PETROPAVLOVSK FORTRESS IN THE NEVA DEFENSE SYSTEM

The fortress of St. Petersburg (Petropavlovskaya) was founded on May 16 (27), 1703 on a small island in the Neva delta for the defense of Russian lands captured by Sweden back in the 17th century and recaptured during the Northern War (1700-1721). The Finns called the island Yenisaari (Hare Island), and the Swedes called it Lust-Eiland (Jolly Island). In just four months, fortifications made of wood, turf and earth were erected here. Although during its existence Peter-Pavel's Fortress never took part in hostilities, during the Northern War it was an important link in the chain of fortifications of the Neva and the Gulf of Finland. This defensive system also included the ancient Novgorod fortress Oreshek (Shlisselburg), located at the source of the Neva, the Admiralty shipyard fortress, founded in 1704 on the left bank of the Neva, and the new Russian fortress Kronshlot (Kronstadt) in the Gulf of Finland.

PETER-PAVEL'S FORTRESS- HISTORICAL CITY CENTER

The Peter and Paul Fortress played a special role in the history of St. Petersburg. The city, the future capital, began on Hare Island Russian Empire. Here was the first church of the city - the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, the Lutheran Church of St. Anne (founded in 1704), the Main Pharmacy (1704-1720s), the wooden Senate building (1713-1717), the Mint (from 1724) were erected ) and the house of the city commandant. A trade and trade center was formed near the Peter and Paul Fortress. administrative center early Petersburg, there was a port and the first city square - Troitskaya.

CONSTRUCTION OF PETROPAVLOVSK FORTRESS

The Peter and Paul Fortress was built according to the rules of the Western European bastion system according to the project of J.-G. Lambert de Guerin, a French engineer in Russian service. It has the shape of an elongated hexagon with six massive bastions extended towards the enemy.

Initially the fortress was made of wood and earth. The foundation for the walls of the curtains and bastions were ryazhi - square log houses filled with stone, on which earthen ramparts were poured. The general supervision of construction in 1703-1705 was carried out by a military engineer from Saxony, V.-A. Kirshtenstein. The construction of one of the bastions was supervised by the sovereign himself. He entrusted supervision of the construction of others to his closest associates - A. D. Menshikov, G. I. Golovkin, N. M. Zotov, Yu. Yu. Trubetskoy and K. A. Naryshkin. Five bastions were named after them, the sixth was called “Gosudarev”. The bastions are connected to each other by curtains: Petrovskaya, Nevskaya, Ekaterininskaya, Vasilyevskaya, Nikolskaya, Kronverkskaya.

In September 1703, the construction of the original wood-earth fortress was completed. In the eastern part of Zayachiy Island in 1704-1705, an additional fortification structure was erected - an earthen ravelin. In 1705-1709, on Berezovy Island, to the north of the fortress walls, Kronverk was built - a fortification designed to strengthen the defense capability of the fortress in the event of a new attack. Under the leadership of engineer V.-A. Kirshtenstein in 1705, in the gorge (rear part) of the Golovkin bastion, a pentagonal earthen cavalier was erected - an additional fortification structure for conducting “upper fire”.

In 1706, the reconstruction of the fortress in stone began according to the design of the engineer J.-G. Lambert de Guerin and architect D. Trezzini. In 1727, supervision of the construction of the fortress was entrusted to the military engineer B.-Kh. von Minich, under his leadership all major construction work was completed in the 1740s.

According to Minich's design, stone ravelins were erected in the 1731-1740s on the western and eastern ends of Hare Island. In memory of the father and grandfather of Empress Anna Ioannovna, they were named Ioannovsky and Alekseevsky. The ditches that separated the ravelins from the main territory of the island were fenced off using botardos - dams with lifting gratings. In 1730-1733, according to the project of B.-Kh. von Minich was rebuilt in Cavalier stone, which was named in honor of Empress Anna Ioannovna.

All curtains of the fortress, with the exception of Catherine's, have gate passages: these are the Petrovsky, Nevsky, Vasilyevsky, Nikolsky and Kronverksky gates. The first to be created was the Petrovsky Gate - the main entrance to the fortress, which appeared at the very beginning of the 18th century. In 1707-1708 they were rebuilt according to the design of D. Trezzini in the form of a stone triumphal arch with a wooden upper tier - an attic (rebuilt in stone in 1717-1718), crowned with a wooden statue of St. Apostle Peter, from which they got their name. .

Subsequently, the stone fortifications were subjected to individual rebuilding and reconstruction. Under Catherine II, the southern facade of the fortress was faced with granite slabs (1779-1786, engineers R.R. Tomilov, F.-W. Bauer), at the same time the Neva Gate was rebuilt, the southern facade of which was decorated with a portico (1784-1787, N.A. . Lvov). These works had no defensive significance: the fortress acquired an appearance corresponding to its important urban planning role in the ensemble of the center of St. Petersburg. During the reign of Nicholas I, the walls of the northern curtains and bastions were plastered and painted “to look like granite.” In the 19th century, two-story fortress casemates almost everywhere became one-story.

Hare Island has been connected to the Petrograd (Petersburg) side since the 18th century by one of the oldest city bridges - Ioannovsky (exists in its current location from 1736-1738). Previously, two more bridges led to the fortress: Nikolsky (built in the 1820s) and Kronverksky (built in 1853), both were demolished at the beginning of the 20th century. Only in 1938, the now existing wooden Kronverksky Bridge was built in the northwestern part of the island.

