Every May 9, as the country celebrated Victory Day, my grandmothers would bring flowers to the Piskariovskoye Memorial Cemetery where some three million people have found their resting place. The plaque at the end of the memorial reads “The Leningrad citizens are buried here”. A six-meter-tall sculpture of Motherland towers over the grounds. An eternal flame burns without fail.
It was at the museum here that at the age of six or seven I first read the diary of Tanya Savicheva - a girl trapped in the besieged Leningrad who wrote down the dates when her relatives passed away, one by one. The last page says, “Only Tanya is left.”
It was also here that I saw a slice of bread, or rather a palm-sized brick of sawdust, bran and a little flour, that people were issued during the Siege as one of their few sources of sustenance.
There are many ways to experience what the War means to the people of Saint Petersburg. As you enter the city on your way from the airport, you’ll see a tall granite obelisk surrounded by bronze statues – the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad. Downstairs you’ll find a museum and 900 candles commemorating the 900 days of the siege.
At the Museum of Leningrad Defence and Siege, you can step into an apartment with the news of the war coming from the radio and learn how people not only survived, but contributed to the front lines and even held sports competitions. At the Submarine History Museum, you can climb into a real submarine that fought in the War; at the Lenreserv, you can browse a large collection of wartime military vehicles.
Today, St. Petersburg will come together once again to celebrate the sacrifice and the victory. The festivities will kick off with the lighting of the torches on the Rostral Columns at 9 am. A key focal element of the city, the Columns are only lit up on very special occasions, and it’s a moving sight.
At 10 am, the Victory Parade will begin on the Palace Square in St. Petersburg and on the Red Square in Moscow.
At 2 pm, retro vehicles will carry veterans the length of the Nevsky Prospect, from Vosstaniya Square to Palace Square.
At 3 pm, the Immortal Regiment will follow the same route as thousands of ordinary people will march with portraits of their loved ones who fought in the War. What started as a small regional tradition quickly grew into the most uniting grassroots movements in Russia and perhaps the world.
The spirit of the celebration will translate to several concerts around the city. The main one will take place at the Palace Square at 4 pm, but you can also dance along to the tunes of the times at the “Spring of ‘45” in the Capella Courtyards starting at noon and at the “Rio-Rita - the Joy of Victory” festival in Tavrichesky Garden at 6 pm. Think period outfits, accordion and brass, soda pop and ice cream.
At 10 pm, the sky over St. Petersburg will erupt with fireworks launched from the Peter and Paul Fortress in the final chord to the celebration.
The metro will be open all night.
