The Presidential Library’s collections illustrate snow in photographs and postcards

Many people know about the unpredictability of the weather in the city on the Neva. And if rain is a common phenomenon, then a sudden snowfall becomes a real test for the city. “Petersburg has long been described, and what has not been described, you have to see for yourself”, - wrote Ivan Goncharov in his first novel The Same Old History, one of the rare editions of which is kept in the Presidential Library’s collections.

The visual materials presented on the institution's portal give an opportunity to see what a sudden snowfall meant for the city in different eras and how they fought against it in St. Petersburg and other Russian regions and regions.

The Presidential Library’s collections, for example, feature a photograph of Nevsky Prospekt covered with snow that fell on May 24, 1908. Bad weather sprinkled white flakes on the roof of the Gostiny Dvor, trams, walkways...There is slush on the sidewalks...By the way, according to historians, the May weather anomaly in 1908 almost paralyzed the city for some time.

However, this snow soon melted...

And here is a postcard from 1943 Leningrad during the days of the Patriotic War. Clearing snow and ice from streets. The author of the drawing - the famous artist-engraver Nikolai Pavlov - worked in besieged Leningrad: he visited aviation formations, on ships of the Baltic Fleet, kept a kind of chronicle of the besieged city, making sketches of the difficult life of Leningraders under siege. On this postcard, Nikolai Pavlov captured how exhausted Leningraders, mostly women, drowning knee-deep in snowdrifts, clearing the city streets from snow and ice. It is snowing all the time, and through its veil behind the backs of Leningraders, merging with the gloomy sky, the spire of the Peter and Paul Fortress rises...

Here is another photograph of the war years. On the reverse side there is a sticker with the typewritten text and the date: TASS photo chronicle. Photo by V. Ivanov, October 42. Army in the field / North Caucasus /. Photo: Red Army soldiers are clearing snow from the highway in the mountains. TASS photojournalist Vladimir Ivanov had to visit different fronts. He filmed Rostov-on-Don, Melitopol, battles in the region of Vladikavkaz and Mozdok. There is, it would seem, nothing heroic in this photo - six people are working together with large shovels. And yet this is also a feat, albeit small, but so important for the overall Victory.

In 1969, in Altai Territory, the Snow Troopers project was born, and already in 2016 it was awarded the All-Russian status. The Presidential Library’s collection contains photographs telling about the patriotic action "Snow landing" in Voronezh Region, which took place in 2018, which was declared the Year of Volunteer in Russia. One of the photographs depict soldiers of the Buran detachment clearing snow in the village of Ramonsky District, Voronezh Region.

The Presidential Library continues to accumulate various materials, including photographs illustrating the history of St. Petersburg and other regions of our country. These materials will certainly be available to all interested readers.