ARCHITECTURAL ENSEMBLE OF THE PETROPAVLOV FORTRESS

The Peter and Paul Fortress was built as a defensive structure. However, starting from 1704, when the first center of St. Petersburg began to form on the territory of Hare Island, various buildings and structures were erected here. Over time, they formed a unique architectural ensemble in which monuments from different eras and styles merged into a single harmonious whole.

The main architectural and high-rise dominant of the fortress is the majestic Peter and Paul Cathedral. Founded on June 29, 1703 in the center of the fortress under construction, the wooden cathedral became the first church in St. Petersburg. On June 8, 1712, Peter I founded a stone church here. The Peter and Paul Cathedral was erected in 1712-1733 according to the design of D. Trezzini. This building is one of the most significant monuments of the early Russian Baroque, which is also called “Peter’s”. Until now, the multi-tiered bell tower with a thin gilded spire topped with the figure of an angel dominates the panorama of the central embankments of the city and is the tallest architectural structure in St. Petersburg.

Over its long century, the cathedral has undergone many changes, and its modern appearance is somewhat different from the original: for example, a fire on April 30, 1756 destroyed the spire, roof and dome of the temple. Restoration work lasted for several decades - a new wooden spire was recreated by 1773. The restoration of the cathedral was completed in 1780. In 1857-1858, according to the design of engineer D.I. Zhuravsky, the wooden structures of the spire were replaced with metal ones. After the installation of the new spire, the total height of the bell tower increased from 117 meters to 122.5.

During the 18th - early 20th centuries, many famous St. Petersburg architects and engineers took part in the creation of the fortress ensemble. Among them are D. Trezzini, X. fan Boles, A. F. Wiest, N. A. Lvov, A. Rinaldi, A. Porto, D. I. Zhuravsky, D. I. Grimm, L. N. Benois and a lot others. Their work represents architectural styles from Peter's Baroque to Neoclassicism. In the first half of the 18th century, a whole complex of various buildings was located on the territory of the fortress. In 1704-1718, a number of wooden (from 1711 - mud or half-timbered) buildings were built. Active stone construction and improvement of the territory of Hare Island began under Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, when the buildings of the Main Guardhouse (1748, completely rebuilt in 1906-1907), as well as the Chief Commandant's House (1743-1746) and the Engineering House (1749) were erected. These buildings still partially retain their original appearance, characteristic of the ordinary buildings of St. Petersburg during the early Baroque period. In the second half of the XVIII - early XIX century, significant changes occurred in the architectural appearance and spatial organization of the fortress's development. A new era in the formation of the ensemble was opened by the construction of the Botny House (1761-1765), created according to the design of the architect A. F. Vista in the forms of early classicism. The building was erected to store the legendary boat of Peter I - the “grandfather of the Russian fleet”; in his youth, the tsar studied maritime affairs on this ship. The complex of Mint buildings became an important dominant feature for the entire ensemble. Main building This industrial enterprise, built in 1799-1805 according to the design of the architect A. Porto, is an example of strict classicism architecture. In 1839-1844, on the site between the main building of the Mint, the Catherine, Vasilyevskaya and Nikolskaya curtains, according to the designs of architects E. X. Ahnert and A. M. Kutsi, “provision stores”, a laboratory for separating gold from silver, a stamp forge, and a workshop were built medal redistribution and instrumental, administrative wing. During the period of late classicism, the Depot of Exemplary Russian and Foreign Weights and Measures was built (1838), the Chief Officer's House (1843) and the Parade-Major's House (1843-1844) were rebuilt, the Main Treasury (1837), and the Stock Capital Building (1844) were erected. , Carriage maker (1846). They were solved in orderless forms, which determined the nature of the development of the fortress in the 1830-1840s. In the era of eclecticism (the second half of the 19th century), the most significant transformations occurred in the territory of the Alekseevsky ravelin, where in 1892-1900 a complex of new buildings was erected to house the Archives of the War Ministry and their employees.

The formation of the architectural ensemble of the Peter and Paul Fortress was completed at the beginning of the 20th century with the reconstruction of the Main Guardhouse building (1906-1907), which received a new neoclassical architectural decoration, and the construction next to the Peter and Paul Cathedral of the Grand Ducal Tomb (1896-1908, architects D. I. Grimm, A. O. Tomishko, L.N. Benois, mosaics - workshop of V.A. Frolov based on sketches by N.N. Kharlamov) and the Church House (1906, L.N. Benois).

HOLIDAYS AND CEREMONIES IN THE PETROPAVLOV FORTRESS

From the first years of its existence, the Peter and Paul Fortress became one of the centers for holding various church and citywide holidays, celebrations, illuminations and fireworks dedicated to the glorious victories of Russian weapons, others important events in the life of the state.

During the Northern War, a tradition arose to accompany triumphs in honor of the “glorious Victorias” with the construction of triumphal gates. Such a structure was the Peter's Gate of the Peter and Paul Fortress, decorated with an allegorical sculpture glorifying the statesmanship of Peter I, his military talent and victories over the Swedish king Charles XII. In the attic there is a bas-relief “The Overthrow of Simon the Magus by the Apostle Peter” (K. Osner Sr., 1708), in the niches on the sides of the gate arch there are allegorical figures created by the French sculptor N. Pinault “Courage” and “Prudence” (1716), above in the arch there is a lead double-headed eagle (F.-P. Vassou, 1720-1722). In 1730, the carver P. Fedorov decorated the gates with wooden bas-reliefs with military attributes. The sculptural decor included figures of two angels with trumpets that have not survived to this day, reliefs depicting military armor that were placed above the niches, allegorical sculptures of “Piety” and “Hope,” statues of the god of war Mars and the god of the seas Neptune on separate pedestals.

