“Romanaisi,” an old Finnish word whispers tales of a bygone era. Today we stand at Romanovka. It is the administrative center of the Romanovsky rural settlement. Romanovka’s story stretches back to the early 18th century.
Imagine this area centuries ago. It was 1699. P. Vasander designated this settlement as Romanaisi on the Noterburgsky’s map. The area evolved. By 1838, the village of Gubki near Romanovka recorded 1404 men and 113 women as residents. An ethnographic map of St. Petersburg Province in 1849 called Gubki “Huwa.” Ingrian Savakotans mainly inhabited it.
In 1860, Gubki and Romanivka comprised just 18 peasant households each. By 1862, Gubki had a water supply. It also had 41 yards. It housed 119 men and 105 women. A volost board managed local affairs.
By 1885, Gubki grew to 105 yards. It included a school. It also had a bench and a tavern. An Orthodox church stood three versts away. A glass plant was fifteen versts away.
In 1895, Romanovka village had 29 country yards. Gubki had 26 yards. The villages belonged to the Ryabovsky volost of the Shlisselburgsky Uyezd. This was in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The board of the Ryabovsky volost was located here before the Revolution.
After the Revolution, Romanovka village had 45 farms. This was with 199 people. Gubki had 37 farms and 179 people. In 1926, the Romanovsky Finnish national Village Council formed. It consisted of Finns, Russians, and other minorities.
By 1930, Gubki and Romanovka were separate on maps. In 1939, Romanovka absorbed Gubki. There was Big Romanovka and Small Romanovka. Gubki still existed.
The national Village Council was liquidated in 1939. Settlements transferred to other village councils. Until 1942, Ingermanlandish Finns resided here. In 1942, the Finnish population was deported.
Post-war, collective farms merged. The “Romanovka” reproductive and pig-breeding state farm was established. A pig-breeding complex was constructed.
In 1988, a memorial complex marking 280 meters of the “Road of Life” was recognized. This recognized the village as a historical monument. By 1995, Kornevo and Romanovka united as one settlement.
Today, Romanovka thrives. In 2012, it recorded 7612 residents. An annual international winter marathon “Road of Life” takes place here. It is a 10 km race. Romanovka stands east of St. Petersburg. It lies on the road to Lake Ladoga. It’s located 3 km from Vsevolozhsk.
Now as we leave Romanovka, remember its journey. It started as a small settlement on old maps. It has become a modern village with a rich history. It is a place where echoes of the past meet the present day.