Lessogorski is shaped by tangible traces of its local history: a restored savings bank building in the functionalist style, industrial buildings in varying states of preservation, and several memorial sites. This combination makes the area especially interesting to travellers who take architecture and the history of remembrance into account when choosing a destination.
Local history among buildings and memorial sites
South of the railway crossing stands the restored building of the Yayaski savings bank. It is designed in the functionalist style. The two industrial buildings are different: the grain silo of the SOK cooperative survives as a ruin, while the OTK mill complex building is partially preserved. Thus, a restored building, a ruin and a partially preserved building stand side by side as distinct traces of architectural history.
Yayaski is first mentioned in 1323 in the text of the Treaty of Nöteborg. The place name is probably derived from the Russian name Yashka. The two statements have different degrees of certainty: the first mention is associated with the year 1323, while the origin of the name remains a probable interpretation.
Everyday architecture from earlier times is also part of the area's history. South of the Yayaski church stood a village school, built to a design by Yalmari Lankinen. The historic school adds a specific architectural attribution to the evidence of the place name and the history of the treaty.
The memorial sites refer to different subjects and periods. A monument in Lessogorski commemorates Soviet soldiers; on its north side, a black plaque depicts the crash of an aircraft. The Finnish memorial to those buried in the Yayaski cemetery was opened on 18 July 1993. A memorial stone commemorates 240 Yayaski residents who died of hunger in 1697; it was erected in 1916. The dates relate to different parts of this history: 1697 is the year of the famine deaths, while 1916 is the year the memorial stone was erected.
Landscape in Vyborgskiy rayon
A distinct geographical feature is the Lesogorskaya hydroelectric power station near Lessogorski. It is part of the hydroelectric complex on the Vuoksi.
In the wider destination of Vyborgskiy rayon, the Lammin-Suo Nature Reserve offers a distinct perspective on the landscape. It lies in a hilly area with numerous sand hills up to 150 metres high and deep depressions. The Lammin-Suo raised bog lies in a depression at the centre of the reserve and is typical of the Karelian Isthmus. Two lakes, each 12 metres deep, lie in the higher western part of the bog. They are remnants of an ancient lake that silted up.
Also in Vyborgskiy rayon, an ecological trail runs through the landscapes of the Kiperort Peninsula. It is the largest peninsula that projects into Vyborgskiy zaliv. The local history of Lessogorski and the landscape features of the wider destination thus stand side by side as distinct focal points.
Discover more destinations: Peski, Chernavino, Kotly, Myaglovo, Shushary, Staraya Sloboda, Luga, Korobitsyno
Back to the wider travel overview: Leningrad Oblast.