During the reign of Peter I, the holiday of the Day of Breaking Up the Neva from Ice was established, which had special significance for the residents of St. Petersburg. There were no permanent bridges across the Neva until the middle of the 19th century, so during ice drift, communication between Vasilyevsky Island, the Petrograd Side and the Admiralteyskaya part stopped. It was resumed only after the official opening of river navigation.

The feast of the Epiphany was celebrated no less solemnly. At the height of the Epiphany frosts, January 6 (old style), crowds of townspeople gathered in front of the Peter and Paul Fortress under the ringing of bells to perform the ceremony of consecrating the Neva water. A chapel was built on the ice of the river near the walls of the fortress, and nearby they made a cross-shaped hole - “Jordan” (from the name of the Jordan River, where Jesus Christ was baptized). The ceremony always took place with the participation of the imperial family. On Wednesday of the fourth week after Easter, the feast of the Midsummer of Holy Pentecost was celebrated - the twenty-fifth day after Easter. On this day, crowded religious processions from the cathedral took place on the pier with the participation of the clergy of almost all the parish churches of the city. The procession walked around the walls of the fortress with the miraculous icon of the Savior, the Image Not Made by Hands, taken from the house of Peter I. At each bastion and over each gate, prayer services were held, and then at the Neva Gate - the blessing of water. It was believed that, due to the consonance between the words “pre-sex” and “sailing”, there was a custom of crossing the Neva to the fortress.

PETROPAUL CATHEDRAL - TOMB OF THE IMPERIAL FAMILY

In 1731, even before the consecration of the stone Peter and Paul Cathedral, Empress Anna Ioannovna signed a decree giving it the status of a cathedral church in St. Petersburg. However, from the 1770s, the Peter and Paul Cathedral began to gradually lose its dominant significance - there were no permanent bridges across the Neva at that time, and the temple on Hare Island was cut off from the rest of the city during ice drift and freeze-up. In 1858, the new St. Isaac's Cathedral became a cathedral; the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul was transferred to the Court Construction Office of the Ministry of the Imperial Household, and in 1883, together with the clergy, it was assigned to the Court Spiritual Department. The court status of the temple corresponded to its historical significance as an imperial tomb. Funerals and memorial services for the deceased members of the imperial family took the most important place in the church life of the cathedral.

The cathedral became a necropolis even before construction was completed - during the life of Peter I, his children who died in infancy, Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich and his wife Princess Charlotte-Christina-Sophia, the Tsar's sister Maria Alekseevna and his daughter-in-law - Tsarina Marfa Matveevna, the wife of Peter's half-brother, were buried here , Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich. During the 18th-19th centuries, many representatives of the reigning dynasty found rest here, primarily the Russian emperors and empresses, with the exception of only Peter II (buried in Moscow) and John VI (overthrown, imprisoned, killed, buried in Shlisselburg or Tikhvin ).In 1715, during the funeral of Princess Charlotte-Christina-Sophia, a new funeral ritual for Russia was tested for the first time. The traditional Orthodox funeral rite was supplemented by secular mourning ceremonies, mostly borrowed from the Protestant German states. In the new ritual, a special role was assigned to the solemn funeral procession, which accompanied the coffin with the body of the deceased to the Peter and Paul Cathedral, accompanied by the ringing of bells from all the churches of the city and incessant cannon fire from the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress. The Peter and Paul Cathedral was decorated in a special way for the funeral. Leading Russian artists, sculptors and architects (V. Brenna, G. Quarenghi, C. Rossi, O. Montferrand and others) were involved in the creation of mourning decoration.

The last burial before the revolution (of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich, son of Emperor Nicholas I) took place in 1909: it was decided that in the future only emperors and empresses would be buried in the cathedral, and the Grand Ducal Tomb was intended for the burial of uncrowned representatives of the Romanov dynasty.

From 1908 to 1915, 13 members of the imperial family were buried in the Grand Ducal Tomb, including eight burials that were moved from the cathedral. Over the next seventy-six years, no burials took place in the Tomb. On May 29, 1992, a great-grandson was buried in the Grand Ducal Burial Vault Alexandra III — Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich. On March 7, 1995, the ashes of his parents, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich and Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna.

On July 17, 1998, the remains of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II, his wife and children (except for his son Alexei and daughter Maria) were buried in the Catherine's chapel of the Peter and Paul Cathedral; in 2006, the ashes of Empress Maria Feodorovna were transferred to the cathedral from the royal tomb in Roskilde (Denmark), wife of Emperor Alexander III.

GARRISON OF PETROPAUL FORTRESS

On June 22, 1703, troops (guard and other regiments) were brought into the Peter and Paul Fortress under construction and the first commandant was appointed - dragoon colonel Baron K.-E. Renne. From that time until October 1, 1926, the life of the fortress was connected with one or another military units and teams.

In the first years of the Northern War, the fortress remained the base camp and stronghold of all troops defending the Neva delta. The fortress had its own garrison in October 1703, when the construction of the wood-earth fortifications was completed and guns were installed on them.

At the beginning of the 18th century, troops based in the Peter and Paul Fortress actively participated in the battles of the Northern War. In the 1710-1790s, the fortress garrison was part of the entire St. Petersburg garrison, and the positions of the commandant of the fortress and the city were not differentiated. At the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century, a stable structure of the garrison was formed, secured by official documents and staffing schedules. This garrison structure existed until the 1920s, when its existence was no longer necessary.

