A Museum That Will Leave You in Tears: The City's Darkest History on Full Display

"Maybe we'll see our daily bread, this poor, black slice of bread, in some museum's display case,"

Olga Berggoltz

Blockade BreadWalking around St. Petersburg, admiring its buildings and straight streets, you don't really think about the tough fate of this city and all it's been through during the blockade. It's only the signs of shelling on the columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral and the warning at the start of Nevsky Avenue that remind you that "this side of the street is most hazardous during artillery attacks."I read The Blockade Book a few years ago, the diary entries of the blockade survivors carefully compiled by Ales Adamovich and Daniil Granin. It was the hardest thing I've ever read in my life... That's when I remembered about the Museum of Defense and Blockade of Leningrad, which I'd previously avoided. Last summer, I finally gathered my courage and took my teenage son with me to visit this museum...

Museum of Defense and Blockade of Leningrad reviewsAddress: St. Petersburg, Solyanoy Lane, 9Opening hours: daily from 10 to 18, except Tuesday (closed)How to get there: the nearest metro stations are Chernyshevskaya, a 15-minute walk awayAdmission price: free, but you can rent an audio guide for 300 rubles📍About the Museum

The museum building is located on Salt Street. Right in front of the entrance, you'll find two impressive sculptures.

Defense and Blockade of Leningrad Museum Reviews Defense and Blockade of Leningrad Museum ReviewsThe visit is completely free, and that's exactly how it should be – more people get to learn about those events. This state memorial museum of the Defense and Blockade of Leningrad was first opened back in 1944, when the war was still ongoing. It was the world's first museum on a military theme to open while the war was still happening.

The Museum of Defense and Blockade of Leningrad's HistoryBut by 1949, it was already closed, deemed ideologically hazardous, supposedly misrepresenting historical events by focusing too much on the city's blockade. Many museum staff members faced repression, and the exhibit itself was all but forgotten for several decades. It wasn't until 1989 that the museum was revived, and the exhibit was replenished with many items donated by city residents who witnessed those events firsthand. That's what you'll see in the first exhibit on the first floor. Reviews of the Museum of Defense and Blockade of LeningradThis small room is packed with notes on the walls. Reading them is a real challenge – it's like a punch to the gut. Blockade DiariesYou can feel the weight of it all – that these people really went through hell. Blockade DiariesTake a look at Tanya Savichyeva's diary – an 11-year-old girl whose family perished right before her eyes. The entries are dry and to the point, simply documenting the fact that her loved ones had died. The diary ends with the haunting entry, 'I'm the only one left, Tanya'... She was evacuated from Leningrad in 1942 but passed away from tuberculosis a few years later.One thing that really stood out to me was the exhibition layout on the second floor. I mean, it's so well done.

Diary of Tanya Savicheva The main exhibit is here, and it's really a must-see. Museum of Defense and Blockade of Leningrad reviews And just next to it, there's a small room showing a really powerful video with some beautiful poetry. Then there's the room dedicated to the heroic defense of Leningrad.

Defense and Blockade of Leningrad Museum ReviewsOriginally, the museum was planned to focus on the city's defense, but the exhibit on the blockade eventually took center stage. Now, most people know this museum as the Blockade Museum. On the wall, there's a massive screen showing the progression of the war efforts.Defense and Blockade of Leningrad Museum ReviewsThere are plenty of artifacts from back then in the display cases – military uniforms.Defense and Blockade of Leningrad Museum ReviewsPersonal belongings of the soldiers.Defense and Blockade of Leningrad Museum ReviewsBut then you see items that are connected to people's lives. A little girl's shoes – she died of dystrophy at 4 years old... an unfinished embroidery...Defense and Blockade of Leningrad Museum ReviewsOn the screens, they show footage from newsreels. You can't help but tear up...The next exhibit just blows me away, it's like stepping into the midst of those brutal events. The city was constantly under attack, with many homes destroyed. Now, walking down its streets, you'd never even think about it...A sobering reminder of the sacrifices madeIt's the glass case with bullet holes and rusty old guns underneath, it's like you're walking through a war zone. The number of people who lost their lives trying to save the city is just staggering...Personal items of the soldiersThere are displays of items related to the soldiers - farewell letters, bayonet knives...War spoilsAnd then there are the trophy exhibits...Photos from back thenPhotos from that time period, and items related to the tough work of the doctors...A glimpse into the pastOne of the most haunting parts of the museum is the exhibit on the children who suffered from dystrophy during the blockade.

The exhibit on the children who suffered from dystrophy during the blockadeAnother striking part of the museum is the display of agitprop posters.

Agitprop postersThe exhibit on the Road of Life, which was the route used to supply the city and evacuate its residents, is also a powerful part of the museum.

The Road of Life during the blockadeI was struck by the simple display case of children's toys, which was almost devoid of labels. The only one was a sign noting that the toys were from a sunken barge that was used to evacuate children.

Children's toys from the museumThe story of Nina Vasilevna Sokolova, a female diver who played a crucial role in laying a pipeline under Lake Ladoga, is also worth noting.

Nina Vasilevna SokolovaNina's work was incredibly challenging, but she was instrumental in proposing the idea of laying a pipeline under the lake and even participated in the work herself.

