942, an amphibious assault was recklessly landed on Sommers, captured by Finnish forces. The desperate battle went on for three days, but the poor thoughtfulness of the operation prevailed over the steadfastness and bravery of the Soviet soldiers. Of the one and a half thousand Red Navy men who landed on this piece of land, none survived. The island was liberated only after Finland's withdrawal from the war in 1944.

4. Powerful Island
It's pretty big Island... It used to be densely populated. Now on the island there is only a small frontier post with a radio technical post and a post for lighting the surface and underwater situation of the Leningrad naval base.

5. Big Tyuters and Small Tyuters
Two islands are located in the central part of the Gulf of Finland. There are lighthouses on both islands, the maintenance staff are the only inhabitants of the islands. The ringed seal is found on Maly Tyuters.

Big Tyuters has long been known as the "island of death." During World War II, the Germans mined it, in subsequent years several attempts were made to clear the island, but only the last seventh was successful. In 2005, Russian and Swedish specialists defused more than 30 thousand explosive objects. There are lighthouses on both islands, and the staff members are the only inhabitants of the Tyuters, apart from the ringed seal, which is very common on Maly.

6. Fox Island
One of the calmest and greenest islands, lost in the Klyuchevskaya Bay of the Vyborg District. There are beautiful forests with a bunch of mushrooms and berries, pristine shores along which all kinds of fish swim and spawn.

This is perhaps one of the most peaceful and green islands of all of the above. There are no reserved restrictions and the island is quite popular place rest of those who have a boat.

7. Virginia Islands
The Gulf of Finland has its own Virgin Islands. This is practically the namesake Virgin Islands located in the Caribbean. South Virgin is especially interesting: it contains a mysterious round maze of pebbles, built by ancient people.

This labyrinth is called Paris: some say that in honor of the tangled Parisian streets, others - that this name comes from the Swedish word Paris, that is, a church parish, and reflects the sacred essence of this place.

Read more about the islands on the website

Vyborg Bay (Finn.Viipurinlahti, Swedish.Viborgska viken) - a bay deeply protruding into the coast in the northern part of the Gulf of Finland Baltic Sea... The bay ends at the city of Vyborg in the northernmost part, through Saimaa Canal connected to the Finnish inland lake system. It got its name from the city of Vyborg.
There are dozens of islands in the water area of ​​the Vyborg Bay - both large and small.
The entrance to the bay is partitioned off by ¾ width by the long and narrow Kiperort peninsula. On the other side of the peninsula, the bay widens strongly towards the southeast and is covered with many islands; in the Tronzund Strait (Finn. Uuras or Swede. Trangsund - a narrow strait) between the islands Vysotsky and Krepysh stop at anchor for loading and unloading large ships, and less significant ones go up to Vyborg and further, to the entrance to the Saimaa Canal.
To the west of the Vyborg Bay begins a strip of real skerries. In the northern part of the bay is the Lohaniemi Peninsula.

One of the most romantic hikes on sailing yacht, hike along the Vyborg Bay. During the hike, you can visit many islands, get acquainted with the history of these beautiful places, see the remains of fortresses and military structures different years... In the water area of ​​the Vyborg Bay, there are rarely strong winds, since numerous islands with their vegetation create natural barriers for it. The water is clean, but a little salty in taste, you can cook food, but tea and coffee takes on a peculiar taste of sea salt.
The coast of the Gulf of Finland along with numerous islands stretching from Primorsk to the Russian-Finnish border is called the Vyborg skerries. The word "skerries" is of Swedish origin. This is what they call the cut coastline seas or lakes with groups of small rocky islands. Skerries are typical for the Scandinavian countries.
Vyborg Bay is a part of the Gulf of Finland, as if penetrating deep into the mainland. Through the Saimaa Canal, the waters of the bay are connected to the Finnish inland lake system. The water here is less salty than in the Gulf of Finland: fresh springs dilute it. The water area of ​​the Vyborg Bay is replete with islands. There are so large that whole settlements are quietly located on them, for example, the island of Tverdysh, on which part of Vyborg is located. There are many small ones. Vyborg Bay is a shipping zone and is popular with owners of small boats. Large ships bound for Vyborgsky sea ​​port, as well as to the ports of Vysotsk and Primorsk, you have to move along a difficult fairway, maneuvering between the numerous islands.

