"Stalin Line" - milestones of history

Many have heard of the “Stalin Line”, many have seen a couple of bunkers, but not many know that in the short 14 years of its creation, the “Stalin Line” has passed the path of development from the simplest single-case machine gun bunkers to huge two-storey artillery semi-caponers under 76 mm guns. On the Pskov land, this evolution of fortification can be seen with your own eyes, visiting the Pskov fortified position of 1930-1932 (Pskov UE) and the Pskov fortified area of 1939 (Pskov UR) located just 15-20 km from each other.

What awaits us:

By car we go to the suburbs of Pskov pos. Neyolovo (5 km on the asphalt highway, transfer is not included in the price).

Here we will visit the first in the Pskov land DOT lit. "B" 1930 on one machine gun Maxim and talk about the general concept of creating fortified areas on the border of the USSR in the late 1920s. Fortified areas built on this concept and later received the informal name "Stalin Line".

Then, having covered a few more kilometers by car, we will be able to inspect the machine-gun bunker of the M-2 type built in 1931-1932, which is already a more advanced version of the fire point, having a minimum set of life support systems and talk about how the bunkers were actually built during this period of time. After that, we will be able to visit the nearby false dot (LOT).

By visiting the Lot, we will complete our acquaintance with the Pskov UE and the bunkers of the first period of the construction of the Stalin Line. Then we will go to the area of the village of Izborsk (about 30 km on the highway), where we will be able to inspect the machine-gun dot, machine-gun semi-caponier and machine-gun semi-caponier of the Pskov UR of 1939 buildings, which are already technologically complex one-two-storey structures with a full set of life support systems for autonomous combat for a long time. Here we will discuss how the concept of fortification preparation of the state borders of the USSR evolved in the second half of the 1930s and how this concept was later implemented in 1940-1941 on the Molotov Line. We will also discuss with you how the bunkers were used in the first months of the war and whether they were able to do what they were built for.

Importantly, due to weather conditions, the guide can change the route scheme, as well as change it according to your wishes. The number of buildings and their types are very diverse and therefore only the most affordable (about 100 meters from asphalt roads) bunkers are included in the basic description. In the presence of an off-road vehicle or the desire to walk a little, the number of DOTs visited can be increased, or their set changed.