About

The Surrounding Area Three Centuries Ago…

The history of Kolpino’s founding is closely linked to Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, a close associate of Peter the Great.

Following the Battle of the Neva, Swedish forces repeatedly seized the lands along the Neva River, only to be driven out by Russian troops. In the early 17th century, during the Time of Troubles, Muscovite Russia once again lost access to the sea. The Izhora lands were ceded to Sweden under the Treaty of Stolbovo in 1617 (during the reign of Michael Romanov, grandfather of Peter I) and remained under Swedish control until Peter’s victories in the Great Northern War of 1700–1721.

On May 1, 1703, the Swedish fortress of Nyenskans fell. It had been founded in 1611 on the Okhta Cape, now part of Saint Petersburg. From this moment — long before the war concluded and the peace treaty was signed — Peter I actively began to develop the reconquered lands. To achieve this, he distributed them to his inner circle.

Alexander Danilovich Menshikov was granted the Izhora Lands and bestowed the titles of Prince and Duke of Izhora. He was also appointed Governor-General of St. Petersburg.

In 1710, while touring his lands along the Izhora River, Alexander Danilovich noticed that the river was turbulent near the Izhora Manor (Izhorskaya myza), and he conceived the idea of building a sawmill there. This location was six versts upstream from the present-day site of the Kolpino dam (Svobody Boulevard). Unfortunately, nothing remains of Menshikov’s original sawmill.

The sawmill’s purpose was the production of kokur (kukhur), a type of timber suitable for construction, which was used for Menshikov’s palace in St. Petersburg, as well as for the shipyard and the vessels built there at the mouth of the Izhora.

In 1712, Peter I confiscated these lands and the mills from A. D. Menshikov, transferring ownership to the Admiralty.

In 1722, the Admiralty Sawmills were relocated downstream by the decree of Peter I, dated May 22, 1719. It is this event that is traditionally associated with the emergence of Kolpino and the Admiralty Izhora Plants (which became the collective name for the nearby anchor, copper, and flattening/rolling mills constructed alongside the sawmill).

Thus, it was through the conceived and executed idea of A. D. Menshikov that the sawmill arose. This facility became the predecessor to the town-forming enterprise — the Admiralty Izhora Plants — the development of which, in turn, predetermined the development of Kolpino.

Dam No. 2 and the Small Machine Workshop (formerly the sawmill building at the dam) in the 1870s and 1880s.

About

Since 2013…

The Izhora Plants Dam and the Sawmill Building

The history of Izhora Hydrosystems began in November 2013 with the establishment of its first office and a small production facility.

The company originated as a merger of several specialists into an engineering and manufacturing enterprise.

The name Izhora Hydrosystems was given to the company due to its location near the dam on the Izhora River.

Today…

Izhora Hydrosystems features:

Izhora Hydrosystems features:

— A production facility in Kolpino;
— A production workshop with nearly 6,000 m² of floor space;
— The main bay measures 180 m long, 33 m wide, and 30 m high;
— A 110-ton capacity overhead service crane;

Izhora Hydrosystems features:

Izhora Hydrosystems features:

— Design bureaus in Saint Petersburg and Vologda;
— Over 50 highly skilled specialists.

Izhora Hydrosystems features:

Izhora Hydrosystems features:

— Full-cycle production of custom and small-batch industrial equipment;
— Core competencies in industrial, marine, and lifting equipment.

  • Key milestones in the company’s development are presented in the HISTORY section;
  • Latest updates and activities can be found in the BLOG & NEWS section;
  • Reliable business partners are listed in the PARTNERS section;
  • Official documents, guidelines, protocols, and presentations are available in the DOCUMENTATION section.