Wiki-expedition to Gdov through Leningrad Oblast

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Sunday, August 8, 2021

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In July 2021, after a long break, North-West Russia Wiki-Historians organised another wiki-expedition using automobile and Gdov became the target. Gdov is the ancient Russian town that was very important military and economical center of lake Peipus nearby in the past. Nowadays the town is in deep decline: most of historical buildings, including XIV century fortress, were destroyed during World War II. Also the railroad from Narva to Pskov and Polotsk, that was going through Gdov, was demolished in 1944 by retreating Wehrmacht and restored only as a short piece from Slantsy to Gdov to supply Smuravyovo air base. Unluckily air base was dismissed in 2009, so suburban train from Saint Petersburg became the only remaining user of the railroad. In 2012 train route was shortened to Slantsy and railroad was abandoned. That hit the town rather hard economically and culturally, so it loses its population gradually.

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  Expedition participants posing at the shore of Lake Peipus

Pskov Oblast was under interest of North-West Russia Wiki-Historians user group from the very beginning, but they couldn't find any like-minded participants from that region yet. Non-existance of any offline activity in the region was noted by the user group founder Nikolay Bulykin during Russian Wiki-conference 2020. As a result UG participants from Saint Petersburg decided to make a tour to Pskov Oblast by themselves, despite the rather long distance (near 225 kilometers one-way). This expedition consisted of five people including UG founders Nikolay Bulykin and Yekaterina Borisova, Wikimedia Foundation activist Reda Kerbouche and a Wikimedians of Erzya language representative. They also continued the tradition of drone photographing, because such photos are always very informative and have high encyclopedic value.

• Drone video of flying along the shore of lake Peipus

Leningrad Oblast and Gdovsky District

Way to Gdov from Saint Petersburg runs mostly along the «Narva» highway, that has plenty of cultural heritage monuments in its nearby. There are dozens of historical manors, churches, post stations and memorials of Great Patriotic war there. With the reason that it's quite impossible to watch all of them even in several days, the expeditioners decided to make stops only at those objects, that are placed directly on the way to Gdov.

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  Despite the rich cultural program, administrative questions were under discussion anyway
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  «Closed gates are not enough to stop the local historian»
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  Everything was photographed on every stop
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  Even insects were in sight

Since XVI century there was a system of yams — old-fashioned post stations where travelers could rest or change horses to resume traveling without big delays along the Saint Petersburg — Narva road. At the beginning of XIX century, during the Nicholas I rule, some post stations buildings was constructed by project of famous architect Luigi Rusca. Nowadays, all the remaining stations are cultural heritage monuments of federal level in Russia.

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  Post station in Kipen is under reconstruction right now
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  Its twin sister in Kas'kovo is still waiting for it
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  Station in Chirkovitsy is in rather good condition
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  The same can be told about one in Opolye

One of the valuables of these expeditions is opportunity to study interesting objects «as it is» and even to find new ones, that are not marked on maps. Afterwards, photographs of those objects are uploaded to use not only in Wikimedia projects (such as Wikipedia and Wikivoyage) but also in non-Wikimedia resources such as Wikimapia.

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  The stables in Gomontovo manor are still working after more than 200 years
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  A historical grave at Zimititsy cemetery
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  Non-trivial monument to the Honored Roadworker of Russia Ivan Krasnov that was accidentally discovered in Kingisepp
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  Tugany railway platform is one of the shortest in Russia
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  Mostly any settlement in Gdovsky District has stork nest in it
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  Demolished railroad to Gdov

Gdov

After reaching Gdov wikimedians left their car and made the footwalk around the whole town. It's easy to do that because Gdov is near 2 kilometers wide from north to south. Also Nikolay used drone again to take aerial shots. Fortunately the weather was fine, not as it was during previous trip to Lampovo. The clear sunny day allowed to rise drone to 200 meters high and take good pictures to illustrate many articles. Ground photographing also was the case, so as a result most of notable places of Gdov, official of not, were pictured.

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  Aerial view of Karl Marx Street — the main street of Gdov
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  Gdov aerial view from the side of the lake Peipus
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  Wikimedians in Gdov
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  Aerial view of Gdov supermarket
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  Bus station in Gdov. This image was immediately used in Wikivoyage article
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  Local newspaper headquarters situated in the former merchant's house
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  Love to the town can be expressed in a different ways: like this
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  Or like this
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  Former «People's house» — the most beautiful historical building in Gdov
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  SKhTZ 15/30 tractor made in 1932 — outdoor exhibit of the local history museum. Tractor is still in a workable condition
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  And, of course, Gdov fortress wasn't left without attention
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  The single church in Gdov is not historical but very beautiful
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  Gdov has plenty of war memorials
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  Tank monument in local Victory park looks more romantic than menacing
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  Gdov even has the lighthouse. Honestly, it's fake one
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  But this fountain in Gdovka river is quite real

Leading their another tradition wikimedians put effort to photographing towns fauna that is very diverse in Gdov, so now there are pictures of plenty different domestic and wild animals photographs on Commons.

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  Some animals kept the safe distance from the expeditioners
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  Some of them, like this one-eyed xoloitzcuintle, had their own reasons to be afraid of people
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  Somebody were more communicative
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  And some of them were scary of wikimedians
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  But most of them gave no attention to them
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  Or were too busy as this western jackdaw
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  Even the bumblebees had their attention

Lake Peipus

After watching everything in Gdov and being tired of summer heat, the expeditioners decided to leave dusty town and to visit the lake Peipus shore. Some of wikimedians photographed the lake and local birds while some of them tried to swim despite of rather high waves and rocky lake bottom.

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  Some of the participants explored a coast nearby
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  Somebody went further
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  Participants are preparing to make collective photo
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  Aerial view of Ustye village in the river mouth of Gdovka
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  Many different bird species are fed at the coastline, dunlins among them
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  «And this place has one of the best sunsets in Russia!»

Smuravyovo

Last viewpoint of the expedition was former military base Smuravyovo-2, that was partially abandoned after the air regiment was dismissed. The most interesting thing there is the MiG-21R aircraft placed as a monument in front of destroyed House of Culture.

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  Remains of the former dignity of the air base at the entrance
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  And something that looks like conscrip's art
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  MiG-21R as a monument in front of HoC. Picture was used in Wikipedia article about the settlement infobox
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  Aerial view on the settlement
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  Some of participants entered the ruins on their own risk
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  But now anyone can see the size and a former beauty of this building in Commons

See also

• All pictures from this expedition can be found in Commons Category: Wikimeetup in Gdov 2021-07-18.

Sources

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