Pontonnyy: Shipyard History and Local Heritage

The history of the Middle Neva Shipyard gives Pontonnyy a tangible connection to local culture. The shipyard history museum and the “Syny Otechestva” school museum of history and local heritage have different focuses: one presents a long chronology, while the other displays a showcase of military decorations. Together, they offer two distinct historical perspectives to consider when planning your trip.

Shipyard history in five periods

The Museum of the History of the Middle Neva Shipyard in Pontonnyy consists of five chronologically arranged halls. They cover the periods 1912–1940, 1941–1945, 1946–1970, 1971–2000, and 2001 to the present. The shift from four defined periods to one that extends to the present makes the chronological structure especially clear.

The opening dates also mark different milestones in the museum’s history: the museum opened in 1972 to mark the shipyard’s 60th anniversary. The renovated museum was officially opened on July 20, 2017, on the occasion of the shipyard’s 105th anniversary. Both dates link the museum’s history to a shipyard anniversary.

This chronological structure is complemented by more than 40 models of historic and modern ships and boats. The chronology and the collection of models offer different points of emphasis: the halls arrange the shipyard’s history by period, while the models present ships and boats from different eras as a subject in their own right.

A second local museum focus

The “Syny Otechestva” school museum of history and local heritage displays a showcase of military decorations belonging to Stepan Ivanovich Kobyako, a recipient of the Order of Alexander Nevsky. Unlike the shipyard history, which is arranged by period, this display focuses on a specific person and the decorations associated with him.

When looking for a holiday apartment, you can first decide on your preferred theme: local shipyard and regional history in Pontonnyy, or urban architecture and history in the wider destination of Saint Petersburg. If you plan to visit one of the museums mentioned, check the relevant visitor information in advance.

Saint Petersburg: urban history and culture

The wider destination of Saint Petersburg offers its own urban setting. The city rises from the Neva estuary, where the Neva meets the Gulf of Finland. Saint Petersburg is considered the greatest urban-planning achievement of the 18th century. City planning began in 1703 under Peter the Great; Saint Petersburg has numerous canals and more than 400 bridges. Its architectural heritage brings together Baroque and Neoclassical styles, as seen in the Admiralty, the Winter Palace, the Marble Palace, and the Hermitage.

Saint Petersburg was later known as Leningrad in the former USSR and is closely associated with the October Revolution. The Peter and Paul Fortress was founded by Peter I in 1703 and is a monument to 18th- to 20th-century fortification architecture. Its Commandant’s House houses a museum on the city’s history in the 18th and 19th centuries; the Trubetskoy Bastion features an exhibition about the prison where political prisoners were held.

Palace Square is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered a center of Russian culture and history. The nine Easter eggs made for Alexander III and Nicholas II, the last Russian emperors, are the most famous pieces in the Fabergé Museum. In Kronstadt, the “Fort Island” Museum and Historical Park is part of a new historical and cultural cluster.

Discover more destinations: Lisy Nos, Sestroretsk, Komarovo, Saint Petersburg, Zelenogorsk, Kolpino, Pavlovsk, Pushkin.

Go to the main travel overview: Saint Petersburg.