From Vyborg to Primorsk

As a result of the Northern War of 1700-1721, the territory of the Karelian Isthmus was annexed to Russia. Later, the Vyborg province became part of the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland.
Recently, Vyborg, the only city on the territory of Russia with preserved medieval architecture and unique monuments of northern Art Nouveau, has become the last outpost of free visits in the North-West of the region: it is worth crossing the Saimaa Canal, and the border zone begins. During the perestroika years, the city gained a lot, but also lost a lot.
The Vyborg skerries seem to be divided by Vyborg into two almost equal parts: the city is the "deepest" point of the Vyborg Bay. To the west, to the very border, stretch the least developed areas of the coast. And from ancient Viipuri to Primorsk, the line of the Vyborg skerries is called the Golden Coast ..
If you move from Vyborg towards Primorsk, then on the way you will meet settlements that had a variety of "specializations" in Soviet times, which have survived to this day. In Sokolinsky there is a tuberculosis sanatorium. Zimino is a recreation center of the Vyborg shipyard.
Vysotsk is a city of maritime border guards, a traditional plein air for a children's art school and the last shelter of Stanislav Rostotsky. Uuransaari Island (now Vysotsky Island) was conquered by Peter I during the Northern War. By order of the emperor, the construction of fortifications began here, the remains of which have survived to this day.
Settlement Sovetskiy - Vyborgskaya Cellulose Combine and LUKOIL's business pier. The plant itself was built by the Finns at the end of the twenties of the last century. When its reconstruction was required, the Finns and Swedes came to the rescue again.
Landyshevka is the estate of a branch of the famous Nobels. Glebychevo and Pribylovo. In the area of ​​Glebychev and further to Primorsk, the fortifications of the Mannerheim Line are perfectly preserved.
Until now, on the islands of the Vyborg Bay, you can find the remains of military fortifications, the foundations of old buildings, stone roads, solid berths. The insular part of the bay attracts a huge number of local lore tourists. The local population has kept the tradition of picking mushrooms and berries on the islands. Islands attract amateurs sea ​​travel on boats and yachts. Vyborg skerries are a place of pilgrimage for fishermen. They catch pike, pike perch, bream, perch, roach, rudd, eel. Baltic salmon is caught.
The proximity to the capital of the empire left an imprint on the composition of landowners, the look, life and life of the Vyborg estates. Representatives of the highest nobility of the Russian Empire and those close to the imperial court became their owners. In the 18th century, a new manor construction began, which adopted the motif of expensive decors and interiors of St. Petersburg. An example is the Mon Repos estate.
Kaislahti. translated from Finnish means "Reed Bay". In the 30s of the 17th century, a German officer, Quartermaster Gerhard Leffe took possession of the empty lands of a disabled cavalryman.

Now only the old birch alley and the ruins of a brick factory, a steam sawmill, a stable and a cowshed remind of the former Kaislahti manor. Since 1948, Kaislahti has become Soviet village Popovo.
Salgren's manor. On the island Lodochny (formerly it was called "Russian") is still perfectly preserved.

The Nobel Manor. In 1894, the southern part of Ala Kiryola (now Landyshevka) was acquired by Edla Nobel, the widow of Ludwig Nobel. On the contrary, on the island, two hundred meters from the coast, a garden was laid out, later called Doctor's.

On the other side of the peninsula, the bay widens strongly towards the southeast and is covered with many islands; in the Trongsund Strait (Finn. Uuras or Swede. Trångsund - a narrow strait) between the islands of Vysotsky and Krepysh, large ships stop at anchor for loading and unloading, and less significant ones pass all the way to Vyborg and further, to the entrance to the Saimaa Canal.

To the west of the Vyborg Bay begins a strip of real skerries. In the northern part of the bay is the Lohaniemi Peninsula. The Gvardeisky and Tverdysh islands in the northern part of the bay are the Zashchitnaya bay.

Notes (edit)

The Bjork landing operation June 20 - 25, 1944 - the landing operation of the Soviet Baltic Fleet to capture the islands of the Bjork archipelago during the Vyborg-Petrozavodsk operation in the Great Patriotic War.

