Defensive installations of the Leningrad region

One of the most interesting historical buildings in this region is Ivangorod Fortress. It was erected before the birth of Ivan the Terrible and for a long time served as an important defensive frontier against western invaders. It is now part of the Ivangorod Museum Complex, and every day there are exciting guided tours telling about the rich past of these lands.
The fortress is located in the border zone, so it is necessary to arrange a pass in advance, which can be done by contacting the contacts listed on website of the museum.

Another interesting and very ancient defensive structure in this region is Koporskaya Fortress, located to the north of Kingisepp in the village of Koporje. We took a walk around the territory, as the fortress itself is still under reconstruction.

After the excursion we went to a small town called Pine Forest, where we intended to have lunch. After a short wander in the streets we stopped at the cafe "Spice&Strast". The service of the place seemed to us to be very quick and competent. Among the dishes we liked stewed potatoes with vegetables, as well as tuna and meat salads.

In the afternoon we moved along the shore of the Gulf of Finland towards St. Petersburg. On the way we decided to make a short stop at the Krasnaya Gorka defensive fort, which once cut off the approaches to Kronstadt. There are still remains of some defensive structures here, as well as railway transporters.

On this journey we have stopped more than once near the memorials of the Great Patriotic War, and this time we have not changed the existing tradition and stopped near the monument to the defenders of the Leningrad sky, which is located in the heart of the city of Lebyazhie.

Passing through Kronstadt, we stopped for dinner at a small café-bakery "Briosh". Facility's interior is made in very modern style, polite service also left quite pleasant impressions. Having drunk a few glasses of coffee and snacked locally made cakes, we moved on to St. Petersburg.