The Peter and Paul Fortress, located in the heart of St. Petersburg on the Hare Island, today is one of the most recognizable sights of the cultural capital of Russia. We will tell a little about the history of its creation and take a walk to the famous prison of the Peter and Paul Fortress.
History of creation
Peter and Paul Fortress is an ancient architectural structure of the Northern capital. Its first stone was laid back in 1703. It happened on May 3. It is believed that the Russian emperor Peter I independently and with great attention selected a place for a new fortress, which was so necessary for the state at that time. There was a Russian-Swedish war, and in order to demonstrate to the world the power and achievements of the Russian army, Peter conceived this construction.
An undoubted advantage is the geographical location of the fortress. In addition to the fact that it is located on the island, two water fortifications that wash it from all sides - the Neva and the Kronverksky Canal provide additional protection.
It is interesting that the emperor personally supervised the construction of the fortress; moreover, he himself made the necessary calculations. But it was not possible to do without attracting specialists from abroad, in particular, the projects of French engineers Lambert and Trezzini played a large role.
Architectural ensemble
The Peter and Paul Fortress is distinguished by a large number of beautiful ancient buildings, each of which has its own history. The vast territory of the island allows you to walk here all day! Before heading to the prison, let's see what other buildings the visitor will see here.
Peter and Paul Cathedral
This building, perhaps, can be considered a hallmark of the fortress. The cathedral was built in 1703 by the Italian architect Domenico Trezzini. This grandiose architectural monument of Peter's Baroque served as the burial place of emperors. It is here that the remains of Peter the Great and other representatives of the Romanov dynasty, right up to the mother of the last Russian emperor Nicholas II Maria Fedorovna, who died in Denmark, still lie to this day.
Of particular interest is the cathedral’s spire: on its top - the symbol of the cultural capital - the figure of an angel, familiar to every Petersburger. Today, anyone can freely visit the cathedral.
Bastions
Peter and Paul Fortress has six bastions. The first of them and the earliest in time of construction - Sovereign. It was with him that the construction of the entire architectural ensemble began. The bastion has long been used as a warehouse, and its casemates served as barracks.
The remaining bastions are named after the associates of the great emperor: Naryshkin, Trubetskoy, Zotov, Golovkin, Menshikov. All of them carried fortification and some other functions. So, for example, in the 1730s an unusual tradition appeared, which remains today. A cannon shot is fired regularly from the Naryshkin bastion, marking the onset of half a day. Its sound is so loud that it is heard from all sides of the fortress. Soon we will talk about the famous prison of the bastion of the Peter and Paul Fortress, where state criminals were serving their sentences, but for now ...
Other facilities
In addition to these buildings, visitors have the opportunity to see a number of important buildings and institutions of the fortress.
- Mint. This is one of the very first industrial enterprises, where coins and valuable orders are issued today.
- Botanical house. Today there are ticket offices and a small museum-shop where you can get acquainted with the history of the city of St. Petersburg. But in the XVIII century, an important imperial relic was kept in the building of this house - the boat of Peter I, known as the "grandfather of the Russian fleet."
- Artillery Zeichhaus. It was built at the beginning of the 19th century and was used as a storage for military equipment. Later, a fire station was located here, replaced by a telephone exchange, and at the beginning of the twentieth century the Zeichhaus turned into a prison cell.
- And other structures, such as the Engineering House, the Commandant’s House, guardhouse.
Peter and Paul Fortress Prison
Let's go now to the imperial residence. Opposite the magnificent Winter Palace is the prison of the Trubetskoy bastion of the Peter and Paul Fortress. The place is very symbolic: according to the indigenous Petersburgers, it is here that two authorities unite, each of which cannot exist independently.
Below is a photo of the prison of the Peter and Paul Fortress from the courtyard.
What is the past of this unusual place?
The Trubetskoy bastion was unofficially used as a prison in the Peter and Paul Fortress back in the 18th century. Since then, many political criminals have been here. The first were Tsarevich Alexei (son of Peter I and Evdokia Lopukhina), the boyars Kikin and Lopukhin and Prince Dolgoruky. All of them were accused of treason and betrayal and for many years imprisoned in the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress prison. There was also a secret chancellery where prisoners were interrogated. It is believed that Peter himself was present during these interrogations and often acted as an executioner.
Towards the end of the 19th century, there was a sharp shortage of premises for the maintenance of criminals inside the fortress, so in 1870 the Trubetskoy bastion was decided to officially be reorganized into a prison. The prison was secret. It contained only those suspects whose crimes were political in nature. As a rule, these were people who were still under investigation. Only in exceptional cases were criminals sentenced to death or sentenced to life imprisonment sent to prison.
The prison of the Trubetskoy bastion lasted for half a century. The names of the overwhelming number of her prisoners are forever preserved on the pages of Russian history. The first Narodnaya Volya activists who attacked Alexander II, Alexander Ulyanov, the elder brother of the very Ulyanov-Lenin who dreamed of accomplishing the socialist revolution, the famous Russian writer Maxim Gorky, who was released after a short time due to public pressure ... There are many more names that are familiar to every Russian . But how many prisoners are still unknown to us?
The prison of the Trubetskoy Peter and Paul Fortress lasted until 1924. After that, it was turned into a museum, which anyone can visit today.