Kronstadt is an important place for St. Petersburg both from the historical and economic point of view. This is his satellite city. Kronstadt is no less important for the whole of Russia.
Where is Kronstadt located?
In St. Petersburg, almost everyone knows this and can explain how to get to it. It is impossible to give the exact address where Kronstadt is located, because this is not a house, not a monument, not a park. Kronstadt is a city in northwestern Russia, located almost on the water.
Where is Kronstadt located? On the photo of the map of the coast of the Gulf of Finland its location is clearly visible.
The city of Kronstadt is located where there are two navigable channels leading to the mouth of the Neva - on the island of Kotlin in the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. In Finnish, the name of the island sounds like Retusaari. The origin of the name is apparently associated with the peculiarities of the shape of the island. It looks like a cauldron. This type of formation of toponyms - "talking names" - took place on the basis of the "see-call" principle and was characteristic of the Finno-Ugric tribes inhabiting the territory of the Karelian Isthmus, the lowland of Princes and the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland.
How to get to Kronstadt?
Where is Kronstadt located? How to get there There are several ways to do this. The most accessible is the road on the highway through the dam by car, bus or minibus.
If you choose a bus, then you need No. 101, which leaves from the metro station "Staraya Derevnya". Coming out at the stop "House of Life", take a walk around the city. You will not regret! You will have to go to the center for about 20 minutes.
If you decide to take a minibus, then it stops on Staroderevenskaya street - three stops from the metro station "Staraya Derevnya". You need No. 405. A rather large amount of transport runs to Staroderevenskaya Street: buses - No. 93 (this route is convenient for residents of the Akademicheskaya and Pionerskaya metro stations), 110, 120; minibuses - No. 233, 308, 232, 93. Also this route goes from the metro station "Black River". And from the metro station "Prospekt Enlightenment" you can go by minibus number 407.
By car you will have to go sequentially from the Peat road along the streets of Optikov, Pionerskaya, Savushkina, Primorsky highway, Kronstadt highway, the streets of Rebellion and Roshal to Anchor Square.
And you can also get to Kronstadt by water - on a meteor from one of the Neva marinas.
Kronstadt Fortress: First Fort
The first fort of the Kronstadt fortress - Kronshlot - was founded by decree of Peter I back in 1704. Its architect was Domenico Trezzini. The initial specialization of the architect sounded like a “master from fortification,” that is, a master in the construction of fortresses and other defense fortifications.
Trezzini designed the fort in such a way that his garrison could defend without going beyond the boundaries of the defense fortification for several weeks. The architect designed the form in the form of a tower of an old Russian fortress. The tower was erected on the shallows in the Gulf of Finland, the depth of which was 2-4 m. This sandbank was part of the Neva Bay and was called the "Nevsky Bar". It was formed just between two navigable channels of five constructed by decree of Peter I. This made it possible to control two main approaches to the Neva mouth from the Baltic Sea at once.
Kronshlot as a monument to fortification
Kronshlot as an architectural structure was a three-tier log house made of resinous tree logs, which enabled him to rot much more slowly. The lower tier had the shape of a tetrahedron in plan and was installed at the very bottom of the shallow. The technology of its installation is interesting: since the fort was laid in winter and the Gulf of Finland was covered with ice, the base of the fortification was erected directly on the thick Baltic ice. Between two walls - internal and external - logs were sprinkled with chips, sand and other auxiliary material that makes the structure heavier. Then the ice around the log house was cut, and under the weight of its own weight the structure sank to the bottom.
The second and third tiers had an octagonal shape in plan, with the second tier being two-story. From above the fort was covered with a tent roof and crowned with a sentinel tower-belvedere with the Andreevsky flag hoisted on it.
Along the perimeter of the tiers were balustrades, limiting the area from where the defenders of the garrison could conduct open fire against enemy ships. Tiers were connected by external stairs.
The internal layout of Kronshlot was well thought out: the space was divided into compartments, according to the faces of the structure, and in the center there was a round room around which the others were grouped. Here were: dining room, wardroom, pharmacy, barracks, warehouses and an arsenal. Shooting could be carried out from loopholes - narrow slit-like windows.
Kronshlot was later rebuilt in stone.
