Ancient history of present-day Leningrad Region – in the Presidential Library rare editions

Almost 86 thousand square kilometers, most of which are forests, 1800 lakes, including the largest in Europe - Ladoga, 50 thousand kilometers of rivers, nature reserves and forests, 4,700 monuments of history, culture, architecture and archeology - all this is the Leningrad Region, which on August 1, 2018 marks its 91st birthday. Unknown facts about the 47th region are illustrated in the extensive collection “Leningrad Region: Pages of History” which is available on the Presidential Library's portal. It includes studies, essays, documents, including archive photo and video materials that reveal geographic, socio-economic, socio-political and other aspects of the history of the region.  

The unique geopolitical location of Leningrad Region could not but be put forward as an outpost in the process of a long and complex formation of Russian statehood. Much in the documentary array of the collection suggests that first for the territory of the region in its current borders had to be competed for. A. Krotkov’s rare edition "The capture of the Swedish fortress Noteburg on Ladoga Lake by Peter the Great in 1702" (1896) reflects the difficult process of returning lost lands:

"The cause of the Northern War of 1700-1721 is first in the desire of Peter I to return lands that were incorrectly rejected by Sweden during the trouble in the Moscow kingdom, the land of Izhora, in which there was a shipyard on the Neva river, in the area now called Okhta. Peter's view on Ingriya's possession is reflected in the words: "The multiplication of the fleet has the sole purpose of securing trade and marinas; These piers will remain for Russia, firstly, because they first belonged to it; secondly, because piers are necessary for the state, because through these arteries health and state heart be more profitable".

Having mastered the history of Ancient Rus’ well, the tsar knew that once in these places a turbulent economic life was boiling, international trade was in progress, and the main point of the interethnic center on the way "from the Varangians to the Greeks" was the first capital of Rus’, a town on the Volkhov Staraya Ladoga.  E. Nelidova’s work "Rus’ in its capitals" (1912), indicates that the earliest mention of the city dates back to 862, the beginning of the reign of Rurik; however, the author emphasizes, "local traditions do not want to give way to the Scandinavians of Ladoga. They tell us that even in remote pagan times the Slavs founded Ladoga and named it in the name of their god of love and harmony - Lado. Lado himself sailed along the river to Ladoga and stood on the coastal hill".

The anniversary edition of the Imperial Russian Archaeological Society "Staraya Ladoga" (1896) portrays the capital city with the eyes of a contemporary: "A small village 12 versts from the lake, clinging to the left bank of the Volkhov between two monasteries, and only seen when you almost reach it - a trace of this former center, once the final point of navigation of the Varangians, the famous trade stage of the medieval Hansa and the border fortress of Novgorod - the former ancient city of Ladoga. But at the same time, before the gaze of the traveler, another picture is depicted on the shore: next to a miserable village are proudly erected remnants of stone ruins of an ancient fortress, resisting the efforts of seven centuries to raise to the ground. Four towers, built of huge boulders, surround the nestled among them the same ancient church of St. George - and immediately endure the traveler in the distant past of olden times ... ".

The electronic collection also includes documentary films about Staraya Ladoga from the cycle "Ancient Cities of Russia", telling about the first capital of Russia and its landmarks. The trilogy was prepared by the specialists of the Presidential Library in 2016.

The Presidential Library portal provides public access to the virtual tour of the exhibition "North-West of Russia: two areas - one history. Marking the 90th anniversary of Leningrad Region and the 80th anniversary of Vologda Region". Thanks to the new multimedia product, everyone can see the exposition, which was opened in the Senate Square building from September to December 2017.

The cooperation between the Presidential Library and Leningrad Region has been actively developing. Within the framework of the agreement signed in June 2014, 14 remote access centers to the electronic library of the Presidential Library have been opened today in the region.

Projects in other areas are well-executed: documents from the Leningrad Regional State Archive of Vyborg are converted into electronic form, on the site of the Presidential Library the landmark events of the Leningrad region take place. This July in Staraya Ladoga, a round table was held on which the results of four years of cooperation were summed up and the discussion of the present and future joint projects of the Presidential Library and the Staraya Ladoga Museum-Reserve took place.