The basis of the fortress garrison was a company of fortress artillery and a disabled team. The fortress artillery company, the only real combat unit, numbered only 168 people at the beginning of the 19th century. The company was armed with 45 guns, some of which were intended exclusively for salutatory firing. The artillery garrison took part in military exercises. So, during the maneuvers of the Guards Corps in September 1840, he defended Kronverk, which was “stormed by open force.” An essential part of the artillerymen's activities was salutation and signal firing.

A disabled team performed guard duty in the fortress. Her duties included guarding the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the fortress gates and the prison premises. Guardhouses were installed at all gates. The outer guards around the fortress were usually posted from the city garrison, and a special “coin team” of 80 people was responsible for guarding the Mint. The disabled team maintained cleanliness and order in the fortress.

The organization and execution of repair and construction work was carried out by the Engineering Team, which included not only military personnel, but also civilian and military labor companies subordinate to the Engineering Team. In 1810, a school was established under the Engineering Team, which trained conductors and clerks of the Engineering Corps.

All the troops constantly present in the fortress were quartered in casemates adapted for barracks; the fortress had clothing, wood and food warehouses, vegetable stores, bakeries, kitchens, canteens, etc. Since among the soldiers there were not only single men, but also families, equipment was equipped for them special rooms in separate casemates. In addition to the soldiers, most of the officers also lived permanently in the fortress.

"RUSSIAN BASTILLE"

For two centuries, the Peter and Paul Fortress was the main political prison in Russia. No wonder it was called the “Russian Bastille”. The history of the Peter and Paul Fortress as a royal political prison began from the time of Peter I. Its first prisoners in February 1718 were Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich and others arrested in the “tsarevich’s case.” In the 18th century, “victims” were kept here palace coups and court intrigues: cabinet secretary A.P. Volynsky, architect P.I. Eropkin, field master general B.-Kh. Minich, impostor “Princess Tarakanova”, writer A. N. Radishchev, leader of the Polish uprising of 1794 T. Kosciuszko and his secretary writer Y. Nemtsevich. Twice - in 1798 and 1800 - Rabbi Shneur Zalman, a Jewish religious teacher and one of the authorities of Hasidism, was a prisoner of the fortress.

Under Paul I, prominent military leaders A.P. Ermolov, Admiral P.V. Chichagov, and ataman of the Don army M.I. Platov were imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress. In the year of Nicholas I’s accession to the throne, participants in the 1825 uprising against autocratic power Emperor - Decembrists. In the 19th century, the writer F. M. Dostoevsky, a prominent figure of Russian anarchism M. A. Bakunin, the writer N. G. Chernyshevsky, the ethnographer N. N. Miklukho-Maclay, who was arrested for participating in a student demonstration, a participant in the defense, passed through the dungeons of the Peter and Paul Fortress Sevastopol writer K. M. Stanyukovich and many others.

Initially, at the beginning of the 18th century, prisoners were housed in fortress casemates. Later, in the 1760s, a wooden prison house was built on the territory of the Alekseevsky ravelin. In 1797, a new prison was erected in its place - the Secret House (the building has not survived). In 1870-1872, according to the design of military engineers K.P. Andreev and A.M. Pasypkin, the prison of the Trubetskoy Bastion was built on the site of the dismantled internal (valgang) walls of the Trubetskoy Bastion. In the 19th - early 20th centuries, more than 1,500 people were its prisoners - participants in the Russian liberation movement, populists, social democrats, and Socialist Revolutionaries. Among them are A. I. Ulyanov (Lenin’s older brother), writer A. M. Gorky. In 1917-1918, the lists of those arrested were supplemented by ministers of the Tsarist and then the Provisional Governments, opponents of Soviet power. In 1921, the last prisoners were participants in the Kronstadt rebellion.

PETROPAUL FORTRESS – MUSEUM

For the first time, the fortress was opened to visitors under Alexander I, when excursions around the imperial necropolis began to be held in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. In 1922, the temple became a museum (since 1926 a branch of the Museum of the Revolution), and in 1927 a museum exhibition was opened in the Trubetskoy Bastion prison.

In 1954, the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Grand Ducal Tomb and some other buildings in the fortress became part of State Museum history of Leningrad. A huge amount of work immediately began on studying the history of fortifications, relocating residents from historical buildings and restoring premises for future exhibitions. The walls of the bastions were restored and the territory of the fortress was landscaped. In the 1950-1980s, the monuments of the Peter and Paul Fortress were restored under the leadership of I. N. Benois, A. A. Kedrinsky and A. L. Rotach. A huge amount of work was carried out to restore the original decoration of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. In the 1970-2000s, expositions and exhibitions were opened for visitors in the Commandant's and Engineering Houses, the Nevsky Curtain, Ioannovsky Ravelin, and the Sovereign's Bastion: “The History of St. Petersburg-Petrograd. 1830-1918”, “History of the Peter and Paul Fortress”, “Museum of Cosmonautics and Rocket Technology”, etc.

The Peter and Paul Fortress is visited annually by thousands of tourists from many countries of the world, cities of Russia, and St. Petersburg residents often come here. Today the State Museum of History of St. Petersburg is one of the largest museums in the country. In addition to the Peter and Paul Fortress, it includes the Shlisselburg Fortress Oreshek, the Museum-Apartment of A. A. Blok, the Museum of S. M. Kirov, the Rumyantsev Mansion, the Museum of Printing, the Monument heroic defenders Leningrad and the Museum of the St. Petersburg Avant-Garde (House of M.V. Matyushin).

HISTORY OF CREATION

On May 16, 1703, according to the plan drawn up by Peter I, the construction of the Peter and Paul Fortress on Hare Island began.

