Volkhov presents its city history through a range of clearly defined themes: a museum about Heinrich Osipovich Graftio and the early construction of hydroelectric power stations, a historic power station on the river, and a memorial locomotive at Volkhovstroy-1 railway station. There are also exhibitions about wartime and a recreational area downstream on the banks of the Volkhov. These places and themes each add a distinctive focus for a stay with an interest in cultural and technological history.

City Museum and Hydropower

The Museum of the History of the City of Volkhov is housed in the wooden house of Heinrich Osipovich Graftio, a prominent Russian and Soviet energy academic. The focus is on Graftio’s life and the construction of Russia’s first hydroelectric power station under the GOELRO Plan between 1918 and 1926. The museum thus links the biography of a specialist to a major engineering project; the dates given precisely place its construction in time.

The Volkhov Hydroelectric Power Station is located on the Volkhov River in the city of Volkhov, in Leningrad Oblast. Named after V. I. Lenin, it is one of Russia’s oldest hydroelectric power stations still in operation and is a historic monument of science and technology. Unlike the museum, which focuses on Graftio and the construction project, here the power station itself stands as a technical and historical monument.

Personal and Interactive Museum Themes

One personal exhibit is Graftio’s GAZM-11-73 passenger car, built in 1946. The Soviet government gave the vehicle to the academic, and it is on display in the museum. This object from Graftio’s personal life adds to a story otherwise focused mainly on his life and the hydroelectric power station.

In the hall devoted to the construction of the hydroelectric power station, visitors can try out the “goat” used by the construction workers, a device for carrying bricks. If you would like to try it yourself, ask about its current availability before your visit. Visitors can also set off a hand siren in the museum. It was used during the war to sound air raid warnings. These two interactive features bring the specific functions of the exhibits to life, but have different focuses: one on work at the construction site, the other on air raid warnings.

Wartime History in the Museum and at the Railway Station

A separate museum hall is devoted to the Second World War. It features maps of military operations, a panorama of the battle at the Valimsky Creek near Volkhov, and a diorama of the breaking of the Siege of Leningrad. Photographs, documents, samples of military weapons and materials about the heroes of the Second World War complete the exhibition. The hall explores wartime through a variety of formats and objects, while the memorial locomotive at the railway station is associated with a specific historic transport journey.

The Eu 708-64 memorial locomotive stands at Volkhovstroy-1 railway station in Volkhov. During the war, it was assigned to the city’s depot. On 7 February 1943, after the siege was broken, it brought the first train carrying food and ammunition into besieged Leningrad. The locomotive thus anchors the memory to a specific date and a clearly identified journey; its story differs from the broader account in the museum hall.

Volkhov by the River

The town’s location by the river is also part of its character. Downstream along the banks of the Volkhov is a recreational area. The house of G. O. Graftio, which now houses the city museum, stands on a former medieval hill by the banks of the Volkhov. In Volkhov, cultural and historical themes sit alongside the riverside setting, without implying that the recreational area is part of the museum site. To help navigate these themes, it is useful to distinguish between them: Graftio’s life and the history of the construction project shape the museum, the hydroelectric power station represents technological history, and the memorial locomotive commemorates a single journey from 1943.

Discover more destinations: Vistino, Kerro Massif, Sinyovo, Lake Ladoga, Primorsk, Starosiverskaya, Gavrilovo, Zaborye.

For the broader travel overview: Leningrad Oblast.