Today, September 8, St. Petersburg hosts a number of events in honor of the tragic blockade of the city, then called Leningrad, from 1941 to 1943. It was on this day in 1941 that Nazi forces completely encircled the city, marking the beginning of a siege that lasted 900 days, ITAR-TASS reports.

The day began with the traditional memorial gathering at house number 14 on Nevsky Prospekt, where an old warning sign has been left untouched to this day: “Citizens, during artillery attacks, this side of the street is the most dangerous.”

In memory of the victims of the Blockade, which are estimated at over one million, the city’s air siren system will be turned on for 3 minutes.

Wreath-laying ceremonies will be held at the burial grounds of both soldiers and civilian casualties of the blockade as well as at monuments throughout the city. Memorial liturgies will also be held at churches and former crematories.

The St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra will hold the “Leningrad Concert”, which will include the legendary 7th Symphony of Dmitry Shostakovich, which was first performed in 1942 in the city under siege, as well as works by Rimsky-Korsakov, Prokofiev, Rakhmaninov and other composers. The concert will be broadcast on a screen on Arts Square (площадь Искусств).