Introduction

Leningrad was one of the main destinations and one of the few available cities for foreigners to visit. The cradle of two revolutions, an important cultural, historical, and industrial center - Leningrad was one of the "showcases of socialism". It was supposed to show the best aspects of life in the USSR. The local branch of Intourist clearly stated the role of the guide as a counter-propagandist, "who should dispel bourgeois speculations about Soviet reality among tourists" [1].
Because of this, there were restrictions on the freedom of movement for tourists: the lists of places to visit had to be complied with and it was forbidden to photograph factories, shipyards, airports, docks, and military facilities. Photographs had to be developed while still in the USSR. If there were unwanted images, they could be removed and not used to distort the image of the Soviet Union. One example of breaking this rule was an American spy who captured photos of an unusual propeller for a submarine from the Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment. The photos, which, as it turned out, were taken of equipment purchased by the Soviet government which bypassed an agreement of the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (CoCom). The equipment was from the Japanese company Toshiba, which led to a judicial investigation and disclosure of other similar transactions with Japanese and European companies worth billions of dollars.
Work with "particularly difficult " tourists was conducted especially carefully: while Finns limited themselves to consuming huge amounts of alcohol and then having subsequent rampage, Americans endlessly asked guides about Soviet reality and human rights. They also sought to directly contact Leningrad residents, bypassing the ban. After the events of the Prague Spring (it was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic during the 1968) citizens of Czechoslovakia joined this group: the level of servicing them was equated to tourists from Western countries. They were given priority when checking in to the best hotels. Despite this, many foreigners represented an "ideological threat " since they knew more about life in the Soviet Union than its inhabitants. This is particularly due to a report to the 20th Congress of the CPSU (Communist Party of the Soviet Union), which, for obvious reasons, was widely replicated in the Western press.
Every year, foreign citizens became increasingly interested in the daily life of the USSR. As a result, the flow of tourists grew accordingly.
However, tourist infrastructure simply could not cope. There were not enough rooms in hotels, the staff was rude, hot water was available intermittently, and the food was poor and monotonous. All catering establishments worked with almost double the calculated number of guests. When including the shortage of goods in the city as a whole –this led to the manifestation of a disorganized Soviet reality, and not the ideal image of a socialist state. Despite the government's attempts to improve this situation, for example, by reconstructing the `Astoria` and `Evropeyskaya` hotels, along with the introduction of the post for an inspector for foreign tourism, some problems only worsened. For example, theft of foreigners’ belongings and money became more frequent.

The "Pribaltiyskaya" Hotel

The hotel is located on Pribaltiyskaya square. It completes the prospect of Nakhimov street. Its design was developed by Leningrad architects in the late 1970s. According to the plan, it was supposed to be a 16-story hotel resembling the letter "H". The project was sponsored and was brought to life by the Swedish construction company "AB Skanska Cementgjuteriet". The location of the hotel on 14 Korablestroiteley street is not accidental – the sea station was built very close (1973-1983), where ships from Germany, Finland, and Sweden visited after the opening. The company decided to establish its relations with the USSR before opening a port on Primorskaya. In 1978, a ceremony dedicated to the opening of the hotel was attended by the deputy head of the Main Department for Foreign Tourism under the Council of Ministers of the USSR, N. Y. Sannikov, the State Secretary for the Swedish Ministry of Trade Margareta Hegardt, the Swedish Ambassador to the Soviet Union Geran Rüding, and representatives of Consuls General of foreign countries. This event confirms that Sweden and the USSR had established a strong relationship and that the Soviet Union desired to establish closer relations with other countries before opening the sea station. This in turn could increase the country’s international prestige and give an incentive to developing trade.

Hotel “Grand Hotel Europe”

The hotel building, a three-story stone house on Nevsky Prospekt, was built at the end of the 18th century. The architect is unknown. In

the 1830s, K. I. Rossi rebuilt the hotel. In the 1870s, the building was adapted to become a “European” hotel. Subsequently, iconic restaurants such as “Europe” and “Roof opened and are still visited today.

