The Lake’s Brutal Past
While Russian Standard vodka scientists associate the lake with Russia’s much-loved alcoholic spirit, Lake Ladoga conjures up substantially different images to historians. During WWII, the lake served as a vital supply route during the Siege of Leningrad. Throughout the brutal winters of 1941 and 1942, its frozen waters connected the beleaguered city to a small stretch of Russian land 100 miles away. Convoys of trucks brought in oil, grain and fuel to the city’s trapped inhabitants.
A locomotive track was laid across the ice to bring in constant supplies of medicine and food, while bringing out vulnerable children, the sick and the wounded from the city. This life-saving route across the lake’s frozen waters became known as the Road of Life.
Today, it’s possible to trace part of the infamous route from St Petersburg to the lake. Along the way are commemorative plaques and monuments that serve as poignant reminders of one of the war’s most brutal military campaigns. Some memorials are dedicated to children who perished of hunger, others to pilots and anti-aircraft gunners that defended the road and sacrificed their lives to deliver supplies to the city.