Lindulovskaya Grove

The Lindulovskaya grove is a state natural botanical reserve in the Vyborgsky district of the oblast, near the settlements of Roshchino and Mukhino, a thousand and three hectares in area. Its purpose is the preservation of the oldest artificial stand of Siberian larch (its Latin name Larix sibirica Ledeb) in Russia and Europe, growing here beyond its natural range in the valley of the Roshchinka river; the river's earlier name — Lintulovka — gave the grove its name. The Siberian larch is a tree of the harsh East Siberia: in the Ingrian hills it appeared as the result of a deliberate human design, and the fact that the plantings survived, spread and aged into a stately forest is a unique experiment of forestry that has lived to our days. A thousand hectares of the reserve protect this forest and its environment: here grow trees that nature never planted in this land. The reserve was established by a decision of the Leningrad oblast executive committee of 27 March 1976, number 145, but the idea of preserving the grove is older than the official status: it was treasured as a monument of forestry long before that. The roads through the grove are forest roads, the trails well worn; in golden autumn the larches burn amber against dark firs, and the contrast of the two conifer species makes the grove photographically generous. People come here for silence and proper northern forest: a walk through the grove is a coniferous scent, soft light through needles, and the feeling that a person once managed to plant a forest that became the main sight of a whole district. Pair the walk with Priozersk and Korela — all three points lie in the north of the Karelian Isthmus.