Beloostrov

Categories / City Topography/Historical Geography/Vacation Houses, Spas and Resorts
BELOOSTROV, a municipal unit (since 1998) forming a part of Kurortny District of St. Petersburg, 30 km to the north-west of the city centre, on the banks of the Sestra River, 3 km upstream from the place where it flows into Sestroretsky Razliv Lake. The population is over 1,400 people (2001). The name originates from a holiday village that appeared after the railway St. Petersburg - Vyborg was constructed in 1870. In 1918-40, it served as a frontier point on the boundary between the USSR and Finland. The west (Finnish) part of the village was called Rajajoki. During the Soviet-Finnish Wars of 1939-40, Beloostrov was located in the combat zone. In August-September 1941, in the course of pitched battles at approaches to Beloostrov, the front line was stabilised on the Sestra River. Hence, Soviet troops launched Vyborg operation in June 1944. To commemorate these events, the memorial The Sister was constructed (a part of the Green Belt of Glory). Since 1964, Beloostrov has been an urban-type community. The present-day Beloostrov is a railway junction, joining two electrified railways of Sestroretsk Line and Zelenogorsk Line. Scandinavia federal motorway goes along the west boundary of Beloostrov.

Reference: Балашов Е. А. Карельский перешеек - земля неизведанная. СПб., 1998.

Е. А. Bondarchuk, P.Y. Yudin.