Mga
Encyclopedia
Mga is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement
) in Kirovsky District
of Leningrad Oblast
, Russia
. Population:
The name is almost certainly from the identically named river Mga on which it lies (which in turn is probably of Finno-Ugric origin); the suggestion that it comes from the initials of the owner of the land in the 19th century, Maria Grigorievna Apraksin (a member of the same family for which the Apraksin Dvor
in St. Petersburg is named), is extremely unlikely.
There is a train service from St. Petersburg that passes through Mga leaving from the Moskovsky and Ladozhsky train stations in the eastward direction. This train also serves many other settlements in this region, and is used for travel to summer houses (dacha
s) by many St. Petersburg residents during the warmer seasons.
During World War II
, Mga was a vital communications node; its capture by the Germans on August 30, 1941, cut the last rail connection between Leningrad and the remainder of the country. Later, it was one of the points in which the Soviet Army broke the Siege of Leningrad
. The region, mainly comprising forests, was the scene of brutal fighting during the war years and was a resistance point to the Nazi blockade and occupation. As a result, helmets, bullets, parts of weapons and heavy ammunition and other military equipment used both by Nazi and Soviet forces during the war are found in sizable amounts in the forests of the region. Recently, inhabitants have often found armed bombs and grenades from the war years.
Urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement ; , selyshche mis'koho typu ) is an official designation for a type of locality used in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union...
) in Kirovsky District
Kirovsky District, Leningrad Oblast
Kirovsky District, Leningrad Oblast is an administrative district , one of the 17 in Leningrad Oblast, Russia....
of Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1946 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Population:
The name is almost certainly from the identically named river Mga on which it lies (which in turn is probably of Finno-Ugric origin); the suggestion that it comes from the initials of the owner of the land in the 19th century, Maria Grigorievna Apraksin (a member of the same family for which the Apraksin Dvor
Apraksin Dvor
Apraksin Yard is a department store in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The buildings of Apraksin Dvor nestle between Sadovaya Street and the Fontanka River....
in St. Petersburg is named), is extremely unlikely.
There is a train service from St. Petersburg that passes through Mga leaving from the Moskovsky and Ladozhsky train stations in the eastward direction. This train also serves many other settlements in this region, and is used for travel to summer houses (dacha
Dacha
Dacha is a Russian word for seasonal or year-round second homes often located in the exurbs of Soviet and post-Soviet cities. Cottages or shacks serving as family's main or only home are not considered dachas, although many purpose-built dachas are recently being converted for year-round residence...
s) by many St. Petersburg residents during the warmer seasons.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Mga was a vital communications node; its capture by the Germans on August 30, 1941, cut the last rail connection between Leningrad and the remainder of the country. Later, it was one of the points in which the Soviet Army broke the Siege of Leningrad
Siege of Leningrad
The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade was a prolonged military operation resulting from the failure of the German Army Group North to capture Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. It started on 8 September 1941, when the last...
. The region, mainly comprising forests, was the scene of brutal fighting during the war years and was a resistance point to the Nazi blockade and occupation. As a result, helmets, bullets, parts of weapons and heavy ammunition and other military equipment used both by Nazi and Soviet forces during the war are found in sizable amounts in the forests of the region. Recently, inhabitants have often found armed bombs and grenades from the war years.