Kronstadt
You won't find Kronstadt mentioned in any Soviet-era guidebooks as for many years it was closed to all except military personnel. It lies in the middle of the Gulf of Finland, visible from Repino on the northern shore and Peterhof, Strelna and Lomonosov on the southern shore. Now however it makes an interesting day out and is easy to reach either by marshrutka on the recently completed ring road round the city, or via akvabus during the navigation period from April/May to September/October.
The town and naval base of Kronstadt is just a year younger than St Petersburg itself, founded by Peter on Kotlin Island as one of a number of defensive bases against the Sweds out in the Gulf. The scene of a brutally suppressed Red Army mutiny in 1921, the main sites here are the Naval Cathedral, one of the last to be built in the country before the Revolution, and the Naval Museum. There's also a pleasant park to enjoy, from where if you're careful you can still see Russian navy ship and submarine-building activity going on!
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