Nina Vasilevna SokolovaMuseum of Defense and Blockade of Leningrad reviewsEvacuation in blockaded LeningradNext up, a few rooms where they've recreated scenes from life in the blockaded city. A shop where they'd hand out bread by card. Bread norms in blockaded LeningradA starving kid looks up at us, those huge eyes are etched in my memory forever. Museum of Defense and Blockade of Leningrad reviewsThat's what a piece of bread looked like that they'd hand out to each person per day. 125 grams - people's lives depended on it...“We all had scurvy, because you can imagine, 125 grams of bread in December wasn't exactly bread. If you'd seen that piece of bread in the museum, it's all dry and looks like it was made on purpose. But back then, it was like clay, and water would run off it. And that's the bread kids were getting… I didn't have kids who were used to asking, but their eyes would beg. Seeing those eyes is just... you can't put it into words…” (Excerpt from The Blockade Book)

And that's what those same food ration cards looked like. Small pieces of paper that were easy to lose.

Workers at the printing press that was churning out cards for the city told a story about what happened when they started getting fewer of these cards (from November 20, workers got 250 grams of bread, while civil servants, dependents, and children got 125 grams of this black, sticky, watery, cellulose-and-wood-pulp-infused bread that was basically just glue) – they started rummaging around, re-examining everything within reach to see if it was edible...

Bread cardsNext to these were even more disturbing items. I remember eating things we shouldn't have when we had nothing else. Belts, wallpaper. We boiled soups with wood glue. Museum of Defense and Blockade of Leningrad reviewsWe ate earth from the Badaevskii warehouses, which the fascists destroyed at the very beginning of the blockade. These were where we stored food supplies, and during the fire, the sugar melted and mixed with the earth. Museum of Defense and Blockade of Leningrad reviewsWe eventually resorted to eating animals. Museum of Defense and Blockade of Leningrad reviewsIn the next room, they recreated the interior of a room where people like us lived during the blockade. There was no running water, no heating, and the sewage system didn't work. We heated ourselves with makeshift stoves and carried heavy buckets of water. "When I brought bread, they were lying on the sofas, on the beds in this room. There were some coats; everyone was wearing valenki, under wadded blankets. Everyone was lying down. The frying pan was on, some oil was burning, it was flickering. And the 'burzhuyka' was standing." (Excerpt from The Blockade Book)

Museum of Defense and Blockade of Leningrad reviews The adjacent room shows the work of the militia. Museum of Defense and Blockade of Leningrad reviews The room tells the story of the work of the rear. Many residents of the city, including teenagers, starving and sick, went to the factories to help the front. Many of them fell dead right at the machine. "As the fallen on the front were replaced by teenagers and women, so it was at all enterprises. The city, which stopped the fascist armies at its gates and withstood the siege, continued to supply its defenders with arms. Even on the mainland, its products reached during the toughest months for Moscow. It's hard to imagine now how weakened by hunger, children's hands could lift and secure in the machines heavy blanks." (Excerpt from The Blockade Book)

Defense and Blockade Museum Reviews One of the most poignant displays in the next room is a glimpse into the city's cultural life. On August 9, 1942, a concert of Shostakovich's 7th Symphony took place. Not all musicians were able to perform at that concert, as many had already passed away by then. But the city kept going, despite everything. Composers continued to write music, artists kept painting. Shostakovich's 7th Symphony in Blockaded Leningrad Kids kept attending school. Schools were still operating during the blockade And right next to the classroom, there was a bomb shelter. Bomb Shelter The blockaded tram. Blockaded Tram In the center of the room, there are several curved walls with excerpts from diaries. Diaries from Blockaded Leningrad There are countless diary entries to read through.I have to say, at first glance, this museum seems pretty small, and the number of exhibits is limited. But trust me, the impact it has on you is huge. I found myself getting emotional, and I couldn't help but think of the pages from 'The Blockade Book' that I'd read. It's like the museum is tapping into your emotions, making you feel like you're really there, experiencing the hardships of the people who lived through the siege.

Diaries of the Blockaded Leningrad Diaries of the Blockaded Leningrad Diaries of the Blockaded LeningradFor example, there's a diary from a girl who lived with her mom and little brother in a bomb shelter. They were there for 2.5 months without any natural light. It's a really powerful experience, and the photos in the archive are a great addition to the exhibits.

Diaries of the Blockaded Leningrad Museum of Defense and Blockade of Leningrad reviews Museum of Defense and Blockade of Leningrad reviews📍GENERAL IMPRESSIONI walked out of the museum in total silence. Then I spent a long time explaining things to my son that he probably didn't fully understand. It was clear that the museum had left an impression on him too.

The lifting of the blockade happened on January 27, 1944. 872 grueling days when people were dying from shelling and starvation. That day became the most significant for the city's residents. A lot of time has passed since those terrifying events, and a lot has been forgotten. Over time, memories fade, and those who could tell the story firsthand are gone. It's good that there are museums like this that don't let us forget. History is cyclical, and I hope something like this never happens again.

Museum of Defense and Blockade of Leningrad reviewsThe Museum of Defense and Blockade of Leningrad was one of the toughest places for me. I couldn't hold back my tears here. And other visitors were walking around the museum like they were in a daze. Even my son was deeply affected, although it's hard for modern kids to understand what it's like to experience hunger when there's an abundance of food in the stores.“It's hard for a well-fed person to imagine that world, and it's almost impossible to fully grasp it. That's why there's a common saying: a full person can't understand a hungry one.” (Excerpt from The Blockade Book)

I'd highly recommend visiting this museum, but it might not be the best fit for super sensitive people. With little kids, I think it's a bit of a bust - they just won't get it. On the other hand, I think it's super valuable for teenagers to check out, as it might give them a fresh perspective on some of the things they're used to.

Defense and Blockade of Leningrad Museum reviewsYou've got to read this book - it's a must-read for everyone, so we never forget what happened during the blockade!