Kingisepp

Kingisepp is a small town on the Luga River in the southwestern part of the West Leningrad Oblast, near the border with Estonia, a regional center with a turbulent military past and a quiet provincial present. Tourists rarely linger in Kingisepp, driving through it on the road from St. Petersburg towards Narva, although there are things to see in the city, and it’s worth devoting at least a few hours to exploring it.

Understand

Kingisepp is crossed from east to west by the 41K114 highway, which departs from the Narva highway on the eastern outskirts of the city, near the village of Tikopis, and within the city becomes the main street - Karl Marx Avenue and bends in a rather steep bend to the south. At the very bottom of this knee is the bus station. All historical buildings of the city are concentrated on Karl Marx Avenue and in the nearest quarters to the north and south. From the south, urban development is limited by a railway line, beyond which an almost continuous private sector begins, reaching the banks of the Luga River. In the western part of Kingisepp, where Karl Marx Avenue crosses Luga on a road bridge, there is the historical center of the city - the modern Nikolaev Square, near which are the Catherine's Cathedral, Summer Garden, broken on the site of the Yam fortress, local history museum , etc.

To the north and northeast of Karl Marx Avenue, traces of historical buildings can also be found throughout the block, up to Oktyabrskaya Street, above which the Soviet and post-Soviet residential part of Kingisepp begins, where there is almost nothing interesting. On the western (left) bank of the Luga, there is no urban development at all. In the same place, even to the west of Luga, the 41K114 highway intersects with the Narva highway, which bypasses the city from the north, and merges with it.

Get in

By train 

There are a few daily commuter trains from Saint Petersburg. It is possible to get to Kingisepp by rail, but usually not very convenient. The station makes a stop once a day suburban train St. Petersburg - Ivangorod, departing from Ivangorod at about 06:00, and from St. Petersburg in the evening. From long-distance trains, the Moscow - Tallinn train stops here, following in a strictly opposite schedule: in the morning towards Ivangorod, in the evening towards St. Petersburg.

• 1 Kingisepp railway station, Vokzalnaya st. 14 (two blocks from downtown). ticket office 08:00 - 22:00. The modern station building has a police station, a canteen and a waiting room.  (updated May 2023)

By car

From St. Petersburg, the most obvious way to Kingisepp is along the federal highway A180 (E20) "Narva" (aka Narva highway). Distance is about 130 km, exit through Krasnoe Selo. You can go through Peterhof or Strelna and further along the Ropshinsky highway with an exit to Narva, as well as through Gatchina and further through Volosovo, but these paths are longer and more ornate.

From Estonia, the path passes through Narva and Ivangorod, the distance from Ivangorod to Kingisepp along the same Narva highway is 23 km. From Moscow, it is most logical to go through Veliky Novgorod and Luga. From Pskov, through Gdov and Slantsy.

By bus

From St. Petersburg: bus number 841 once an hour (toward Kingisepp from 08:00 to 22:00, towards St. Petersburg - from 05:00 to 19:00), travel time is a little over two hours, but if the route free, you can get there in an hour and a half. The schedule states several intermediate stops, although in practice they are made only on demand, and the driver must be warned about the exit in advance. Sometimes, in order to avoid traffic jams, save time, or for some other unclear reason, drivers deviate from the route and follow various detours. In St. Petersburg, buses depart from Leninsky Prospekt metro station, the stop is at the southwestern exit from the metro (the first car from the center, turn right in the underpass), opposite house number 13 on Novatorov Boulevard. On the way back, the bus also stops at the metro station Prospekt Veteranov on Dachny Prospekt. In Kingisepp, the final station is the bus station. The cost of the trip is 400₽ (2020). Passing buses in the direction of Ivangorod and Gdov depart from the bus station on Obvodny , but they run so rarely that they do not make sense compared to the 841st.

From Ivangorod: suburban buses No. 51 and 51A, on average every hour, 40-50 minutes on the way, cost is 110-120₽ (2020). Minibuses Ivangorod-St. Petersburg pass Kingisepp along the bypass, where passengers are picked up and dropped off on demand.

From the Pskov region: a direct bus St. Petersburg- Gdov via Kingisepp runs only once a day. At other times, you can get to Slantsy , where minibuses from Pskov go several times a day , and then get to Kingisepp by suburban bus number 104 (every 1-2 hours, 1 hour 20 minutes on the way). Bus number 851 Slantsy-St. Petersburg passes Kingisepp along the bypass.

