Memory of Russia: The Road of Life exhibition in St. - Petersburg

The exhibition dedicated to the Road of Life was opened on November, 19 in the Memorial Hall of the Diorama Museum (Museum Preserve) “The Breakthrough of the Siege of Leningrad”. The ice road transport route across the Lake Ladoga provided the only access to the besieged city of Leningrad in the winter months from November, 22 1941 to April, 24 1942.

The exhibition demonstrates the drawings and documents from the private archive of the artist Simon Helberg, which are kept in the museum’s funds.

The struggle for communications of the besieged city was one of the most important stages of the battle for Leningrad. The museum workers express hopes that the yellow papers of reports, schemes and tables which represent the work of the Road of Life will help the museum’s visitors to imagine that colossal work, which had been carried out by its founders and protectors despite the hunger, severe frost and enemy’s bombing.    

With the water and ice routes of the Road of Life the city received about 1.5 mil. tons of different freight, among them more than a half was provisions. Due to the Road of Life about 1.2 mil. of people were evacuated.