King's Road Renascence

On 12 – 13 February 2022, at the innovation cluster of the Kirov Palace of Culture the «Big City Lights» festival was successfully held.

The event was organized by the Committee for Tourism Development of Saint-Petersburg in cooperation with Non-Commercial Partnership “European-Russian InnoPartnership” and TeamCIS of Build The Earth project in the frames of international project “King’s Road Renascence, new dimension and digital tools” (KS11135 King’s Road Renascence), “South-East Finland – Russia” 2014 – 2020 cross-border cooperation Programme.

The festival was organised with the information support of the Committee on IT and Communications, The Committee for Youth Policy and Interaction with Public Organizations, the Committee for Science and Higher Education, the Committee for Culture and Tourism of the Leningrad Region.

Julia Kuzenskaya, Deputy Chairman of Committee for Tourism Development of Saint-Petersburg, Dmitry Kuzmin, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on IT and Communications, and Ivan Yesipov, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Youth Policy and Interaction with Public Organizations opened the event.

During the two days of the festival, the participants had the opportunity to recreate in virtual mode touristic objects of St. Petersburg (the Kirov Palace of Culture, the Winter Palace, Nevsky Prospekt, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, etc.) and the Leningrad Region (Vyborg Castle, the Saint Mary Magdalene Kirche (Primorsk)) using the world famous “Minecraft” universe.

Artem Petrov, TeamCIS leader, presented the report devoted to the history of Build the Earth project and held a workshop on working with 3D construction tools.

Maria Kuzko, Executive Director of Non-Commercial Partnership “European-Russian InnoPartnership”, talked about the main goals, objectives and expected results of the project KS11135 King’s Road Renascence. Maria also noted, that there will be organized more thematic events, that may be also interesting for participants of Big City Lights festival.

The event was attended by more than 80 people (online + offline), 1,500 people watched the live broadcast in social media.

At the end of the festival, all participants were awarded with letters of appreciation from the Committee for Tourism Development of Saint-Petersburg and the Committee on IT and Communications.

A guided tour of the Kirov Palace of Culture was also organised for the guests of the event.

Employees of Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) Olga Kalchenko and Olga Konovalova organized a working trip on the Russian part of the King`s Road on November 20, 2021. 14 people were invited to the tour. This trip was accompanied by Mikhail Uvarov, a historian, an employee of the Ingria travel company. The route was laid through 16 settlements, it was possible to visit several attractions of the King`s Road. Here are some of them.

1. The Lutheran Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Zelenogorsk town.

In 1907-1908, a stone Evangelical Lutheran church was built by architect Josef Stenbeck, consecrated in 1908. After 1940, the church served the Soviet society as a cinema. In the 90s, the Prayer House was returned to the faithful. The church is a monument of cultural heritage of Russia.

2. The Stirsudden Lighthouse (pointing) is an active lighthouse on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, at Cape Stirsudden.

This is the third lighthouse. The first wooden lighthouse was built on this site in 1872 by order of Admiral of the Fleet Grand Duke Konstantin.

3. The fortified area of the Inkil of the Mannerheim line (Primorsky urban settlement).

The complex of defensive structures in Finland was built during the 1920s- 1930s and consisted of an elongated system of defense nodes, each of which included several wood-earth field fortifications and long-term stone-concrete structures, as well as anti-tank and anti-personnel barriers. Long-term firing points (LFP) No. 6 and 7 LFPs are located on different sides of the Primorsky Highway. They had running water, sewerage and forced ventilation.

4. “Dragon’s Teeth” tank barrier (fortification).

5. The Lutheran Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Primorsky Museum of Local Lore) in the Primorsk town.

The former Lutheran church was built in the early XX century in the style of Finnish national Romanticism. The exterior walls of the monumental building are made of local reddish granite rocks, and the roof is made of electroplated tin. Huge windows stand out, where stained glass windows on biblical themes were previously installed. Gothic spire of the church is visible with a height of about 60 meters.

6. The estate of the Nobel Alakiryal family in the Landyshevka village with a Gothic well, old stables and manor houses in the style of Finnish Art Nouveau.

7. Split boulder “Broken heart” in the Landyshevka village (near Sovetsky town).

There is a huge boulder on the picturesque coast of the Gulf of Finland. According to legend– this is a heart split from unhappy love. There is a rather large crack inside the stone, into which, if desired, you can even climb.