Ivan Denisovich Voytyuk (November 9, 1911, Bagpipe, Tomsk Province, Russian Empire - July 4, 1944, Vyborg Bay, Leningrad Region, USSR) - Soviet journalist, war correspondent for the newspaper " TVNZ", Writer.

"Vseslav" - 74-gun sailing battleship Baltic Fleet of Russia. One of nineteen Yaroslav-class ships. It was laid down on September 19 (30), 1782 at the Solombala shipyard in Arkhangelsk, launched on May 12 (23), 1784. The construction was carried out by the ship's master Mikhail Dmitrievich Portnov.

The ship took part in the war with Sweden in 1788-1790 and the war with France in 1792-1797.

Vyborg naval battle - a battle during the Russian-Swedish War (1788-1790), which took place on June 22 (July 3), 1790 in the Vyborg Bay of the Baltic Sea. The Swedish fleet under the command of King Gustav III of Sweden and Grand Admiral Prince Karl, Duke of Södermanland, blocked in the northern part of the bay by two squadrons of the Russian Baltic Fleet under the general command of Admiral Vasily Chichagov, with difficulty broke through the encirclement and retreated to Sveaborg, suffering heavy losses - 7 ships, 3 frigates, 4-5 thousand (according to some estimates - 6-7 thousand) personnel.

The battle of Vyborg immediately preceded the Second Battle of Rochensalm on June 28 (July 9), 1790, which ended in a catastrophic defeat of the Russian fleet and forced Russia to end the almost won war with Sweden on the terms of the status quo.

Gorokhovka (Finn. Rokkalanjoki) - a river in Russia, flows through the territory of the Vyborg district of the Leningrad region. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers - Aleksandrovka and Kamyshovka; the length of Gorokhovka and Aleksandrovka is 30 km. The general direction of the Gorokhovka current is to the west. The villages of Chernichnoye and Tokarevo are located on the river, and flows into the Vyborg Bay in the village of Sovetsky.

Dryoma, Korpelanyoki - a river in Russia, flows in the Vyborg district of the Leningrad region. The river flows into the Vyborg Bay near the Malaya Guba Bay. The length of the river is 18 km, the catchment area is 45.7 km².

Protective Bukhta - a bay located on the edge of the Vyborg Bay in the Leningrad Region Russian Federation, completely on the territory of the city of Vyborg.

The bay is connected to the rest of the bay by the Fortress Strait and the Gvardeisky Strait, separating the islands of Gvardeisky and Tverdysh. The Vyborg Bay itself is part of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. On the coast of the bay there is a rocky landscape park Mon Repos, and on the Castle Island in the Fortress Strait - the Vyborg Castle.

In the Middle Ages, a branch of the Vuoksa River flowed into the Protective Bay, which gradually dried up. It was completely dry by 1857. Built in 1845 as its replacement, the Saimaa Canal was commissioned in 1856. It connects the Protective Bay with the Novinsky Bay. Until 1944, the Finnish name "Suomenvedenpohja" was used (Fin. Suomenvedenpohja, "north of the waters of the Gulf of Finland"), but after the Soviet-Finnish wars the bay received modern name... The translation of the old name - "Northern Bay" - is sometimes used as a general name for Zashchitnaya Bay and Raduga Bay.

Kiperort is a peninsula on the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland, in the Vyborg district of the Leningrad region, in the western part of the Karelian Isthmus. Northern part The peninsula is occupied by the Vyborgsky State Natural Complex Reserve.

"Kir Ioann" - 74-gun sailing battleship of the Baltic Fleet of Russia. One of nineteen Yaroslav-class ships. It was laid down on June 20 (July 1), 1785 at the Solombala shipyard in Arkhangelsk, launched on May 14 (25), 1786. The construction was carried out by the ship's master Mikhail Dmitrievich Portnov.

The ship took part in the war with Sweden in 1788-1790 and with France in 1792-1797.

Nikolai Ivanovich Nikolaev (1914-1944) - Guard Captain of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army, a participant in the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union (1944).

Pobedoslav is a 74-gun sailing battleship of the Baltic Fleet of Russia. One of four Tsar Constantine-class ships. It was laid down on January 26 (February 6), 1777 at the St. Petersburg Admiralty, launched on June 26 (July 7), 1782. The construction was carried out by ship craftsmen V. Selyaninov and I. V. Yames. During the descent of the ship, Catherine II was present, who gave the ship the name "Simon Kinsman of the Lord", but in the lists it was listed as "Pobedoslav".

