The search specialists of the historical and patriotic project of the Russian Geographical Society have started memorial events on the island of Gogland in the Gulf of Finland. The purpose is to tell about the unknown exploits of Soviet soldiers and to honor the memory of the heroes who fought for these territories during the Great Patriotic War.
The first part of the expedition took place from August 4 to August 14 on Sommers. During this time, the participants installed seven new information signs and put in good shape monuments to boatmen and border guards. During the Second World War, the island occupied a critically important position on the approaches to Kronstadt and Leningrad. Control over it made it possible to monitor the movements of the German and Finnish fleets, warn of enemy mine installations and adjust the fire of Soviet coastal and naval artillery.
The environmental component is important in the project: the search specialists collected and disposed of seven bags of garbage, and conducted magnetometric surveys in one of the bays of the island.
«The participants deployed a radio station and held memorial communication sessions with a special call sign on the Sommers and Gogland islands. The works are dedicated to the 130th anniversary of the creation of radio and the 125th anniversary of the first radio exchange,» said Ilya Durinsky, the head of the expedition. «We organized two tours of historical sites for students of Pushkin Leningrad State University, taught the young members of the expedition the basics of working with a microscope, and also once again carried out minor repairs to the barrack, which has been serving as a field house for the RGS expedition for many years.»
Memorial plaque. Photo: Ilya Durinsky
On August 18, the main stage of the expedition started on the island of Gogland. Over the next 10 days, the researchers plan to install information signs with the symbols of the RGS on the historical sites of the island. This work will allow future visitors to better navigate the terrain and understand the military history of Gogland. In addition, as part of the memorial work, flowers will be laid at the Admiral Ivan Svyatov Monument. He commanded a detachment of ships while trying to rescue the garrison of the island of Gogland and came under devastating enemy fire.
«For more than 10 years we have been searching for important historical sites and erecting memorials there. The 'Gogland’ project is a comprehensive effort to preserve historical and cultural memory, combined with environmental and scientific work,» said Natalya Belyakova, Director of the RGS’s Expeditionary and Tourism Development Department. «This work will help make the islands a place of attraction for new visitors. We are currently registering all significant historical sites in a separate register. Then we plan to place them on maps intended for public access.»
The main tasks of the expedition to Gogland in August include searching for unknown military graves and unburied remains, putting in order memorial signs, creating the detailed maps of the island’s defense, searching for exhibits and artifacts for museum exhibitions.
Maria Buldakova