Post-War Reconstruction

"After The Siege of Leningrad" by Kira Suvorova

The war was not over when Leningrad began to cure the heavy wounds of the Siege and damage from German troops. Some of the museums (for instance The Cabin of Peter the Great) were opened in 1944.

By the time of the Victory Soviet army returned to the city. Leningrad looked fresh and clean. The ruins of some world-famous buildings were covered with cardboard walls, depicting their pre-war appearance. The whole city, the whole country, were dreaming of a revival and this difficult task was solved.

Despite the enthusiasm of the people, an important part of national economy had been ruined by the war and most people had to live in rather primitive conditions, working hard and keeping faith into a bright future. Food rationing proceeds throughout the 1940s. Since 2.8 million square meters of city housing was wholly destroyed and another 2.2 million square meters were seriously damaged, housing became a main problem. Until the 1960's most of the people in Leningrad lived in the communal apartments.

Against all odds the city was restored. Unlike many other cities, Leningrad was not modernized, but restored to the highest pre-war standards. The palaces of Peterhof and Pushkin were almost fully rebuilt. It took lots of time and huge amounts of money.

Some of the suburban palaces, like the Aleksandrovsky Palace of Nicholas II in Pushkin, are still waiting for restoration. City museums are reopened after repairing of the war damages. But a sign of Bombardment Warning on Nevsky Prospect and the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery still remind us of the tragic past of Leningrad.