When planning a trip to St. Petersburg, you definitely need to take a few hours to visit the Peter and Paul Fortress, a kind of heart of the city. It is located on Hare Island, in the place of the Neva’s division into three separate branches. The fortress was built more than three hundred years ago, by order of Emperor Peter I. Since then, every few decades, new buildings have appeared here. Nowadays, it is difficult to understand this museum complex without a plan-scheme of the Peter and Paul Fortress, on which all its attractions are clearly displayed. We will use it during our discussion.
Fortress scheme
Looking at the scheme of the Peter and Paul Fortress, you can see that the complex with its shape will almost repeat the outlines of Hare Island. In the corners are six of its bastions, interconnected by walls (they are called curtains).
In the eastern part of the fortress, the front gates of Peter the Great rise. Their very name suggests that they were ordered to be erected by the first Russian emperor.
The triangular ravellins protecting the fortress from the east and west were built much later, but harmoniously fit into the general plan of buildings.
It is difficult not to pay attention to the golden spire of the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, clearly visible in the center of the scheme. It is no exaggeration to say that the cathedral is the center of the entire complex of the ancient fortress.
The heart of the legendary city
In the distant 1703, Emperor Peter I, worried about the safety of a power waging war with the Swedes, ordered the laying of a new fortress on Hare Island. The history of the great city of St. Petersburg begins with this building. In the same year, the Ioannovsky Bridge was built , connecting the island with the village.
At first, it was not planned to build a fortress of stone, it was difficult and expensive, the construction was carried out from logs and earth. However, after several powerful spills of the Neva, part of the fragile earthen ramparts was destroyed.
Together with the fortress, the construction of the famous Peter and Paul Cathedral began, however, then a small wooden church.
Immediately after the construction of the fortress made of wood, it was decided to strengthen it in stone. Reconstruction began in 1706 with the northern part of the building, the most vulnerable in those days. In 1708, the first stone of the second bastion-Trubetskoy was laid.
After the victory over the Swedes, the need for a fortified structure disappeared, but its construction and reorganization continued. And today, on the scheme of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, you can consider the buildings laid down by Peter I.
Senate and Prison
After the official transfer of the capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg, the Senate began work within the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress.
In subsequent years, the Mint, the Commandant’s House, and many other buildings were built on government territory.
Unfortunately, back in 1715, the Peter and Paul Fortress was also used as a prison for the maintenance of political prisoners. This sad story lasted more than one century. It was here that in 1718 the disgraced prince Alexei, the son of Peter I, died in captivity. The sentence was announced to the Decembrists in the Commandant’s House. Among the many prisoners known A.N. Radishchev and N.A. Chernyshevsky.
At the beginning of the XIX century, the complex of the Peter and Paul Fortress was first available for viewing by visitors. Since then, the historic building has turned into a large museum complex, which will not last a whole day to inspect.
The tomb of the Romanov family
If you look at the scheme of the Peter and Paul Fortress from above, you will see a building with a high golden spire. The construction is considered the same age as the hometown. This is the famous Peter and Paul Cathedral, in which, from 1725, almost all Russian emperors were reassured.
When the reconstruction of the first wooden fortress began, the changes affected the church named after the famous apostles Peter and Paul, also built of logs. The beautiful cathedral was fully consistent with the idea of Emperor Peter I about the splendor of the new Russian capital.
On the scheme of the Peter and Paul Fortress, next to the majestic cathedral, the building of the Grand Ducal Tomb, intended for the burial of uncrowned members of the Romanov family, is visible. The building was erected at the beginning of the 20th century and before the revolution of 1917.
Here it is worth paying attention to the incomparable mosaic icons of the Mother of God, executed in the workshop of Frolov. And, of course, the magnificent image of the Kazan Mother of God, located high on the facade of the building. It is believed that he has been protecting the city on the Neva since the time of his first emperor.
Cabin for a glorious ship
There is another interesting attraction that always attracts tourists to the Peter and Paul Fortress. An unusual name stands out on the scheme of the fortress with signatures - the Botanical House. The very idea of building a building for storing a small wooden ship these days seems a little strange, but this idea of Emperor Peter I justified itself.
The boat itself is a small sailing-rowing vessel on which young Peter made his first voyages along Lake Pereyaslavl. The emperor believed that it was from him that the glorious history of the Russian fleet began.
In 1723, the boat was solemnly transported from Moscow to the Northern capital. And after about forty years, instead of a canopy, a pavilion was built to store it, called the Botanical House.
Today, the building hosts exhibitions on the history of St. Petersburg. Since 1931, the ship itself has become part of the Central Naval Museum, and in the Botanical House an exact copy of it is exhibited, albeit a little smaller.
Walk along the walls of the fortress
On a clear sunny day, you should not regret a small amount for the entrance ticket and take a walk along the walls of the fortress. According to local residents, it offers the best panoramic view of the historic center of St. Petersburg and the majestic Neva.
According to the map-scheme of the Peter and Paul Fortress, it is possible to determine that this route runs from Gosudarev to the Naryshkin bastions. You will have to step on wooden walkways, which also adds color.
Every day at exactly noon a shot is heard from a cannon located on the fortress bastion. Impressions guaranteed!
Da Vinci spacecraft and space suits
The territory of the fortress is quite large, and several interesting exhibits are constantly operating on it.
For example, lovers of history will be interested in the permanent exhibition "Secrets of da Vinci", which presents models of many inventions of the great master. Children cannot tear themselves away from life-size cannons and catapults. There is also a huge mock-up of a tank in wooden casing, armed with several cannons. Guests of the exhibition disappear for a long time in a large mirror room where you can take very funny photos.
And fans of modern technology should visit the Museum of Cosmonautics and Rocket Inventions. V.P. Glushko, located in Ioannovsky ravelin. Guided by the scheme, in the Peter and Paul Fortress it will not be difficult to find it. Here you can see the models of the first artificial satellites and an exact copy of the ISS at a scale of 1:50.
Do not forget to take a picture next to the Comet lander, which was in space in 1991. Now he flaunts in front of the museum.
Travel tips and reviews
When visiting the Peter and Paul Fortress, there is the opportunity to buy a single ticket for five excursions. According to reviews, they really get around in only two days. Therefore, it is better to choose some interesting exhibitions and spend more time there. And in good weather, you can sign up for a sightseeing tour "Northern Venice" and enjoy the wonderful views of the fortress from the Neva.
On the territory of the museum complex there are more than eighteen attractions that are displayed on the scheme of the Peter and Paul Fortress. And you can walk along the walls of the structure, enjoy the sun's rays on the pier and take a picture against the backdrop of the Peter Gate, built more than three hundred years ago.