• Bus station, Karl Marx Ave., 42, ☏ +7 931 357 28 93, + 7 81375 2 05 06. 06:00 – 21:30. The bus station does not have an independent building, but is built into the Kubus shopping mall . The room is small, but at least there is a schedule, a public address system, benches and sockets for charging gadgets. Everything else is offered to look for in the mall. Buses are parked nearby, there are no special platforms and canopies for them. The fare is collected by the driver or controller when boarding the bus. (updated Dec 2019)

See

Remains of the Yam fortress near Catherine's Cathedral

Summer garden

Barracks of the Tsaritsyno Regiment. Arena

City hall

Karl Marx Avenue

Although in the 20th century Kingisepp was twice on the front line, the historical buildings of the city have been preserved quite well. The vast majority of them is concentrated on Karl Marx Avenue and in the neighborhoods adjacent to it. The avenue is lined with mostly 19th-century and (partially) Soviet-era two-story buildings, uniformly painted a pale yellow, with some nondescript modern five-story buildings. The most sympathetic of the historical buildings:

• 1 the mansion of the merchant Vasiliev.  (No. 21) and
• 2 building of the State Bank-.  (No. 25).

It is worth paying attention to the shabby one-story building in the courtyard of

• 3 house number 4.  - this is the former Yamburg prison.

In addition, on the avenue you can find several monuments of different times - from the early Soviet to the latest, including the lapidary bust of Viktor Kingisepp, as well as the monument to Peter I installed in the summer of 2020 in front of the administration building.

