The Siege of Leningrad: Background information when reading The Madonnas of Leningrad

The Siege of Leningrad

This article relates to The Madonnas of Leningrad

The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the 900-day siege, lasted from September 1941 until January 1944 (a total of 872 days). In 1942 alone 650,000 died in Leningrad, some from German shelling, but mostly from starvation, exposure and disease. Although some supplies did get through across Lake Ladoga - by barge in the summer and by truck and sled in the winter, rationing was at starvation-levels.Things eased a little in 1943 because of the combination of large evacuations of children and the sick and elderly, and by the planting of vegetable gardens across most of the city's open ground.

In January 1944 a Soviet offensive drove the Germans away from the city's outskirts, ending the siege.

In 1945 the Soviet government awarded the Order of Lenin to the city and in 1965 bestowed it with the title "Hero City of the Soviet Union".

Interesting Link: Take a walk-through the Hermitage at its official website.

Filed under Places, Cultures & Identities

This "beyond the book article" relates to The Madonnas of Leningrad. It originally ran in April 2006 and has been updated for the February 2007 paperback edition. Go to magazine.