Zelenogorsk town

Categories / City Topography/Historical Geography/Towns within Greater St. Petersburg
ZELENOGORSK (until 1948 Terijoki), the former town, since 1998 - a municipal unit forming a part of Kurortny District of St. Petersburg, 46 km to the north-west of the city, in the resort area on the north coast of the Gulf of Finland. The population is over 12,000 people (2002). The locality is known since 1548, when this territory formed a part of Sweden. In the early 17th century, it was a fishermen's settlement with 29 farmsteads. In 1721, the land around Terijoki was annexed to Russia. A post road to Vyborg went through the territory of Zelenogorsk. After railway line St. Petersburg - Vyborg (1870) was constructed, Zelenogorsk turned into a popular country place (in 1908, there was over 1,400 dachas). In summer, up to 55,000 summer residents annually come on holiday to the outskirts of Terijoki. In 1912, the settlement was provided with electric power, and in 1917, the new building of the railway station was constructed. In 1918-40, the territory of Terijoki belonged to Finland. During the Civil War of 1918-22, British motor torpedo boats and hydroplanes that carried out raids on Kronstadt were based in the local harbour. In the course of the Soviet-Finnish Wars of 1939-40, the settlement was destroyed to be populated with immigrants from various regions of the USSR in 1940 (while there was no native population left). At the same time, Soviet authorities adopted a resolution to create sanatoria and health resorts on the north coast of the Gulf of Finland. On August 31, 1941, Terijoki was again occupied with Finnish troops, liberated in June 1944 in the course of Vyborg operation. In 1950-80, numerous health centres and holiday hotels as well as residential blocks were constructed in Zelenogorsk and its environs. Zelenogorsk features following vacation hotels: Leningradets, Morskoy Priboy, Beloe Solntse, Zelenogorsk, Northern Riviera Health Resort, as well as health centres and recreation departments of many large enterprises. The Church of Our Lady of Kazan constructed by architect N.N. Nikonov in 1909-15 has been preserved ( 547 Primorskoe Freeway).

References: Пышновская О. М., Усыскин Г. С. Зеленогорск. Л., 1978; Балашов Е. А. Карельский перешеек: Земля неизведанная. Ч. 1: Кивеннапа - Териоки (Первомайское - Зеленогорск). СПб., 1998; Тюников К. В. Терийоки - Зеленогорск и окрестности. СПб., 2003.

Е. А. Bondarchuk, P.Y. Yudin. Пышновская О. М., Усыскин Г. С. Зеленогорск. Л., 1978
Балашов Е. А. Карельский перешеек: Земля неизведанная. СПб., 1998