Address: Russia, Saint Petersburg, Zayachiy Island
Founded: in 1703
Main attractions: Nevsky and Petrovsky gates, Peter and Paul Cathedral, Grand Duke's tomb, Botny house, Cartwright, Commandant's house, Trubetskoy bastion prison, Military history museum
Coordinates: 59 ° 57'00.2 "N 30 ° 18'58.1" E
Object of cultural heritage of the peoples of the Russian Federation
Content:
Before a trip to St. Petersburg, many are worried about the question: "Where to start an independent journey?" For the first acquaintance with the sights, it is best to come to the Peter and Paul Fortress. The oldest architectural monument and one of the main symbols of the city receives guests like a museum.
Peter and Paul Fortress from a bird's eye view
Fortress history
At the beginning of the 18th century, Russia conquered the northern territories from Sweden, and it became necessary to protect them from a possible invasion. The plan-drawing of the future bastions was drawn by Peter I. In the spring of 1703, on a small island at the mouth of the Neva, an associate of the tsar, Alexander Menshikov, began to build the fortress.
The first bastions were made of earth and wood, and after a major flood they were washed away. Three years later, the eminent architect Domenico Trezzini began to build stone redoubts on the island. The construction of the fortress walls took many years and was completed after the death of the sovereign.
View of the Peter and Paul Fortress from the Neva
Until the beginning of the last century, the fortifications on the Neva were used as a prison where political prisoners were kept. Most of the prisoners came here not by a court order, but by the will of the ruling king. Since 1724, the Mint worked on the territory, where Russian money was minted, and in the 1920s the old fort was turned into a museum.
Defensive redoubts
Hare Island is oval, and the fortress repeats its shape. The pentagonal bastions are named after the tsar's closest aides - Kirill Alekseevich Naryshkin, Yuri Yurievich Trubetskoy, Nikita Moiseevich Zotov, Gavriil Ivanovich Golovkin and Alexander Danilovich Menshikov. Peter I himself took part in the laying of the powerful Tsar's bastion.
Petrovsky gates
The main entrance to the fortification passes through the Petrovsky Gate. On both sides, the island is closed by two ravelins. Ioannovsky got his name in honor of his brother Peter I, and Alekseevsky - in memory of their father.
Six bastions connect stone walls or curtains with gates. Initially, their height reached 12 m, and their thickness - up to 20 m. Inside the double walls of stone, 5-6 m thick, a layer of crushed brick was filled. For safety, there were secret passages or patterns, and beyond the outer perimeter of the fortress it was possible to get through hidden manholes - sorties.
Nevsky gates
Sights
Simultaneously with the walls and barracks for the soldiers, the Peter and Paul Cathedral appeared in the fortress. The Orthodox church became the resting place of several Russian emperors.
The narrow spire of the cathedral rises to 122.5 m and is one of the main symbols of the northern capital. To look at the fortress from a height of 42 m, many tourists climb the stairs to the bell tower of the cathedral.
View of the Peter and Paul Cathedral and the Botny House
Visitors to the fortress are attracted by the unusual monument to Peter I, created by the famous sculptor Mikhail Shemyakin. The sovereign sits on an armchair with tense fingers on his hands. The founder of the city seems to be considering a new project and cannot make the right decision.
The author of the monument said that the idea of the monument belonged to Vladimir Vysotsky. Shemyakin tried to sculpt the natural proportions of the body, but the figure of the emperor turned out to be inconspicuous. Then the sculptor gave the emperor the proportions of Russian icons. He made the expressive face of Peter I from the death mask of the tsar.
Monument to Peter I in the Peter and Paul Fortress
The Naryshkinsky Bastion, which is crowned with a high Flag Tower, plays a special role. As in the times of Peter the Great, a jack develops on it, and at exactly 12 noon a cannon shot is heard from the bastion. The tradition of celebrating noon dates back to the 1830s. Today, modern 122 mm guns are used for the midday shot.
Museums
All collections and exhibitions in the fortress are supervised by the City History Museum. For tourists, individual and group excursions are conducted on the territory.
Flag Tower of the Peter and Paul Fortress
It is very interesting to visit the museum, which tells about the history of the prison in the Trubetskoy Bastion. The two-story building for political prisoners was built in the 1880s. The prison was designed for 80 prisoners, and over its history, about 1.5 thousand prisoners have been in tiny cells. After the revolution, ministers of the tsarist government were kept here.