8. Trongzund Fort in the Vysotsk town.

The remains of an ancient defensive system of the XIX century, located on the outskirts of the Vysotsk town. Currently, the territory of the fortress is overgrown with forest. Earthen ditches, gorges and interior spaces lined with granite blocks have been preserved, most of them in a ruined state.

On November 18, 2021 in frames of the All-Russian Forum “IT-Dialogue 2021” there was organized a round table “Current trends in the development of the tourism industry on the territory of the King’s Road”, project “King’s Road Renascence: new dimension and digital tools” (KS11135 King’s Renascence).

The round table was devoted to the process of “King’s Renascence” project implementation, as well as to the overview of the possibilities of interaction between IT and tourism industries. Project partners, representatives of travel companies, authorities and higher educational institutions of Russia and Finland were invited as participants of the event.

Yekaterina Solovieva, Head of the Monitoring and Public Opinion Sector of the Committee on IT and Communications, made a welcoming speech. Miya Aitokari, Executive Director of the King’s Road Association (Finland), spoke about the Finnish side of the route, outlining the historical value and modern statistics of the region’s attendance.

Ekaterina Gorelkina, South-East Finland University of Applied Sciences – project Lead partner, made a presentation on the main goals and objectives of “King’s Renascence” project. Ekaterina also talked about the digital platform, which is being developed by the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences (Finland).

Maria Kuzko, Executive Director of Non-commercial Partnership “European-Russian InnoPartnership”, and Olga Konovalova, Assistant Professor of Peter the Great Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic University, spoke about the current progress of the project implementation.

During the second part of the round table, digitalization opportunities in tourism industry were reviewed. Dmitry Bikman, CEO of the “Turmashina” LLC, presented current trends in tourism business, described new preferences and interests of stakeholders. Johanna Heinonen, University of Eastern Finland, made the final presentation on the possibilities of using information technologies in tourism.

At the end of the event, an active discussion took place, where the participants talked about areas for further international cooperation in raising awareness of the King’s Road route with the use of digital technologies.

Perhaps the most exciting part of my summer job is about to become reality as I start my car in Helsinki’s Kallio early in the morning. It feels like today’s going to be another hot summer day but at 7 a.m. you can still feel the night’s crisp air. I’m about to take off to King’s Road with my new co-worker. Our plan is to shoot videos and photograph tourist attractions for the King’s Road project’s first pilot. Before leaving Helsinki we stop by the office to collect our equipment and sooner than we realise we are already on a highway to our first attraction in Porvoo.

In Porvoo we find ourselves surrounded by idyllic red houses by the Postimäki outdoor museum. The 360 degree camera does all the work for us inside these tiny cottages as we enjoy the sunrays and fresh country air. I could have stayed longer admiring the beautiful scenery but six more attractions were still waiting for us so we decided to hit the road again. Soon we arrive at a beautiful medieval Pernaja church where we have a nice summer guide greeting us. It is nice and chilly inside the church and it feels like time has stopped inside these walls. I listen as the guide tells me fascinating stories about the church and I even get to surprise myself with childlike enthusiasm about the church’s history.

Next we decided to find a place to have lunch in Loviisa. We are ahead of schedule and have plenty of time to sit down on a sunny terrace. A small break felt good and with new energy we drove around to see Loviisa’s different attractions. We made it in time to Komendant’s house which was emptied of other guests for our visit. As my co-worker sets up the camera I wander around the exhibition and admire the museum’s old clothing and strange objects. Before leaving we shoot a few videos of the Komendant’s garden that has a collection of old useful plants from the 18th and 19th century.

We have reserved a room from Strömfors ironworks area which is packed with places to explore. We shoot a beautiful white wooden church and an old ironworks museum. When the evening sets I decide to go swimming and drive around the King’s road. As I’m driving, a realisation sets in: I know most of these places and their history! I don’t tell anyone but inside I feel a little proud of myself.

The next morning looks as bright as the one before and we head to the next destination early again. The first place to shoot is located in Langinkoski, The Imperial Fishing Lodge and the magnificent rapids scenery surrounding the lodge. From Kotka we continue driving to Kiviniemi estate, where we are warmly welcomed by the estate’s host. She shows us around the grounds and we can’t help but stare at the luxurious gardens.

The last attraction is just five minutes from Hamina city centre, Merchant’s house museum. We get to roam in the empty museum and take our time to get familiar with the newest exhibition. The museum consists of over 15 different rooms and each has their own unique theme. We photograph the rooms briskly and I buy some candy for the way home from the museum’s small boutique. It feels good to drive back to Helsinki in an airconditioned car as the new summer hits blast on the radio.