Shlisselburg Voyage Tips and guide

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Shlisselburg (Шлиссельбург), formerly Oreshek or Orekhovy (Swedish: Nöteborg, Finnish: Pähkinälinna) is an island, town and fortress in Central Leningrad Oblast. The fortress and the town centre are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Shlisselburg is a town on the southwestern shore of Lake Ladoga, Europe's largest lake, at the head of the Neva river. It is famous for its fortress, first named Oreshek and finished in 1323, and for the Treaty of Nöteborg, a piece treaty between Russia and Sweden that was signed here in the same year.

The original wooden fortress was built on behalf of the Novgorod Republic in 1323. Sweden took the fortress in 1348 and Novgorod reconquered it 1451. It was largely destroyed, and the Muscovy, who had absorbed Novgorod in 1478, built a stone fortress instead. Sweden took it in 1611. When Peter the Great conquered it 1702 he renamed it Schlüsselburg, meaning it was the key to Neva. Transliterated via the Cyrillic script the name became Shlisselburg.

Map of Shlisselburg

• 59.95382931.0388661 Shlisselburg Fortress (Oreshek Fortress, Крепость Орешек). The first fortress was built here in 1323. In the same year, the Peace treaty of Oreshek (Swedish: Nöteborg) was made between the Novgorod Republic and Sweden, establishing the border between the countries for the first time (and at that between Western and Eastern Christianity). It was the scene of many conflicts between Russia and Sweden and changed hands between the two empires. There is a museum of political prisoners of the Russian Empire and a small collection of World War II artillery. Visitors can reach the island from May to October via Shlisselburg, or from the Northern bank of Neva, via Petrokrepost' railway station with regular ferries that run every 10–15 minutes. (updated Dec 2020)
• 59.944131.03142 Shlisselburg Annunciation Cathedral (Благовещенский собор), Red Square. The stone church in the Baroque style was erected in 1764, and the bell tower was added in 1778. In 1864, the church received the status of a cathedral, and in 1877–1882 it was reconstructed according to the design of the architect Karpov. (updated Dec 2020)
• 59.938331.0253 Shlisselburg History Museum (Музей Истории Шлиссельбурга). (updated Dec 2020)