Read next
Trending
Uncomfortable truths about the siege of Leningrad
From the magazine
Even before the 872-day long siege ended, both survivors and onlookers had already begun to refer to Leningrad – formerly and currently known as St Petersburg – as a city of heroes. Tales of bravery and self-sacrifice were enshrined in memorials, histories and memoirs, which between 1945 and 1991 were published in the Soviet Union
![](https://www.spectator.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Leningrad-Alamy.jpg?w=378)
Also by The Spectator
School portraits: snapshots of four notable schools
From Spectator Life
![](https://www.spectator.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Elstree_622225.jpg?w=200)