• 4 Saint Catherine Cathedral (Екатерининский собор), st. Nikolaeva, 6 (near the auto bridge across Luga). The cathedral on the banks of the Luga River was built in 1762-1782 according to the design of the eminent St. Petersburg architect Antonio Rinaldi and by special decree of Empress Catherine II. In connection with such circumstances, the planned small single-domed church, quite suitable for the provincial Yamburg, gave way to a majestic five-domed baroque cathedral with a bell tower. This is still the most noticeable building of Kingisepp - the domes of the cathedral are visible from almost any part of the city. In the 20th century, the fate of the Catherine’s Cathedral (as, indeed, of most other churches in the USSR) was not easy: in the 1930s, military depots were placed in it, and during the war it was badly damaged by shelling and after that it was abandoned for a long time. In the mid-1960s, they were finally taken up and in 1979 they were transferred to the local history museum. The museum was located here until 1990, after which the cathedral was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, and already in the 2000s it was restored again. In the process of modern restoration, the cathedral acquired its historical color (white-gray), but the exterior stucco molding was never restored, and nothing remained of the original interiors either. In addition, it seems that during the restoration the proportions of the cathedral were violated: the central dome was increased in size - so that it almost equaled the height of the bell tower, due to which the main volume of the cathedral optically decreased, and it seems that the temple, as it were, sank under earth. Nevertheless, the beauty and monumentality of the cathedral is still undeniable. nothing remains of the original interiors either. In addition, it seems that during the restoration the proportions of the cathedral were violated: the central dome was increased in size - so that it almost equaled the height of the bell tower, due to which the main volume of the cathedral optically decreased, and it seems that the temple, as it were, sank under earth. Nevertheless, the beauty and monumentality of the cathedral is still undeniable. nothing remains of the original interiors either. In addition, it seems that during the restoration the proportions of the cathedral were violated: the central dome was increased in size - so that it almost equaled the height of the bell tower, due to which the main volume of the cathedral optically decreased, and it seems that the temple, as it were, sank under earth. Nevertheless, the beauty and monumentality of the cathedral is still undeniable. (updated Feb 2020)
• 5 Yam Fortress and Summer Garden, Karl Marx Ave., 1B (on the banks of the Luga). Nothing remained of the fortress for a long time — it was destroyed as unnecessary during in the reign of Catherine II. Later it was also partially built up: a road passed through the former center of the fortress, to the south of which the Catherine's Cathedral was built, and to the north - the Commercial School. Between the cathedral and the road, with some care, you can find the remains of the southern tower of the citadel, but in general, only earthen ramparts overgrown with bushes along the steep bank of the Luga remind of the Yam fortress. Paths are trodden along the ramparts, where you can walk and admire the scenery. The rest of the territory was turned in the 19th century by the garrison stationed in Yamburg into a small landscape park, called the Summer Garden. It has little in common with the St. Petersburg Summer Garden, but it is well landscaped: there is a rather large pond, formed on the site of one of the fortress ditches, and in the pond there is a fountain, ducks and fish, benches are installed along the shore of the pond, flower beds are laid out from the side of the avenue. It has been located here since Soviet times.partisan monument . The park is not fenced in anything, the entrance to any part of it is free. Sometimes it comes to creating an open-air archaeological museum on the site of the fortress, there were also projects to recreate the fortress (for tourism purposes), but there has been no money available forthis, and so far the matter has not gone beyond the model located in the local history museum. (updated Dec 2020)
• 6 The building of the Commercial School (Здание Коммерческого училища), Karl Marx Ave., 1 (on the territory of the park/fortress, near the highway). The building was built in 1909-1910, but not completely. For the construction of what had been planned by the local architect K.K. Vasiliev, there were not enough funds, and the school urgently needed its own premises, so it was decided to build only one wing, and complete the rest as the money came in. But then the First World War began, followed by a revolution, and the building remained unfinished. How beautiful it could have been can now only be judged by design drawings, but even in the form of the current stump, it makes an outstanding impression - especially after the restoration, during which the building was cleaned and the corner tower was restored. Its architectural solution combines the features of the English Collegiate Gothic, Finnish National Romanticism and St. Petersburg Art Nouveau. Curious, that, in order to save money, it was built from local flagstone with brick inserts framing the windows: this is how cowsheds and stables were usually built in these parts, but not public buildings, and there are no analogues to this building in the Leningrad region. Now located herelocal history museum, and this is perhaps the best use for one of the most beautiful buildings in Kingisepp. (updated Dec 2020)
• 7 Barracks of the 146th Tsaritsyno Infantry Regiment (Казармы 146-го пехотного Царицынского полка), Karl Marx Ave., 2-3. At the end of the 18th century, a cotton manufactory was opened in Yamburg, and with it, two buildings of the Gostiny Dvor, where it was supposed to trade the products of this manufactory. But it soon became clear that this was too large-scale an undertaking for a small town, and Gostiny Dvor was simply not needed. In the 1830s, it was redesigned to accommodate the officers of the regiment quartered in Yamburg; at the same time, according to the “model project” of the famous St. Petersburg architect A.E. Staubert between two semi-circular buildings, an indoor arena was built. Several additional buildings were erected in the neighborhood. The result was a noble classicistic complex, which has been well preserved to this day. The east wing and arena are now used as a college and a children's sports school, which makes these parts look better than the half-abandoned west wing. The view of the complex from the avenue, however, is somewhat spoiled military memorial "Glory to the Heroes", which has been here since the time of the Civil War, and was finally formed after the Great Patriotic War. (updated Dec 2020)
• 8 City Hall (Ратуша), Bolshaya Sovetskaya st., 8. It is 200 meters off Karl Marx Avenue. It is no less interesting building than the building of the Commercial School. It was built in the same years and according to the project of the same architect Vasiliev; unfortunately, no information has been preserved about him at all, so one can only guess where such an interestingly thinking architect came from in the provincial Yamburg. The town hall was built again from limestone with red brick inserts and in an even more obvious neo-Gothic-modernist spirit, which is why, in fact, it got its name. In fact, of course, it was never officially called the town hall, although it was built as an administrative building - the city government was supposed to be located here. During the war years, the building received a lot of damage and was not restored very delicately: the lost flagstone fragments of the upper floors were replaced with bricks. Now a dental clinic is prosaically located here, and on the side facade you can find a memorial plaque with a reminder that during the German occupation a concentration camp was located in the courtyard of the town hall. (updated Dec 2020)

