St Petersburg–Finlyandsky (russian: Станция Санкт-Петербург-Финля́ндский ''Stantsiya Sankt-Peterburg-Finlyandskiy'', in spoken language usually just russian: Финля́ндский вокзал ''Finlyandskiy vokzal'', "Finland Station") , is a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

in St. Petersburg,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

, handling transport to westerly destinations including

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

and

Vyborg Vyborg (; rus, Вы́борг, links=1, r=Výborg, p=ˈvɨbərk; fi, Viipuri ; sv, Viborg ; german: Wiborg ) is a town in, and the administrative center of, Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus ...

. The station is most famous for having been the location where

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...

returned to Russia from exile in Switzerland on 16 April 1917 ( N.S.), ahead of the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mom ...

. The main entrance to the metro station Ploshchad Lenina is in the main building of Finland Station.

History

Finland Station was built by Finnish State Railways as the eastern terminus of the

Riihimäki–Saint Petersburg railway The Riihimäki–Saint Petersburg railway is a long segment of the Helsinki–Saint Petersburg connection, which is divided between Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast in Russia and the province of Southern Finland in Finland. History It was co ...

. It was designed by Swedish architects and opened in 1870. The station formerly contained a special pavilion for Russian royalty.

Russian Revolution

The locomotive M-293, which in August 1917 Lenin went to Finland

The station was owned and operated by Finnish Railways until early 1918, when the last train, carrying station personnel and equipment, as well as some of the last Finns escaping revolutionary Russia, left for Finland. Later, ownership of the station was exchanged for Russian property in Finland, including the

Alexander Theatre The Alexander Theatre ( fi, Aleksanterin teatteri, sv, Alexandersteatern) is a Finnish theatre in the city of Helsinki at Bulevardi 23–27, also known as Russian Theatre. History In the summer of 1875, then Governor-General of Russian Finland ...

in Helsinki. The station is famously known for the arrival of

by train from

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

on 3 April 1917 ( O.S.). The event is commemorated by the Soviet statue of Lenin dominating the square in front of the station. This event is also referred to in the title of

Edmund Wilson Edmund Wilson Jr. (May 8, 1895 – June 12, 1972) was an American writer and literary critic who explored Freudian and Marxist themes. He influenced many American authors, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose unfinished work he edited for publi ...

's book ''

To the Finland Station ''To the Finland Station: A Study in the Writing and Acting of History'' (1940) is a book by American critic and historian Edmund Wilson. The work presents the history of revolutionary thought and the birth of socialism, from the French Revoluti ...

'' (1940), a well-known study of revolutionary thought. After the turmoil of the

July Days The July Days (russian: Июльские дни) were a period of unrest in Petrograd, Russia, between . It was characterised by spontaneous armed demonstrations by soldiers, sailors, and industrial workers engaged against the Russian Provisi ...

, when workers and soldiers in the capital clashed with government troops, Lenin had to flee to Finland for safety, to avoid arrest. Lenin secretly returned from Finland disguised as a railway worker and protected by Eino Rahja and Alexander Shotman on 9 August 1917. Both times Lenin crossed the Russian–Finnish border on the engine #293 driven by Finnish engineer Hugo Jalava. The

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...

was donated by Finland to the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

in 1957, and is now installed as a permanent exhibit at one of the platforms on the station.

Siege of Leningrad

During the

siege of Leningrad The siege of Leningrad (russian: links=no, translit=Blokada Leningrada, Блокада Ленинграда; german: links=no, Leningrader Blockade; ) was a prolonged military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the Soviet city of ...

in 1941–43, the Finland station was the only Leningrad rail terminus that remained in use. The railway would connect Leningrad with a station near the western shore of

Lake Ladoga Lake Ladoga (; rus, Ла́дожское о́зеро, r=Ladozhskoye ozero, p=ˈladəʂskəjə ˈozʲɪrə or rus, Ла́дога, r=Ladoga, p=ˈladəɡə, fi, Laatokka arlier in Finnish ''Nevajärvi'' ; vep, Ladog, Ladoganjärv) is a fresh ...

, at which supplies from the non-occupied parts of the Soviet Union would arrive from across the lake, by boat or over the lake ice, via the so-called Road of Life.

Reconstruction

In the 1950s, the old station building was demolished and replaced with a new one, inaugurated in 1960. The turreted building is decorated with sculptures glorifying the October Revolution and incorporates a portico preserved from the original 1870 edifice.

Damage to Lenin's statue

Before dawn on Wednesday 1 April 2009 a bomb exploded in the statue of Lenin, creating an 80–100 cm hole in the back of the statue.

Trains and destinations

¹ — ''all trips to/from Finland are suspended, because of sanctions against Russia due to

invasion of Ukraine The territory of present-day Ukraine has been invaded or occupied a number of times throughout its history. List See also *List of invasions * List of wars involving Ukraine References {{Europe topic, List of wars involving, title=List ...

''.

Route maps

In popular culture

" West End Girls", a 1984 song by

Pet Shop Boys The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo ...

, contains the lyric "From Lake Geneva to the Finland Station". The song's co-writer,

Neil Tennant Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for ''Smash Hits'', and ...

, has a well-known interest and background in history (subject of his degree), particularly that of Russia. This line refers to the train route taken by

when he was smuggled by the Germans to Russia during the First World War, a pivotal event in the Russian Revolution.

's book ''

'', which Tennant most likely had read, may have also influenced this song's line.

References

External links

{{Rail terminals in St. Petersburg Railway stations in Russia opened in 1960 Demolished buildings and structures in Russia Karelian Isthmus Railway stations in Saint Petersburg Railway stations in the Russian Empire opened in 1870 1870 establishments in the Russian Empire 1960 establishments in the Soviet Union Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Saint Petersburg