Siege of Leningrad
Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (present-day Saint Petersburg, Russia)
What happened
German Army Group North, with Finnish forces to the north, surrounded the Soviet city of Leningrad, defended by Soviet soldiers and its civilian population. In September 1941 German forces cut all land routes into Leningrad, today's Saint Petersburg, and chose to starve the city rather than storm it. In the terrible winter of 1941-42 many people died of hunger and cold, and some food and fuel reached the city by air, by boat, and by trucks driving across the frozen Lake Ladoga on the 'Road of Life'. The siege lasted about 872 days, until Soviet forces finally drove the Germans back in January 1944.
Why it matters
Result: Soviet victory. Why it matters: It was one of the longest and most destructive sieges in history. The city's survival became a powerful symbol of endurance.
What came next
Memorials were built to remember the dead, including the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery and the Green Belt of Glory. Some historians have described the siege as a genocide.
Did you know?
In August 1942, in the middle of the siege, the city's radio orchestra performed Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony, and the concert was broadcast all over Leningrad.
Timeline
- 8 September 1941German forces cut Leningrad's land routes.
- Winter 1941-1942The ice 'Road of Life' across Lake Ladoga carries supplies.
- 9 August 1942Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony is performed in the city.
- 27 January 1944The siege is lifted.