The shape of the island (length about 750 m and width about 360 m) also determined the outline of future fortifications.

elongated a hexagon, with bastions protruding at its corners, interconnected by fortress walls.

The fortress made of earth and wood was erected under the supervision of Peter I's closest associates over the summer.

In the curtain wall connecting the sovereign's bastion with the Menshikov bastion, serfs were built gates, the approaches to which were blocked by a ravelin and a transverse ditch. A floating bridge was built across the Nevsky Channel, and a parking lot for warships was made in the channel itself.

The Swedish general Maidel reported to Stockholm in 1704:

“Petersburg is very well founded and fortified,

his position is such that he can simultaneously become

a strong fortress and a prosperous trading city.

If the king retains it for several years, his strength at sea will become significant.”

But Charles XII was absolutely sure that he would calmly take away from Peter everything that he would build. But Peter I thought differently, and therefore did not He allowed neither his fortress nor his beloved city to be taken from him, skillfully stopping all attempts at enemy invasion.

But since the wooden-earth fortress could not be a permanent and reliable defensive fortification, then in 1706. he will order the architect D. Trezzini to begin rebuilding the Peter and Paul Fortress in stone. At the same time, the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul was built. Later it was rebuilt into the stone Peter and Paul Cathedral.

Work will begin on May 30, Peter’s birthday, a medal was knocked out in memory of the solemn event, and in the journal of Peter the Great they wrote:

“They laid the stone for Prince A. Menshikov in St. Petersburg, and there was a banquet that day

in His houseMajesty."

To carry out these works, they first destroyed a section of the earthen fortress, dug foundation pits with a depth of about 2 m., piles were driven into the bottom, and after that, walls 10 - 12 m high were laid from well-burnt bricks. and up to 20m wide.

The outer surface was plastered and painted lingonberry light. Since 1728 work in the Peter and Paul Fortress will be carried out under the leadership of H. A. Minich, appointed by decree of Peter II as Governor-General of St. Petersburg. Under him, the construction of stone ravelins will begin, covering the fortress gates and curtains from artillery fire. On the western side of the fortress - Alekseevsky, named in honor of the father of Peter I, Alexei Mikhailovich, and on the eastern side - Ioanovsky, in honor of the elder brother of Peter I, Ivan V Alekseevich. Both ravelins were separated from the fortress itself by ditches with water, through which drawbridges were thrown to the fortress gates.

The Peter and Paul Fortress will finally become stone only in 1740, but over time the brick walls will begin to collapse from bad weather and take on a rather unsightly appearance.

Therefore, Elizaveta Petrovna will order the outer walls of the fortress to be covered with limestone slabs, and in 1779, on the Neva side, by the personal order of Empress Catherine II, the fortress will be covered with granite stone.

In 1787 After N. Lvov completed the architectural design of the foot facade of the Neva Gate, the fortress will take its final form. At the end of the 19th century. Its defensive ditches will also be filled in.

In 1731, the cathedral acquired the status of a cathedral church and became the tomb of the Romanov dynasty. Russian tsars are buried here, from Peter I to Nicholas II.

And until the 20th century, the Peter and Paul Fortress served as a prison, where especially dangerous state criminals were placed without trial (only by royal decision). One of the first prisoners was Tsarevich Alexei, the son of Peter I. Radishchev, the Decembrists, the Bestuzhev brothers, and Chernyshevsky visited here.

On the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress there is the main exhibition complex of the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg. It includes the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Grand Ducal Tomb, the Church House, the Boat House, the Commandant's House, the Engineering House, the buildings of the Trubetskoy Bastion Prison, bastions, curtains, ravelins and other buildings and structures.

Peter-Pavel's Fortress

The Peter and Paul Fortress is the first building of St. Petersburg. This is exactly how the city was founded in 1703 by Peter I. Since the territory passed to the Russian Empire during the war with Sweden, the fortress was built to protect against the Swedes. The fortress was founded on Hare Island, so the fortress’s cannons were supposed to defend the city from invasion along two large branches of the river. The maritime borders of St. Petersburg were supposed to be protected by the Kronstadt fortress, founded in 1704.

Well, already in 1705, the first industrial structure was opened, the Admiralty Shipyard on Admiralty Island, which in 1706 was a fortress to protect the territory as part of the Northern War with the Swedes. Now the Peter and Paul Fortress is an object cultural heritage St. Petersburg. And even though it is now a museum, we should not forget that this is a real fort that was ready to repel any attack.

How to get to the Peter and Paul Fortress

The Peter and Paul Fortress is located on Hare Island, which is open to the public daily from 6.00 to 21.00. The fortress itself is open to the public from 9.00 to 20.00. There are two bridges leading to Hare Island: Ioannovsky Bridge and Kronverksky Bridge.

You can enter the territory of the island, as well as the fortress itself, via any of the bridges. Not far from the Peter and Paul Fortress there is Gorkovskaya metro station, from it to the Peter and Paul Fortress is no more than 5-10 minutes on foot.

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You can also get here on foot: from Admiralty Island through Trinity Bridge. Or by Palace Bridge first to the spit of Vasilievsky Island, and from there across the Birzhevoy Bridge along the Mytninskaya Embankment to the Kronverksky Bridge, but this route is the longest. Directions and opening hours of ticket offices and exhibitions can be found on the Peter and Paul Fortress website.