Kronstadt fortress in development
The founding date of the Kronstadt fortress is considered the day of the consecration of Fort Kronshlot by the Novgorod Metropolitan - May 7, 1704. Its name translates as "crown castle". It is known that in addition to Kronshlot, approximately at the same time, a fort was also built on the shore to strengthen the defense of the Neva Bay. Until the end of the century, the defensive fortifications of Kronstadt were wooden, and in the 80s they were rebuilt from stone. Then and later, in the 19th century, Kronshlot was modernized and fortified with guns and a casemated battery.
The construction was carried out by soldiers of the regiments F.S. Tolbukhin and P.I. Ostrovsky. By 1705, there were already five batteries nearby, on the island of Kotlin, and by 1706, another fort was erected on the site of the Tolbukhin battery, which was called "St. Alexander" or "Alexander Shanets."
It was followed by the erection of the battery "Saint Jan". And in 1709-1710. built warehouses and a marina, a dock and a canal leading to the dock. So the foundation was laid for the Baltic Fleet. In 1721, the Citadel fort and harbor were built. And the Kronstadt fortress itself was laid by Peter I in 1723.
Kronstadt shipyard: birth
The first ships began to be produced on the island of Kotlin in 1705, as evidenced by the mention in the annals. Shipbuilding on Kotlin began at Kronshlot at the moment when pram was launched - a floating platform for lifting sunken ships, which was still used as an artillery battery. In essence, pram is a flat-bottomed vessel. The authorship of his alteration from parts of the old single-masted vessel - the Budar - belongs to Admiral Cornelius Krujs.
Then, on Kotlin, warships were repaired and major military sailing ships completed - shnivy, battleships and frigates descended from the slipway of the Admiralty. And in 1716 they began to build boats for walking along the skerries and boats for them, and since 1717, bots. In the same year, the master of the ship, Brown, headed the Kronshlot shipbuilding. In 1718, he directed special efforts to create a boat shore reserve, erecting boat barns on the island. In 1722, two shipyards for the repair and construction of large military sailing ships were already operating on the island. And in 1724, boathouses and a sea channel were built, the construction of docks began. The production of ship-lifting vessels was improved. After the death of Peter I in the 1730s, work was carried out under the leadership of Luberas.
Kronstadt shipyard: rebirth
By the middle of the 19th century, it became clear that the Kronstadt shipyard, in the form in which it existed, had already outlived itself. After studying European shipbuilding, it was decided to build the Steamship Plant in Kronstadt. According to the idea of Nicholas I, it was planned to build it in the Northern harbor. In connection with the failures that followed the start of work, it was decided to move the place to Forest Harbor. But the lack of cash and labor, as well as climatic conditions hindered construction. After 8 years from the start of construction, the question arose that the initial project was already outdated. As a result, by the opening in 1758, the plant was redesigned and had to deal with the repair of ships. Indeed, the 19th century is the century of the invention of a mechanical engine in Europe, which made it possible to invent the ship and begin its active use as a modern shipping means both within Russia and internationally. The first steamboat was tested in 1815 on the Neva by Charles Bird, and a year later regular steamboat flights were established to Europe.
Steamship Plant: Modernization
For several years, the plant was still being improved. Docks were opened, Konstantinovsky and Aleksandrovsky, as well as the Petrovsky Admiralty near the Petrovsky Docks and the New Admiralty near the Steamship Plant. At the end of the 19th century, it was at the Kronstadt Steamship Factory that a number of technical discoveries were made: an alloy of cast iron and cast steel was used to make cores and bombs, a number of technical systems and auxiliary mechanisms were made for ships that met a new word in shipbuilding, and Zotov and Afanasyev were invented ejectors or noise controllers, which they began to install on steamboats, released steam engines with 5 indicator forces with a steam boiler, a cylindrical tubular boiler, double and ordinary feed water filters, manded samovar red-haired on 8 buckets.
As for the labor force that ensures the functioning of the plant, by the end of the century it was only personnel workers, while previously the labor of sailors, soldiers, hired peasants, etc. had been used.
Where are the ships located?
Kronstadt is a city of sea glory of Russia. The history of the birth and development of the Baltic Fleet is associated with it. It was from its slipways that the most advanced military vessels departed and continue to descend into the water throughout the different historical periods of the Russian State; ships are being completely repaired based on advanced European technologies.
Ships can be seen on the territory of two Kronstadt ports: the Big Port "St. Petersburg" and the Commercial Port.
The large port is open for calls throughout the year. In addition to ships bringing large cargoes - cars, containers, equipment, machine tools, pipes, timber, coal, grain, etc., the port receives and sends cruise liners. For their mooring was built Marine Station.