Zelenogorsk (), known as Terijoki prior to 1948 (a name still used in Finnish and Swedish), is a municipal town in Kurortny District of the federal city of St. Petersburg,

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, located in part of the Karelian Isthmus on the shore of the

Gulf of Finland The Gulf of Finland (; ; ; ) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and Estonia to the south, to Saint Petersburg—the second largest city of Russia—to the east, where the river Neva drains into it. ...

. Population: It has a station on the St. Petersburg-Vyborg railroad. It is located about northwest of central Saint Petersburg.

History

From 1323 to 1721 the Zelenogorsk area was a part of

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. It was ceded to Russia in 1721, becoming " Old Finland", which again was united with the Grand-Duchy of Finland in 1811. Until 1917, Terijoki was part of the Grand-Duchy of Finland, ruled by the Grand Dukes of Finland, who were the Tsars of Russia, (1812–1917). Even though all of Finland was part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, a customs border was located at Terijoki. A valid passport was needed for crossing the border between Russia and the Grand Duchy of Finland.

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

managed to travel in secrecy over the internal border to Finland in 1907. Ten years later, in April 1917, he would return through the Terijoki border control at the head of the contingent of Bolshevik exiles that had accompanied him from Switzerland. With completion of the Riihimäki–Saint Petersburg railway in 1870, Terijoki became a popular summer resort, and was frequented by St. Petersburg's upper class until closure of the border during the Russian Revolution (1917). When the Republic of Finland gained independence on 6 December 1917, Terijoki became a part of it, and remained so until it was occupied by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

during the

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

(1939-1940). It was regained by Finland in 1941 during the

Continuation War The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet–Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union during World War II. It began with a Finnish declaration of war on 25 June 1941 and ended on 19 ...

(1941-1944), but was then occupied again by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

during the later stages of the same war and annexed to the Soviet Union in 1944. During the

Terijoki become known as the seat of Otto Wille Kuusinen's Finnish Democratic Republic. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, its original Finnish population was expelled. They were relocated close to Helsinki and Soviet citizens were relocated to Terijoki. Around the start of the 21st century, the town's population was estimated to have been a few thousand, rising to above 50,000 in summer.

Contemporary times

As of the beginning of the 21st century, Zelenogorsk is actively developing in many directions. Various actions to improve the quality of life in Zelenogorsk and modernize the region have been undertaken. July 25 is the date of the annually celebrated City Day. On this day in 2009, a fountain was opened in the central square of the city park, and a sculpture named "Boots of the Traveller" was solemnly unveiled along the central avenue. At the Dachshund monument, parades of

dachshund The dachshund ( or ; German: 'badger dog'), also known as the wiener dog or sausage dog, badger dog, doxen and doxie, is a short-legged, long-bodied, hound-type dog breed. The dog may be smooth-haired, wire-haired, or long-haired, with varie ...

s have been held, and the museum of vintage vehicles has gained additional new exhibits. At a concert in honor of City Day in 2009, known musicians performed, such as Music hall theatre of St. Petersburg, Edita Piekha, and others,

Politics

The current body of local government - the Municipal Council - has been operating since 1998. In the elections on 19 September 2014, the 5th convocation was elected (10 deputies - 4 of those from United Russia). The head of the municipal entity (who exercises the powers of the chairman of the Municipal Council and is the highest official of the municipal entity) is the executive and administrative body of the municipality - the Local Administration.

Notable people

* Boris Smyslovsky, Russian Axis collaborator,

émigré An ''émigré'' () is a person who has emigrated, often with a connotation of political or social exile or self-exile. The word is the past participle of the French verb ''émigrer'' meaning "to emigrate". French Huguenots Many French Hugueno ...

, and

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...

Images

File:Zelenogorsk pljaz.jpg,

coast at Zelenogorsk File:Terijoki coat of arms.gif, Unofficial Finnish coat of arms of Terijoki, designed by Heikki Toivola and taken into use in 1956.

References

External links

*
Official website of Zelenogorsk

Zelenogorsk Business Directory
{{Authority control Cities and towns under jurisdiction of Saint Petersburg Karelian Isthmus Kurortny District