Description

City of Military Glory is an honorary title bestowed upon the citizenry of Russian cities, where defenders had displayed courage, steadfastness, and mass heroism in the fight for their Fatherland’s freedom and independence during the Second World War.

On September 11, 1703, Prince Menshikov founded the settlement of Petrovskaya Sloboda ("Petrine Sloboda"). He did so at the behest of Tsar Peter the Great, who needed a new iron foundry to manufacture cannons and anchors for the Baltic Fleet at the time of the Great Northern War (1700–1721). In 1721, the Great Northern War ended in complete victory for the anti-Swedish coalition. The borders of the Russian Empire were expanded at the expense of accession of the Swedish territory, the demand for guns and shells significantly decreased.

The city was occupied by Finnish troops for nearly three years before it was retaken by Soviet forces on June 28, 1944. The Finns set up internment camps for civilians of Russian ethnicity which they operated until the Red Army liberated the area.