Ioannovsky Bridge and Ioannovsky Ravelin

We reached the Peter and Paul Fortress the most in a simple way- Metro. The ground entrance hall of Gorkovskaya station is located in Aleksandrovsky Park, and when you go outside, it’s easy to lose your orientation and understand where to go. In this case, if your natural sense of direction is silent, then it is better to ask someone for directions or try to follow the main stream of people.

So after 5 minutes we find ourselves at the Ioannovsky Bridge, the road to the historical heart of St. Petersburg, the Peter and Paul Fortress. The bridge is the oldest bridge in St. Petersburg, although nothing remains of that same bridge. Ioannovsky Bridge, originally called Krasny, as the main and only bridge to the fortress, had a lifting central section.

The Ioannovsky Bridge ends with the Ioannovsky Gate, on which the year 1740 is indicated. This is the year the construction work was completed, during which the Peter and Paul Fortress became completely stone, before which it was wooden. The fortress is further strengthened on the east and west by defensive structures called ravelins. The very same Ioannovsky Gate is built into the eastern ravelin or Ioannovsky. Therefore, having passed through them, thus bypassing the ravelin, we find ourselves on open space directly in front of the main walls of the fortress.

Gate of the Peter and Paul Fortress

There are four gates leading to the Peter and Paul Fortress, according to the number of cardinal directions and their location.

• Neva Gate. This is the southern river entrance to the fortress. It was possible to get into the fortress through the Neva Gate only by mooring to the pier. Hence the name of the gate.
• Vasilyevsky Gate from the west, this gate serves as the entrance to the fortress through the Vasilievsky curtain, which faces Vasilievsky Island, hence the name.
• Nikolsky Gate serves as the entrance to the Peter and Paul Fortress from the north. They were not in the original plan of 1703 and they appeared in the Nikolskaya curtain only during the reconstruction of the wooden fortress into a stone one a quarter of a century after its foundation.
• Petrovsky Gate, the eastern entrance to the fortress, the most beautiful gate of the fortress

It is through the Petrovsky Gate that we enter the fortress. The wooden gate was built in 1708 and rebuilt 10 years later in stone. Peter's Gate is a monument to Peter's Borroque, designed by the architect Domenico Trezzini. In the niches on either side of the gate are statues representing “Prudence” and “Courage”.

A lead double-headed eagle is installed above the arch. And above it is a wooden bas-relief “The Overthrow of Simon the Magus by the Apostle Peter,” in which Simon is identified with the Swedish King Charles XII, and the Apostle Peter with Peter I, respectively. Thus, the whole picture is a symbol of Russia’s victory in Northern War with Sweden.

Grand Ducal Tomb and Monument to Peter I

Behind the Petrovsky Gate, the central alley to the Cathedral Square of the fortress begins, paved with paving stones.

The central alley will lead us straight to Cathedral Square and its main Peter and Paul Cathedral. But first there are several attractions awaiting us.

To the right of the alley, in the territory of its own garden, is the Grand Ducal Tomb. The role of the tomb in the Peter and Paul Fortress went to the Peter and Paul Cathedral; the tomb itself appeared here much later in 1908. The tomb was intended for grand dukes and princesses, as well as for princes of imperial blood. Some of the burials in the tomb were moved from the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

The entrance to the Grand Ducal Tomb is accessible from Cathedral Square.

Opposite the tomb, on the other side of the alley, the founder of the fortress, Peter I, sits on a forged throne, behind him is the building of the chief officer's guardhouse. Sculpture of Peter I, work by Mikhail Mikhailovich Shemyakin, Russian and American artist. When creating the sculpture, the artist took inspiration from the famous “Wax Person”, a wax double of the emperor, exhibited in the State Hermitage.

“The Wax Person” is entirely the work of Carlo Rastrelli, who, during the life of Peter I, took a wax cast from the emperor’s face and used it to make a bust and an exact copy of Peter. But “Shemyakin’s Peter” owes only his face to Rastrelli’s mask, while the body, devoid of proportions, will be left to the artist’s conscience.

Cathedral Square and Peter and Paul Cathedral

The alley leads us to Cathedral Square, which also served as a parade ground for the fortress garrison.

Several main buildings of the fortress are located on Cathedral Square. First of all, these are the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Mint and the Boat House. The current Gosznak Mint and the largest Mint in the World.

The boat house was built specifically to store the boat of Peter I, where it was kept until 1931; a copy is now on display here.

The construction of the Peter and Paul Fortress began with this cathedral. The building was founded in 1703 on the day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. The height of the Peter and Paul Cathedral with its spire was 122.5 meters. Until 2013 this was the most tall building St. Petersburg. According to the plan of Peter I, the Peter and Paul Cathedral was to become the first building new Russia, that's why it doesn't look like traditional Orthodox churches, and with its height, the spire almost pierces the sky.

Trubetskoy Bastion Prison

Although you can walk around the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress absolutely free, exhibitions and museums in the fortress still cost money. Therefore, you will have to pay to visit the next attraction, but it will be worth it.

What is a fortress without “dungeons”? No, of course it did not exist in the original plans; guardhouses were usually used for punishment. The prison in the Trubetskoy Bastion appeared in 1872; for the sake of its construction, the internal walls of the bastion were dismantled. So, in place of the tower, a pentagonal two-story prison building with a courtyard appeared, in the center of which there were baths.

The prison was planned for 73 solitary cells, where the main goal was the complete isolation of the prisoner both from the outside world and from other prisoners. IN different years Populist revolutionaries served their sentences here, including Lenin’s elder brother Alexander Ilyich Ulyanov, Socialist Revolutionaries, members of the deputation who opposed the executions of 1905, including Maxim Gorky, as well as members of the St. Petersburg Council of Workers’ Deputies, including Leon Trotsky.

