The Czar’s Road gave Russians access to the Baltic Sea and opened the “window to Europe”.
300 years ago, Peter the Great began a first of a kind operation of transfer of troops on two frigates from Archangelsk to the fortress on the Neva River. That was the hardest 260 miles through swamps and mountains.
He had been dragging two ships from the White Sea (the Nuhcha village) to Onego Lake through bogs and mosses for 8 days. The purpose of the operation was to reach the Swedish fortress in complete secrecy. With the help of the local population Army of Peter stepped on the Road on the 16th of August, 1702, and had entered Povenets on August 26. According to the plan the Group moved from Onego to Ladoga Lake using the Svir River.
On September 26 they had already appeared at the fortress of Nöteborg (later renamed Shlisselburg) and successfully captured it by the 11th of October. That monumental victory predetermined the gradual development of Russian economy in the future.