Other locations

• 9 Romanovka Park, st. Komsomolovka (on the left bank of the Luga, just behind the highway). At this place was the estate "Romanovka", which belonged to General Karl von Bistrom, the hero of the Napoleonic Wars. Bistrom was a native of the Baltic nobility, so it is not surprising that his estate was closer to Estonia than to the capital. Nothing has survived from the estate except for the park, which in the central part still retains a semblance of a regular layout, but in general, now it is more like a forest park. At the turn from the Narva Highway to the short Komsomolovka Street leading to the park, a 122-mm howitzer (still pre-war model) was installed in honor of the liberation of Kingisepp from the Nazis in 1944, a part of the park behind it is occupied by a birch "Grove of Memory" Wikidata element(where, however, there is absolutely nothing to look at), and in the park you can find the remains of fortifications from the Great Patriotic War. There is also a small building here, which is now occupied by a ski base, and once it was located home for the disabled of the Guards Corps. It was built after Bistrom's death, according to his will; it is believed that one of the tasks of the inhabitants of this institution was the protection of the grave of their beloved commander, located in a nearby meadow. (updated Apr 2023)
• 10 Monument at Bistrom's grave (Памятник на могиле Бистрома) (Romanovka Park). The monument was erected in 1841 with funds collected by the ranks of the Guards Corps, and the famous sculptor Klodt became its author. True, it cannot be said that this is his best work: a bronze lion on a high granite pedestal, resting its paw on the ball, is not much different from the dozens of “Medici lions” that can be seen near many palaces of St. Petersburg, on piers and in parks. However, in a half-running park of a small provincial town, this monument looks impressive and even touching in its own way. In the 20th century, the lion suffered twice: first, the revolutionary workers almost sold it for scrap, then, during the occupation, the Germans for some reason decided to send it to Riga. But in 1954, the lion returned to its rightful place and never left it again. Bistrom's bronze bust, which once stood in the side niche of the pedestal, (updated Dec 2020) 
• 11 "Grove Five Hundred" and cemetery, st. Zhukova, 32. It is believed that in 1919, the White Guards under the command of Yudenich hanged 500 Bolsheviks at this place, hence the name. Modern historians doubt that something like this really happened, but the monument to the executed still stands, and after the Great Patriotic War, a fraternal military cemetery was created next to it. Now it is a large memorial, where a monument to the liberator soldier, a huge stele in memory of the Kingiseppians who died in the war and a memorial stone to the victims of concentration camps are installed. Nearby is an old, heavily neglected city cemetery, where you can find many ancient burials, mostly ruined crypts and ruins.  (updated Dec 2020) 
• 12 Monument to the soldiers of the Estonian Guards Corps (Памятник воинам Эстонского Гвардейского корпуса), st. Zhukova, 11D. A small neat memorial with graves and a laconic octahedral obelisk made of dolomite, installed in 1953 (architect Alar Kotli). This is the only Estonian military cemetery on the territory of modern Russia. (updated Dec 2020)
• 13 The building of the fire station (Лютеранская церковь), Ivanova street, 34 (corner of Oktyabrskaya street, next to the shopping center "Nord"). It was built in the 1960s, but from a distance it can even be taken as a model of late constructivism. A find for fans of non-standard Soviet architecture, especially considering that all other Soviet buildings in Kingisepp are absolutely standard. (updated Dec 2020)
• 14 Railway bridge across the river (Железнодорожный мост) (go along Voskova street to the south from Catherine's Cathedral). The existing bridge is modern and uninteresting, but next to it, the pillars of the old bridge made of granite blocks, built in 1866 and blown up in 1944, have been preserved. With great care, you can find the remains of pillboxes near the bridge, and climbing up the old embankment, you can enjoy a wonderful view of the river, which in this place is very shallow and replete with rifts. Also not far from the bridge is a rather nice modern church of all saints of Petersburg, and next to it, on the shore - the source of St. Catherine. (updated Dec 2020)
• 15 Kingisepp Local History Museum, Karl Marx Ave., 1 (near the auto bridge across the Luga), ☏ +7 81375 2-39-22. Tu–Su 10:00 – 17:00 except the last Thursday of each month. Housed in a historic commerce school, this local history museum details the history of Kingisepp and its surrounding regions. Five exhibition halls, one of which is dedicated to the theme of the Great Patriotic War, another one is dedicated to photography (a collection of cameras and old photographs of Yamburg), and the remaining three are dedicated to more ancient times. Among other things, exhibits include finds made during the archaeological excavations of the Yam fortress and the surrounding mounds, and a model of the fortress. The pride of the museum is a large ethnographic exposition dedicated to the life and life of the minority peoples of the Vod and Izhora. ₽ (for preferential categories 50₽). (updated Jan 2020)

Do

• 1 Children's amusement park "Anyuta" (Детский парк аттракционов «Анюта»), Oktyabrskaya st..  About 15 different attractions (not all of them can work). The only town of attractions not only in the city, but also in the district, so there can be a lot of visitors on weekends.   60₽ (children's ticket). (updated Dec 2020)
• 2 City beach, Romanovka park (opposite the Yam fortress). An unequipped semi-wild beach, the main advantage of which is its location within the city. Many locals neglect this beach, preferring to go swimming in the lakes around the city. There is another small beach on the "urban" shore of the Luga, not far from the Catherine's Cathedral. (updated Dec 2020)