Later, the situation changed radically twice, first during the February Revolution, and later as a result of the October Revolution of 1917. Thus, the population of the prison cells changed first to ministers and police chiefs, and later to the provisional government, cadets and members of the Cadet Party. The fundamental difference between the Bolshevik prison and the “tsarist” prison was the abolition of solitary confinement.

A particularly sad page in the history of the Trubetskoy Bastion prison was the years of the Red Terror, when prisoners, including 4 Grand Dukes, were massacred on the territory of the fortress. In 2010, mass graves of victims of the Red Terror were discovered on the territory of the Fortress.

Naryshkin Bastion and Neva Curtain

A special pleasure in visiting the Peter and Paul Fortress is the opportunity to look at the city from the walls of the fortress. There is such an opportunity, all you need to do is climb the Naryshkin Bastion, having previously purchased a ticket at the ticket office located here. Since the fortress was built in the shape of a six-pointed star, there are exactly six bastions in the fortress. In one of them we just visited a prison, it was the Trubetskoy bastion, the others are the Menishikov, Golovkin and Zotov bastions. There are two more, Naryshkin and Gosudarev, between which lies the camp called the Nevskaya Curtain we will have to examine. From here, from the Naryshkin bastion, a cannon fires its salvo every day at noon, announcing the middle of the day.

From the Naryshkin Bastion there are beautiful views of not only the Neva, but also the fortress itself. The route from the Naryshkin Bastion along the Neva Curtain to the Sovereign Bastion is called the Nevsky Panorama, which is how it is positioned at the box office and on advertising posters in the fortress.

The Neva curtain is a shaft connecting the Naryshkin and Sovereign bastions. The shaft faces the Neva, hence its name. It is in the Neva Curtain that the Neva Gate, also called the Gate of Death, was installed.

Along the wooden flooring, accompanied by an audio guide broadcasting from horns installed on the curtain, we move towards the Sovereign Bastion.

The Sovereign's Bastion was founded first; now a monument has been erected on the bastion in honor of the “300th anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg.”

And from the bastion itself it opens beautiful view to the Neva and to the Trinity Bridge. By the way, you can enter the bastion and walk along its turn, feeling like you are in a real dungeon.

Postern of the Sovereign Bastion of the Peter and Paul Fortress

Poterna is an underground corridor communicating between the internal structures of the fort and its external fortifications. Thus, through the trench of the Sovereign's bastion one could get into the inner courtyard of the fortress, bypassing the Petrovsky Gate.

The entrance to the postern is from the outside of the Sovereign's Bastion, from the Ioannovsky Ravelin. There is an entrance fee and the gallery itself is not very large, ending with a small art exhibition.

This is where the sights we visited ended. Of course, we have not examined all the objects of the fortress and visited not all exhibitions and museum displays, but what we have covered is quite enough for a 4-5 hour acquaintance with the Peter and Paul Fortress. And it's definitely worth going here. After all, the Peter and Paul Fortress is the first building of the Northern capital, and a military one at that. It turns out that the Peter and Paul Fortress contains the charm of Kronstadt and the proximity of St. Petersburg attractions.

Russia's northern capital is rich in architectural attractions, but only one of these tourist sites is the true historical core of the city. This is a famous fortress official name which is St. Petersburg, but it is better known as Petropavlovskaya.

Its fortifications were laid in the first years XVIII centuries. The construction plan was developed by the first Russian emperor together with an engineer Joseph Gaspard Lambert de Guerin. Today the fortress is one of the “calling cards” of the city.

History of the fortress in the 18th century

Plan of the fortress, the authors of which were Peter I and one of the engineers of French origin close to him, included a project for the construction of six bastions and curtains connecting them, the construction of a crownwork and ravelins was planned. The materials from which the initial buildings were erected were wood and earth, but in the 30s and 40s of the 18th century, part of the bastion fortifications was covered with stone. In the 80s of this century, all the structures of the fortress received a stone “robe”.

Soon after the foundation of the fortress, the construction of its cathedral began. Later it became the tomb of several Russian emperors. Author of the building project - Domenico Andrea Trezzini. In the early 30s of the 18th century, the construction of the Peter and Paul Church was completed.

Every morning, at sunrise, over the fortress the flag was raised. At sunset he was lowered. This tradition was interrupted only at the beginning of the 20th century, in the post-revolutionary period. In the 90s of the same century, it was resumed for a short time, but then it was decided not to lower the flag. Since then, it has been constantly visible on the mast above the fortress.

In the 30s of the 18th century, another tradition appeared: at noon, a sound was heard from one of the bastions. cannon shot(so that all townspeople know exactly what time it is). The same shots were heard at the beginning and end of each working day. In the mid-30s of the 20th century, this tradition was interrupted, but in the second half of the 50s it was revived.

In the 60s of the 18th century, a house for "St. Nicholas"- the boot of the first Russian emperor. This ship is often called the “grandfather” of the Russian fleet. It was transported from Moscow in the 20s of the 18th century. Initially, the ship was located under a canopy built specifically for it, then a house was erected.

Some of the fortress buildings were lined with granite. The cladding work began in the late 70s of the 18th century and continued until the mid-80s. Around the same period of time, some of the buildings of the fortress were changed, they were given a more solemn, majestic appearance.

Under one of the arches of the fortress appeared list of floods, which became real disasters for the city. It can still be seen today. It is supplemented with new tragic dates. Three of these floods occurred in the 18th century, one in the 19th century, and two in the 20th century.

