Sestroretsk

SESTRORETSK, Sestroretskoye, a health resort, seaside and mud-curing station on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Finland, in the bay between the city of S. and Finland, at 60°7' north latitude and 29°57' east longitude, 36 km from Leningrad via the October Railway's Primorskaya line. The narrow coastal strip from the north-eastern corner of the bay to the Finnish border represents a completely flat beach. The resort is protected from the north, east, and south by coniferous forests; the territory of the resort is crossed in the middle by the Sestra River. The resort buildings are located on sand dunes covered with pine forest; the depth of the sand permeable layers, reaching 35 m in places, ensures the rapid absorption of rain and spring waters and excludes the formation of local fogs. At a distance of 1 km from the resort are deposits of peat mud. The climate of S. is maritime, cool-humid with a moderately warm summer and a cold winter. The average barometric pressure over 5 years is 759.4. The annual course of meteorological elements appears as follows: Meteorological IV V | VI VII VIII IX X XI XII For elements ! 1 year Temperature of air (avg. monthly) . . . -7.6 -7.7 -4.1 2.8 9.5 14.6 17.5 15.5 10.6 4.7 -0.9 -5.5 4.1 Relative humidity (avg. monthly) .... 63 63 Precipitation . . . The therapeutic means of the resort, besides the climate, are: the beach, bathing, peat mud, and physical methods of treatment. The beach of the Sestroretsk resort is flat, wide, without stones, and consists of compact fine-grained yellow sand of dune origin. On warm summer days the surface layers of sand heat up from 18° to 23°; at a depth of 10 cm to 16-20°. The bottom is even, without stones and holes, gradually lowering. The length of the resort beach is about 1 km. The surf is moderate. The temperature of the water during the bathing season, averaged over 5 years: in June 14.2°, July 18.2°, August 17.0°, September 12.0°. A medical beach with a children's department is organized. The local muds of the Sestroretsk resort (dug to a depth of 5 m in 1923) belong to sulfur-iron therapeutic muds. Mud cakes and general mud wraps are issued at the Institute of Physical Methods of Treatment, located in the center of the resort park. There, in a semi-stone annex, there is a large pool for bathing with a capacity of 60,000 liters. In the main building are the water cure department, mud cure department, electro-light-mechano-cabinets, inhalatorium, X-ray, massage room, laboratory, cabinets for individual specialties, a sanatorium for 100 beds, a canteen for 250 people, etc. The institute has a polyclinic and a solarium. In 1931, during the drilling of a well from a depth of 150 m, a mineral water fountain gushed forth 12 m high. The water obviously comes from Devonian rocks-saline limestones and sandstones. The chemical composition in milligrams per 1 liter appears as follows: Na- 344.1; Mg-21.8; K-5.6; Ca-37.5; HCO₃- 124.0; Cl-588.4; Br-10.0. Dry residue 1.089. For treatment at the resort, the following are indicated: general exhaustion, anemia; diseases of metabolism; endocrinopathies; diseases of the heart and blood vessels; inflammatory diseases of the abdominal cavity and pelvic region; diseases of the locomotor apparatus; glandular and pleural tbc and compensated tbc of the lungs; bronchial asthma; tbc of glands; children's diseases (rickets, anemia, tuberculous intoxication, tbc of the lungs); diseases of the peripheral and central nervous system, functional neuroses. The resort functions all year round. Patients are accommodated in sanatoriums (capacity up to 1,000 beds) and boarding houses. There are special sanatoriums for children: a children's preventive sanatorium for school age with 150 beds, for anemic children with tuberculous intoxication (1_g and 1₂), convalescents, and patients with chronic joint rheumatism. The bone-tuberculous sanatorium is designed for 150 places. In S. physical culture and winter sports are widely applied: skiing, skating, sledding from hills, hockey, Finnish sleds, etc. In the area of the resort, in a number of dachas, numerous rest houses are located. For the nutrition of outpatients, a number of canteens are available. In the park is a Kurhaus with an extensive granite terrace facing the sea, a concert hall for 1,500 places. Communication with Leningrad is via the Finland and Primorskaya railway 1 h. 10 min. (70 pairs of trains), in summer additionally by bus.