The theme of terror continues with a permanent exhibition about the Inquisition and the instruments of medieval torture. Tourists can see the "witch's chair", "iron gag" and other devices with the help of which the executioners knocked information out of the prisoners.
Turma in Trubetskoy bastion
The Commandant's House of the fortress houses an exposition dedicated to the history of the city in the 19th - early 20th centuries. The museum halls represent the everyday life of Petersburgers, a real horse-drawn carriage, residents' outfits, old photographs and newspapers.
An exhibition about the history of the fortification itself is open in the fortress. Showcases and stands display rare finds of archaeologists, construction materials, carpentry tools and antique engravings.
The commandant's house of the Peter and Paul Fortress
Connoisseurs of arts and crafts must visit the museum with collections of porcelain and glass. At this exhibition you can see vases, dishes, small plastic, branded wine bottles, pharmaceutical glass containers and other rarities that have been made in Russia and abroad since the 18th century.
In the eastern part of the fortress, there is a colorful Wax Museum. There are 60 realistic statues in its halls. The sculptures, dressed in old costumes, depict historical figures who lived in Russia from the mid-16th to the mid-20th centuries. Lovers of the history of technology can visit the Museum of Science and Technology, as well as the Museum of Cosmonautics and Rocket Technology.
Botanical house with a wooden boat of Peter I "St. Nicholas"
What can be seen nearby
To the north of the fortress on the Kronverkskaya embankment there is an interesting military-historical museum of artillery of engineering troops and signal troops. Collections of weapons, ammunition and canvases of battle painters occupy the ancient buildings of the Zeichhaus, built in the time of Peter I.
Near the museum you can see an obelisk erected on the site of the execution of the Decembrists. Five leaders of the uprising against the tsar were hanged on the kronverka (earthen shaft) of the fortress on July 13, 1826. On one side of the monument there is a bas-relief with profiles of the executed, and on the other - the poems of A.S. Pushkin, known to many from childhood.
Military-Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering Troops and Signal Corps
The island and the right bank of the river are connected by the pedestrian Ioannovsky Bridge - the first bridge in St. Petersburg. From it, very effective pictures of the fortress and the large Trinity bridge across the Neva are obtained. Petrograd residents and guests of the city like the amusing sculpture of a hare on stilts, and tourists are happy to throw coins to the small figurine "for luck".
Nearby, on the Petrovskaya embankment, rises a beautiful church-chapel of the Holy Trinity. It was built on the river bank for the 300th anniversary of the city in memory of the Trinity-Petrovsky Cathedral destroyed during the Soviet era. At 100 m, in the center of the green square, there is the Solovetsky stone - a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Gulag.
Ioannovsky bridge
The fortress is just a stone's throw from the three-deck sailing frigate "Grace" - a historical reconstruction of a battleship of the late 18th century. The sailboat not only adorns the granite banks of the Neva, but also works as a fashionable restaurant and banquet hall.
Near the Kronverksky bridge, on the Mytninskaya embankment, a little Mermaid with a pipe has been “living” for more than 30 years. A graceful weather vane on a high lamppost pleases passers-by and turns from each breath of the wind. This is one of the cutest symbols of the city, whose history is associated with water.
Sculpture of a hare at the Peter and Paul Fortress
Useful information for tourists
The territory is open for visitors seven days a week from 9:30 to 21:00. You can get to the Peter and Paul Cathedral on weekdays from 10:00 to 19:00, on Saturday - from 10:00 to 17:45, and on Sundays - from 11:00 to 19:00. When services are held in the temple, the schedule changes.
How do exhibitions and museums work? The exposition about the prison of the Trubetskoy Bastion is open every day from 10:00 to 19:00. Other museums are available on any day except Wednesday: Tuesdays from 11:00 to 18:00, and on other days from 10:00 to 19:00. Tickets for adults cost from 250 to 550 rubles, for seniors and students - from 150 to 300 rubles.
From left to right: Sailing frigate "Grace", church-chapel of the Holy Trinity
For an excursion to the bell tower with a visit to the observation deck, you need to pay 150-250 rubles. Tourists are shown one of the largest collections of bells in the country and are introduced to the traditions of Russian church bells. Individual visitors to the third tier of the bell tower are allowed only from May to September. The rest of the time, the historical monument is available only for group excursions.
How to get there
The architectural complex is located in the historic center of the city. To Zayachiy Island you need to walk 6-7 minutes on foot from the Gorkovskaya metro station.