XIX and XX centuries

At the end of the 18th century, construction of buildings began on the territory of the fortress. Mint which ended at the beginning of the 19th century. Around the same period of time, an armory was built.

The fortress was built in such a way that it could repel enemy attacks, but throughout its history it has never participated in wars. Soon after the construction of the fortress was completed, it began to be used as a prison. It performed the same function in the 19th century. Political criminals were kept here.

One of the first prisoners of the fortress was eldest son of Peter I; he died in the fortress at the beginning of the 18th century (according to one version, he was killed there). Later they were kept here Decembrists. The harsh walls of the fortress are remembered Alexander Radishchev, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Nikolai Chernyshevsky- these famous Russian thinkers and writers in different time served their sentence here. The terrorist was imprisoned in the fortress for some time Sergey Nechaev, punished for the murder of his colleague, student Ivan Ivanov. During the trial, an essay was published, the author of which was the defendant, which he called “Catechism of a Revolutionary”; this “work” shocked society with its inhumanity and cynicism; even many convinced revolutionaries, supporters of a violent change of power, spoke of it with indignation.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the fortress garrison took an active part in events that resulted in a change in the social system in the country. The garrison sided with the Bolshevik party. They were imprisoned for some time in one of the bastions members of the Provisional Government.

In the first post-revolutionary years, production was carried out on the territory of the fortress. mass shootings accused of counter-revolutionary activities. The burials were discovered only in beginning of XXI century.

In the 20s of the 20th century, the fortress was turned into museum. After some time, the city leadership decided to destroy the bastion fortifications and build a large stadium in their place. Fortunately, this decision was soon reversed.

In the mid-20s, in one of the premises of the fortress, a laboratory, which was developing special rocket shells that required smokeless powder. The laboratory was located there almost until the mid-30s of the 20th century. Its employees achieved such impressive successes that their names were immortalized in the names of ten lunar craters. Currently, a museum is opened in the former laboratory premises.

Architectural ensemble of the fortress

The fortress is a historical and architectural monument that is a must-visit for every tourist visiting the sights of the northern capital of Russia. There are so many interesting things on the territory of the fortress that you can devote a whole day to exploring it. But what architectural features, what buildings should you pay special attention to? It is quite difficult to answer this question: all the gates and bastions, ravelins and curtains, all the buildings of the fortress deserve the attention of a tourist; we advise you to examine them carefully, without missing anything.

One of the examples of classicism architecture on the territory of the fortress is Neva Gate. They were built at the beginning of the 18th century. At first the gates were wooden, but a few years later they were rebuilt in stone. The author of the project of this building is Domenico Andrea Trezzini. In the 30s of the 18th century, the gate was rebuilt again. It was then that they were decorated with a composition that included a shield, banner and military armor; These decorations have survived to this day. In the mid-40s of the 18th century, the gate was rebuilt again. Forty years later as an architect Nikolai Lvov A project was developed, in accordance with which another (this time the last!) reconstruction of the gate was carried out. After that, their height was twelve meters, width - about the same. The height of the base is about a meter. The triangular granite pediment, supported by columns, is decorated with a composition of palm branches and an anchor, and on its edges there are images of bombs with stylized flames.

Construction John's Gate began in the late 30s of the 18th century and ended in the early 40s of the same century. Their project was developed Burchard Christoph von Münnich. The gate was named in honor of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich (father of Anna Ioannovna, who reigned at that time). This gate became one of the last objects of the fortress rebuilt in stone. In the 20s of the 19th century, part of the gate was rusticated, and at the same time rosettes appeared on the facade. In the 60s of the 20th century, the gate was restored.

Petrovsky Gate were built in the early years of the 18th century. Initially, their upper part was wooden, it rested on a stone base. Later they were rebuilt in stone. Speaking about the architectural style of the gate, it should be noted that they fully comply with the canons of Peter the Great's Baroque. The gate is decorated with a panel depicting a biblical scene: Simeon the Magus is overthrown by Peter (one of the apostles). This scene symbolizes the victory of the first Russian emperor (with whom the apostle of the same name is identified in the picture) over the king of Sweden. The width of the panel is slightly less than five meters, the height is about three and a half meters. In the niches of the gate there are two statues, one of which symbolizes courage, and the other - prudence. The first of the symbolic sculptures is crowned with a helmet on which the sculptor depicted a salamander; the second holds a mirror in her hand, and with the other hand she squeezes a snake (one of the symbols of wisdom). In the 20s of the 18th century, the gates were decorated with the Russian coat of arms made of lead; at the beginning of the 20th century (in the post-revolutionary period), this image was covered with special shields. Already in the 18th century, the gate needed restoration; they were repeatedly repaired and covered with plaster. By the beginning of the 20th century, its layer reached almost fifteen centimeters. In the 40s of the XX century (in war time) the gate was damaged during the shelling. Ten years later they were restored.

On a note

• Location: St. Petersburg, Hare Island.
• Nearest metro stations: “Gorkovskaya”, “Sportivnaya”.
• Official website: https://www.spbmuseum.ru/
• Opening hours: from 9:30 to 21:00. Access to the island opens at 6:00, you can stay on it until 22:00. Day off is Wednesday. IN winter time the working day becomes an hour shorter. Numerous museums located on the territory of the fortress open somewhat later than the fortress itself.
• Tickets: from 200 to 300 rubles (depending on what kind of exhibition you want to see). You can purchase a comprehensive ticket for 600 rubles. For those categories of visitors who are entitled to benefits, the price, of course, will be lower. If you are not interested in museums and just want to visit the territory of the fortress, then entry into it will be free for you.