During the Cold War, the hotel was called "European" and received visitors from all over the world. It was especially popular in the ‘60s-‘70s, during the period known as Khrushchev's "Thaw." This period was mainly known for the weakening of the totalitarian rule. Well-known jazz groups played in this hotel, and the Vostochny restaurant (renamed `Sadko` in 1965) operated here. It was a special place: elegant, a solemn atmosphere, beautiful audience, and all the staff was surprisingly kind. In 1979, an important event occurred that refuted the idea of the “closed” USSR during the Cold War. The world-famous singer Elton John came to Leningrad, and he chose to stay in the hotel "European". After a successful concert, he had dinner in the restaurant "Europe" where after a warm reception, he decided to give an impromptu concert for hotel guests. By the end of the 1980s, the interiors of the hotel were severely dilapidated and the question of complete restoration and reconstruction arose. The hotel was designed for foreigners, but the level of accommodation did not meet international standards. Operations continued from 1989 to 1991. In January the renovated hotel was opened. Interestingly, it was during this period that a joint Soviet-Swedish enterprise, Europe Hotel ZAO, was founded.

Kamenny Island

Kamenny Island (meaning 'Stone Island') is an island that is part of the Neva Delta in the center of Saint Petersburg. It is in the historical district called “Islands” because there is a group of 3 islands: Kamenny, Yelagin, and Krestovsky. From 1920 to 1989 it had the official name "Workers' Island" but it did not take root among the people. The island's architectural heritage is a combination of elegant mansions from the Imperial and Soviet periods. Since the mid-1930s a whole complex of state-owned nomenclature “dachas” (country residence) for senior party officials appeared on Kamenny Island. From the 1960s onward the Soviet leadership had the idea to turn the island from an "elite" district of Leningrad into a complex of residences for receiving foreign guests who quite often visited the USSR, despite the Iron Curtain. More than thirty old cottages and mansions were used for its construction, and those that did not meet such a high
demand were demolished. This careful selection may be due to the desire to present the Soviet Union at its best in the eyes of foreign guests. It was especially important in the Cold War. Many of the buildings that were a part of the residences were of historical and artistic value in the past. Now they were assigned official inventory numbers: K-0, K-2, K-3, and so on.
In conventional newspeak, the hosts and guests were called: ‘Zero’, ‘Two’, ‘Three’, ‘Five’, ‘Ten’, ‘Twenty’. Leningraders came up with the characteristic nicknames of Kamenny island such as “Mysterious island” or “Island of blind fences” because all state buildings were fenced with hidden concrete fences for security purposes. The choice of Kamenny Island as a place for receiving foreign delegations was due to the already present "material" base represented by luxurious palaces. Also, the island is permeated with green parks and alleys, which stood out from the rest of the districts of Leningrad. According to the memories of Leningrad residents, locals often went for a walk on the island, hoping to see processions with foreign statesmen.

K-2 state residence

The white marble building of the K-2 state residence is located in a park on the bank of the Malaya Nevka river on Kamenny island. The residence was built in 1967. It was situated on the long-abandoned site of the former dacha of industrialist N. Putilov . Alexander Zhuk was chosen as the architect of K-2.
The residence’s aim was receiving high-ranking foreign guests. It is located on the Bank of the Malaya Nevka river and has a descent to the water, so you can also get there on a small boat. Apparently, this project was quite important for the Soviet authorities, since Alexander Zhuk already had considerable authority in the USSR - he was the author of such projects as the Theater of Young Spectators, the Leningrad Air Terminal, along with the halls of the stations "Vladimirskaya", "Chernyshevskaya", and "Dostoevskaya". He became the second architect who oversaw designing a residence for receiving particularly important people. The authorities did not like the project work of his predecessor. To make sure that A. Zhuk understood everything correctly, he was sent to Moscow to meet with the chief engineer of the USSR. Stalin's Cabinet was presented as a model. Memories of the architect are preserved, which help to realize the responsibility and seriousness of the management's attitude to the construction of the residence “K-2”.