When Peter the Great laid the new city under the very nose of the Swedes, with whom he was at war then, he had to carefully consider the defense system. There are many islands in the Gulf of Finland. If used wisely, they could serve as reliable protection for St. Petersburg. The island farthest from the city is Kotlin. He was to guard the entrance to the bay from Swedish ships. Since Kotlin took the first blow of a potential enemy, he had to be well fortified. In 1703, Peter the Great personally laid the first stone of the Kronshloss fortress. Around the same time, the king founded a city on the island of Kotlin. He received the name Kronstadt. According to the military canons of that time, the fortress was additionally guarded by earthen fortifications - shants. To date, several have survived, in worse or better condition. We offer you to take a virtual tour to one of them - Fort “Shants”.
How to get to Kronstadt
To get acquainted with the sights of the fortifications of St. Petersburg, you first need to come to the island of Kotlin. Until the 80s of the last century, this could only be done by water. So the trip was largely dependent on weather conditions in the Neva Bay and the Gulf of Finland. Now the island connects with a large land dam. The most convenient way to get to Kotlin is to see the Shants Fort, on bus number 101, which leaves from the Staraya Derevnya metro station. In an hour you will be there. Other options: from the metro station "Black River" goes minibus K405; from s / m "Prospekt Enlightenment" - K407; from the Mega-Parnes shopping center - bus number 816. If you prefer rail transport, then trains from the Baltic Station often run in the direction of Kalische and Oranienbaum-1. But there you will also need to transfer to bus number 175. If you want to turn the drive to Kotlin Island into a fascinating tour and do not regret it 700 rubles, you can get to Kronstadt in the old fashioned way - by water. But these are not voyages, which were canceled due to unprofitability from the moment the dam was put into operation. Excursion meteors during the navigation period (April-October) depart from Vasilievsky Island, from Tuchkov Bridge.
Fort Schantz (Kronstadt): how to get there
All ground transportation arrives in the central part of the city. The final stops of minibuses from St. Petersburg to Kronstadt are Grazhdanskaya Street, Roshal Square or the Public Life Center. Kotlin Island is not very large in size, so you can get to its fortifications on foot. But why not use local transportation? Moreover, one of the city buses runs directly to the Schants fort (Kronstadt). How to get to the places of interest to us? First we get to the Leningrad pier. There we board bus number 2. The fare costs 15 rubles and is paid by the driver. The Shants fortification is the final destination of this route. If you travel by car, you should move from Zosimov Street along the Kronstad highway.
History of construction
Fort Shants is one of the first defensive redoubts of the Kronshloss fortress. It was laid in 1706 and proved to be in action during the Northern War. Subsequently, the fort was repeatedly rebuilt and strengthened. The oldest part is on the right flank of the modern redoubt. It was called "Alexander the Trench." Then the fort was supplemented with redoubts “Mikhail”, “Nikolai” and “Litera V” (“Kurtina”). All these fortifications together were called the Alexander Battery. At the end of the nineteenth century, the last major restructuring took place, with the goal of enhancing the defensive significance of the Shants fort. It was then that the line of fortifications received this name.
The modern history of fortifications
But after the First World War it became clear that in the current conditions of warfare, forts are useless. The vacant casemates were used for headquarters based. During the Second World War, the Schantz fort in Kronstadt served as the location of the railway battery of artillerymen. After 1945, all the fortifications on Kotlin and the surrounding islands became desolate. Some of them tested flammable and explosive substances. They say that in one of the forts an ampoule with a plague virus is buried. In any case, it is better not to roam the fortifications without a guide. Indeed, despite the fact that forts are declared objects of cultural heritage and taken under state protection, their condition is assessed as extremely unsatisfactory. There is a danger of collapse of the ceiling and collapse of the ceilings.
What is this landmark of Kronstadt
Nevertheless, it’s definitely worth a visit at least once. Despite the complete desolation and traces of vandalism, it will be interesting to lovers of fortification architecture. The battery completely covers the northern spit of the island of Kotlin, serving as protection from the north not only to St. Petersburg, but also to the city with such a beautiful name - Kronstadt. Fort Schants, built at the end of the nineteenth century on the site of obsolete redoubts, is a long and high earthen rampart. It connects all three concrete batteries. The central one was designed for guns; mortar redoubts were located on the flanks. At the top of the shaft, twelve open artillery positions were installed, which were covered by a high parapet of concrete. The courtyards in which the guns stood were separated by a two-tier traverse. You can see the bunkers for shelter of the artillery brigade and a warehouse for shells.
Fort Schantz (Kronstadt): beach
Swimming in the Gulf of Finland is an amateur pleasure. But there are very hot days in St. Petersburg. And then I want to plunge and swim. Few people know that there is a long sandbank beyond Fort Shants. The water here quickly warms up, so bathing will bring true joy, so that your relaxation will seem paradise.