Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
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The exhibition "Road of Life – Road of Labor" is located in the salon of the bus "Volzhanin-6270.06 Cityritm-15". It is dedicated to the heroic feat of civilian transport specialists on the Road of Life during the years of the Leningrad blockade. In the mobile museum complex you can see rare exhibits and even feel like a driver of the legendary "one and a half ton truck".
What is interesting about this bus? It was created on a voluntary basis, with their own hands. There is a proverb: if the mountain does not come to Mohammed, Mohammed goes to the mountain. In this case: if there is no opportunity to visit the museum yourself, then it will come to you. I think that this is very cool, – notes the director of the SPbPU History Museum Valery Klimov.
Military highways 101 and 102, also known as the "Road of Life", were serviced by various vehicles, including heavy trucks YaG-6. But the main symbol of the Ladoga ice road remained the legendary "one and a half" GAZ-AA.
The production of these vehicles began in 1932 at the Gorky Automobile Plant. Despite its relatively small weight (1,750 kg), the GAZ-AA could move on ice 20 cm thick. However, drivers often took risks and drove onto thinner ice, which often led to tragic consequences – many trucks fell through, taking their drivers and passengers with them. These vehicles were raised from the bottom of Lake Ladoga both during the war and in our time.
The "one-and-a-half" trucks transported evacuated residents of besieged Leningrad to the eastern shore of Lake Ladoga, and delivered back food, industrial goods, coal and raw materials for the enterprises operating in the besieged city.
In addition to trucks, about 100 buses, including the ZIS-8 model, worked on the Road of Life. Their production began in 1934 on the basis of the ZIS-5 truck ("Zakhar Ivanovich") – the flagship of Stalin's automobile industry. The design of the ZIS-8 was typical for buses of that time: a wooden frame with metal sheathing and a canvas roof impregnated with waterproof paint.
It is interesting that these cars were produced not only in Moscow, but also in Leningrad, and the Leningrad models were distinguished by their particular elegance: chrome parts and three-color paint.
Such a ZIS-8 bus is depicted on the body of the "Museobus", which symbolizes the connection of times. More information about the exploits of drivers and their cars can be found at the exhibition "Road of Life – Road of Labor".
This year, most of our first-year students are not from St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, but from other regions. For them, the concepts of “September 8” and “the Leningrad Blockade” are something very distant. But for us, Leningraders, it is close. Of course, people should know about those difficult days of the blockade, they should remember, because there was no such battle in the history of all mankind. We call it the blockade of the city, but there were battles. The Battle of Leningrad lasted more than 800 days. It is hard to imagine that in the middle of the 20th century, people were dying of hunger. This is a terrible thing. History, unfortunately, does not teach, but it is worth learning from. History must be known, – shares Valery Klimov.
The participants of the exhibition emphasize that the excursion allowed them to take a new look at the Road of Life and significantly deepen their knowledge of this significant stage in the history of our city. Many people previously believed that the Road of Life was only a path across Lake Ladoga, but they had no idea that, in fact, the road was much longer and more dangerous.
The exhibition on the territory of the Polytechnic University can be visited by all employees and students of the university. The exhibition also interested residents of the Kalininsky district, who could not pass by and dropped in on a tour in the "Museobus".
The project "Museobus – Like a museum, only a bus!" is being implemented using a grant from the President of the Russian Federation for the development of civil society, provided by the Presidential Grants Fund. The museum bus will be on the territory of the Polytechnic (guest parking near the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God) on September 15 and 16. The exhibition will be open from 10:00 to 16:00.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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