The ship took part in the war with Sweden in 1788-1790.

The Breakthrough of the Mannerheim Line (sometimes referred to as the Battle of Summa) is an offensive operation by Soviet troops during the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940 with the aim of breaking through the Mannerheim Line and further attack on Finland.

Svyatoslav is a 66-gun sailing battleship of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Empire. One of the ships of the "Asia" class. It was founded in 1776 in Arkhangelsk, launched in 1781. During his service he took part in ensuring "armed neutrality" and the Russian-Swedish war of 1788-90. Disassembled in Kronstadt after 1800.

Seleznevka (Finn. Rakkolanjoki) is a river in the Vyborg district of the Leningrad region and Finland. Length - 53 km (by Russian territory- 20 km), catchment area - 623 km², average slope - 0.94 m / km (in the Russian part 1.27 m / km). The source is near the Finnish city of Lappeenranta, the mouth is in the Vyborg Bay of the Gulf of Finland.

Seleznevskoe Seelskoe Settlement is a municipality within the Vyborgsky District of the Leningrad Region. The center is the village of Seleznevo.

Vyborg Bay is a deeply embedded bay in the northern part of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. It got its name from the city of Vyborg, located in the northernmost part of the bay.
There are many different ancient (and not so) buildings in the bay. let's dwell on some of them.

Cape South Spear (Keihasniemi)

Judging by the Finnish map, along the entire northeastern coast of the peninsula, from Cape Keihasniemi itself, now the South Spear, land, on which numerous buildings were located. The shore is lined with granite, closer to the tip of the cape there is a long granite pier. A little to the east there is a small closed harbor, also made of stones, with a small passage for boats. From the pier, steps lead to the shore, where the path leads past the foundations of destroyed buildings.

Pier at Cape South Spear (Keihasniemi)

There are decent gaps between the blocks, but where they fit snugly, the blocks are curved.

Closed harbor at Cape South Spear

In the summer:

Tour tower on the island of Verholaz (Korkeasaari)

Outwardly, the tower really looks like a classic chess round. Its history is unknown to us. On some maps it is marked as a 14th century monument. The arrangement of the windows suggests that a spiral staircase went up the inner wall of the tower earlier.
It is clearly seen that the tower has been rebuilt and repaired many times - some of the joints between the stones are filled with modern mortar, a concrete platform on metal rails is visible at the top. The stones of the upper tier are fastened with metal staples.

Ruins of the Suur-Merijoki manor

Style under the "Mexican masonry"

The foundation of the estate. It can be seen that the brick walls were faced with granite.

For what purpose was it necessary to cut and move such tiles? A strange combination of brick and granite.

Estimated composition of the megalithic complex of the Vyborg Bay.
Already discovered objects.
1. Ring complex in Mon Repos park.
2. North rock reflector in Mon Repos park.
3. Ring complex in Zimino on the Lohaniemi peninsula.
4. Ring complex on the islands Big and Small Shield and Neighboring.
5. South terrace reflector on the islands Big and Small Shield and Neighboring.
6. West terrace reflector on the Keihasniemi peninsula.
7. Wall of the western reflector on the Keihasniemi peninsula.
Prospective objects of the megalithic complex of the Vyborg Bay.
1. Ring complex on the Ala Somme peninsula southwest of the Sokolinsky settlement.
2. Ring complex in the north-west of the Keihasniemi peninsula on the isthmus in
towards the village of Podberezie.
3. The ring complex to the south of the Podberez'e village.
4. The ring complex in the Vysotsk region on the Krepysh and Peredovik islands.
5. Ring complex in the area of ​​Shcherbakovo settlement.
6. South and north reflectors about. Vysotsky.
Destroyed objects of the megalithic complex of the Vyborg Bay.
1. Ring complex in Vyborg opposite Annenskie fortifications.
2. Ring complex in the area of ​​the Sorvali cemetery. (?)
3. South terraced reflector of the rocky foundations of Mon Repos Park and the southern
coast of Tverdysh Island. (?)