1. Northwest Russia Study Tour August 2015
Russian Geography Teachers’ Association

2. The bullet train took us from Moscow to St
The bullet train took us from Moscow to St. Petersburg (679 km) in just 4 hours.

3. St Petersburg is a historical and architectural gem built by Peter the Great in  It is located on the Neva River and numerous smaller rivers and canals at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. It changed its name 4 times: St. Petersburg, Petrograd, Leningrad and back to St. Petersburg.

4. The bridges

5. Second World War and Leningrad siege – blocade The siege of Leningrad lasted from September 1941 to 1944. By the end of the siege, some 632,000 people are thought to have died with nearly 4,000 people from Leningrad starving to death on Christmas Day, The first German artillery shell fell on Leningrad on September 1st,

7. Ekaterina Nilovna, now 80 years old, who lives with her daughter, Zoya Gray, in Clevedon, survived the Leningrad blocade and can tell her story herself:

8. Shlisselburg and Oreshek Fortress Located on an island in lake Ladoga not far from Shlisselburg, the Oreshek fortress was founded in the 14th century. After it was recaptured from the Swedes by Peter I in 1702, it became a key fortress protecting St. Petersburg and a high-security prison. The fortress and the city centre are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

9. Shlisselburg and Oreshek Fortress This is the place where 500 soldiers stood their ground, and hold the fortress in WW2. The Nazi captured the town but they could not do anything against the fortress.

10. Shlisselburg and Oreshek Fortress The Neva and Lake Ladoga are navigable. In the beginning of the 19th century, a system of canals bypassing Lake Ladoga was built, which at the time was a part of Mariinsky Water System, connecting the Neva with the Volga River. In particular, the New Ladoga Canal connects the Volkhov and the Neva Rivers. It replaced the Old Ladoga Canal built by Peter the Great, which thus became disused and decayed. The canals collectively are known as the Ladoga Canal. The canals originate from the Neva in Shlisselburg.

11. Shlisselburg and Oreshek Fortress The main company operating in the city is "Nevsky shipyard" which was founded in 1913 when the ship repair workshops were established. The main activities of the company are: shipbuilding, ship repair, modernization and renovation and machine-building. Leyman’s Loom factory building, one of 52 textile factories founded by 1860-s in St. Petersburg region.

12. Valaam Island and monastery The monastery of the Finnish Orthodox Church. Originally Valamo was placed on an island of lake Ladoga in Karelia but was evacuated whilst in war with the Russians in the 1940s. The monks came with their icons and rebuilt Valamo close to Heinävesi a bit west of Joensuu. The monastery is visited by many Finns, orthodox or not, and is featured in most tourist guides as well. Most people come to see the ancient icons from the old Valamo monastery. Boats full of tourists leave during the summer months from Sortavala, Lakhdenpokhya, and Pitkyaranta, as well as big river cruise boats from Saint Petersburg and Moscow. It's also possible to travel here by helicopter from Petrozavodsk.

13. Sortavala

14. Sortavala and Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia just outside the outskirts of Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake in Europe, and the 15th largest freshwater lake by area in the world.

15. Ruskeala marble quarry is now used for sport tourism

16. Ruskeala marble quarry

17. Wild berries: moroshka (cloudberry), cranberry, lingonberry, bilberry, crowberry. KARELIA BERRIES LLC was established in the summer of 2003 as the part of Samokhvalov's family owned business since At the present time the organic food industry is one of the most rapidly developing industries. The company was established with the ambition to offer unique bio-products to both local Russian and international markets. It is placed in the centre of growing of wild berries, especially lingonberry (the best crops in the World). The region is also famous for other different wild berries (blueberry, cloudberry, cranberry, blackberry and etc.). Since 2007 Karelia Berries is Official supplier of Blueberries to DANONE Group ( We are the one who is certified with social and quality audit held by Danone 3-4 times a year.

18. Petrozavodsk

19. Petrozavodsk

20. Kizhi Island – one of many World Heritage sights in Russia: https://en

22. Kondopoga and Pulp plant http://www.oaokondopoga.ru/predpeng.html

23. Kivach Waterfall

24. Nature Reserve and local museum in Kondopoga

25. Paleovolcano Girvas

26. Paleovolcano Girvas

27. Onega Lake

28. Shungit Quarry

29. Shungit Quarry

30. Belomorskye Petrogliphs

31. Solovki

32. Solovki

33. Solovki

34. Solovki

36. Crossing the Arctic Circle on the way to Murmansk

38. Nuclear ice breaker “Lenin”

39. Monument to Submarine “Kursk” victims

40. Panorama of Murmansk and the Kola Bay

41. Free Social housing in Murmansk to attract population

42. Arctic Convoi

43. Russian Geography Teachers’ Study Group43

44. Main road from Murmansk to St Petersburg P. S
Main road from Murmansk to St Petersburg P.S. Some roads are not so smooth: