The island of Kotlin is a smallA piece of land measuring sixteen square kilometers, located in the Baltic Sea. From an administrative point of view, it refers to the Kronstadt district of St. Petersburg. According to researchers, it was formed about 5.5 thousand years ago. As of today, the island is an object of the national historical heritage.
Short story
По мнению историков, первыми побывавшими здесь people approximately in the seventh century became the Scandinavian Vikings. The oldest documentary memories of Kotlin date back to the thirteenth century. At that time it played the role of an important stopping point for merchants heading from Novgorod to Europe, and also in the opposite direction. According to the Orekhovo Peace Treaty, signed in 1323, the island was jointly owned by the Novgorod Principality and Sweden, and in 1617, according to the Stolbovsky Agreement, it was completely transferred to the ownership of the Scandinavian state. Almost a hundred years later, during the Northern War, Russia returned it to itself. May 7, 1704, the construction of fortifications was completed. Thus, it is now believed that on this day the city-port on the island of Kotlin was founded, which bears the name of Kronstadt.
Over the past two centuries, this segmentsushi from time to time several times became the main base of the Baltic Fleet - first the Russian Empire, and later the Soviet Union, which was largely due to the loss of strategic positions in the Baltic states and Finland. It remains so today, in the times of the Russian Federation.
Geography
Scientists argue that the island of Kotlin was formedafter one of the glacial periods as a result of a change in the nature and direction of the currents in the Gulf of Finland. It happened approximately 5.5 thousand years ago. In fact, it is a blurred moraine, whose dimensions in length and width are 11 and 2 kilometers respectively. Supporters of this version have recently become more and more, which is facilitated by the research of recently discovered geological deposits, which, according to a number of indicators, correspond to the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
The shape of the island is slightly extended in direction withsouth-east to north-west. On the coast formed several bays, which are very convenient for anchorage of ships. As for the relief of Kotlin, it is predominantly flat and has small hills all over the surface. The highest points are above sea level at around 15 meters.
Residents
Город-порт, расположенный на острове Котлине, according to the last census, about 45 thousand people live. The inhabitants of Kronstadt, in fact, are the population of this entire stretch of land in the Baltic Sea. From an ethnic point of view, the majority of the people living here are Russians. Besides them, small groups of representatives of other nationalities, now living in the countries of the former USSR, live here.
Climate
Above the territory where the island is locatedKotlin, dominated by a humid, temperate type of climate. Due to the activity of cyclones, air masses here often change their direction of movement. The local temperature indicators are affected by the weather in the Gulf of Finland. In summer, the air usually warms up to an average of 20-25 degrees above zero. As for precipitation, they fall here in the form of rain, snow or fog. Their average annual number ranges from 630 to 650 millimeters. In winter, winds usually blow from the southwest, and in summer from the northwest. Compared to the St. Petersburg climate, Kotlin is characterized by higher humidity.
Animal and plant life
Kotlin Island consists entirely of soilmedium podzolic and raznoznernisty types. The result of the intense and long life of people was that the natural flora was almost completely replaced by anthropogenic. Representatives of the local fauna are mainly pets of people living here. A few centuries ago a large population of gulls lived in this place, but it was almost completely exterminated due to human activity.
Tourist attraction
The city on the island of Kotlin rightfully refers tohistorical and cultural heritage of the Russian Federation. This is not surprising, since over the past few centuries Kronstadt has become one of the centers of events that have had a significant impact on the further development of the country. On its territory there are many monuments for which travelers come here from all over the world. The most significant are: the Nikolsky Naval Cathedral and the Vladimir Cathedral. The construction of the latter started in 1730. As practice shows, most of the visitors to the island come here for historical knowledge. In this regard, local guides recommend tourists to visit the Museum of the Marine Plant, the Museum of the Memory of A. Popov, the Italian Palace and the Kronstadt Admiralty. You can not ignore the forts, the lighthouse and other protective historical fortifications. It should be noted that there is even a small beach on Kotlin, open for swimming in summer.
How to get there
After Kronstadt lost its closedstatus in military terms, tourists from Russia and other countries began to come here regularly. Although here there is a small airfield, it serves exclusively to ensure the transport needs of the army. The most common method of travel here is considered to be regular ferries from St. Petersburg to the port on the island of Kotlin ferries and passenger ships. In addition, you can get to Kronstadt by road along a bridge connecting it to the mainland.
