Sestroretsk Swamp

Sestroretsk Swamp is the largest nature reserve in St. Petersburg, covering an area of 1877 hectares, which received the status of a specially protected natural territory in 2011. On its territory, glacial kames, remnants of ancient coastal ramparts, and one of the largest colonies of black-headed gulls in the city on the shallow waters of the Sestroretsky Razliv have been preserved. At the base of the Sestroretsk dunes, campsites of hunters and fishermen from the 3rd-2nd millennium BC have been discovered, and on the edge of the swamp is the "Sestroretsk Rampart" museum located in the former APK-1 "Elephant" pillbox. The flora of the reserve includes 468 species of vascular plants, including the tussock cottongrass, early purple orchid, and English sundew, which are rare for the region.