Map of the Peter and Paul Fortress. Scheme of the Peter and Paul Fortress: overview of the museum, history of construction, interesting facts, photos, reviews
































Description

Peter-Pavel's Fortress in St. Petersburg, located at the mouth of the Neva River on Hare Island. It was founded by Emperor Peter I on May 27 (May 16, old style) 1703 at the very beginning of the Northern War (1700-1721). Initially, the first Russian outpost in the Baltic was called “St. Petersburg” and connected together a system of defensive structures (Nyenschanz, Noteburg, Kronshlot), the main task of which was to block the Swedish fleet on Gulf of Finland and at the mouth of the Neva River. But throughout its history, the fortress was never used for defensive purposes. It was destined to become the core of a new city - a rapidly developing capital Russian Empire- St. Petersburg.


The first fortress was built from earth, turf and wood according to the design of the French engineer Joseph Gaspard Lambert de Guerin. It is believed that the plan for fortifications was proposed by Tsar Peter Alekseevich himself. The fortress was built according to the latest in fortification art in accordance with the laws of the Western European bastion system. The outlines of Hare Island determined the shape of the fortress: an irregular hexagon with six protruding massive bastions named after the associates of Peter I (Gosudarev, Menshikov, Zotov, Naryshkin, Trubetskoy, Golovkin) and curtains connecting them (Petrovskaya, Nevskaya, Ekaterininskaya, Vasilyevskaya, Nikolskaya, Kronverkskaya) . In the eastern part of Hare Island, outside the fortress walls, an earthen ravelin was erected - an additional defensive structure, and on Berezovy Island, to the north of the fortress, Kronverk was built.


The work was carried out at an “accelerating pace” - the earthen fortress was completed by October 1, 1703. 52 guns were installed on the Trubetskoy and Naryshkin bastions, 58 on the Gosudarev. Raising and lowering the flag on the Sovereign Bastion meant the beginning and end of the working day.

Working conditions for workers were appalling. According to the testimony of Chamberlain Berchholz, the workers “died like flies from cold and hunger.” Another eyewitness recorded that the earth was carried in the tails of clothes or on the shoulders in small bags. Work on the construction of a new city was equated to hard labor; deserters from the army were exiled here (Peter's decree of July 4, 1705), criminals, and special groups of workers from the provinces. Bases were created for the supply of food in Novgorod and Ladoga, but interruptions still occurred. To combat dysentery and scurvy, vodka infused with pine cones was used. Constant flooding also complicated the situation.


But the wood-earth fortress did not stand for long; just three years after its foundation, reconstruction began. The stone fortress is being built according to the design of the architect Domenico Trezzini. From 1706 to 1740, on the site of the earthworks, new curtains and bastions made of brick and stone were erected, which almost completely repeated the outlines of their wood-earth predecessors. Inside the fortress walls there were casemates for barracks and ammunition depots. In 1707, the Tsar ordered the construction of a front gate in the fortress. In 1708, work began on the construction of the Petrovsky Gate. They were designed by Domenico Trezzini, first wooden, then stone, they preserved the composition conceived by the architect. Peter's Gate is a striking example of Peter's Baroque.

In the 1731-1740s, during the reign of Anna Ioannovna, on the western and eastern ends of the island according to the project of B.-Kh. von Minich, additional external fortifications were erected - Ioannovsky (on the site of the first earthen ravelin) and Alekseevsky ravelins. They received their name in honor of the father and grandfather of Empress Anna Ioannovna. Between the fortress walls and ravelins, ditches with drawbridges were built (filled up at the end of the 19th century).


During the reign of Empress Catherine II, work on the improvement of the Peter and Paul Fortress continued. By her highest order, in 1779 - 1786, the walls of the fortress facing the Neva were lined with granite. At the same time, the Neva Gate of the fortress and the Commandant's pier (architect N. A. Lvov) were ceremoniously decorated.

Main dominant architectural ensemble fortress - Peter and Paul Cathedral. The first wooden church was founded in the center of the fortress on July 12 (June 29, old style) 1703, the day of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. In its place, in 1712-1733, according to the design of D. Trezzini, the stone Peter and Paul Cathedral was built. Based on the name of the cathedral, the fortress also began to be called Peter and Paul Fortress.


During the 18th-19th centuries, buildings for various purposes were built on the territory of the fortress - the Commandant's and Engineer's houses, the guardhouse, the Boat House, the Artillery Workshop, the Mint, the prison of the Trubetskoy Bastion, the Treasury, the House of Stock Capital, the Weights and Measures Depot, the Major's Parade and the Outbuilding. -adjutant house, Grand Ducal tomb, Church house and others.
The Peter and Paul Fortress in Tsarist Russia had another purpose - a prison; it was also called the “Russian Bastille”. Since the beginning of the 18th century, it became a place of detention for especially important state criminals. Prisoners were housed in casemates of bastions and curtains and in specially constructed prison buildings.

The Peter and Paul Fortress was first opened to visitors under Emperor Alexander I at the beginning of the 20th century. The first excursions began to be held in the Peter and Paul Cathedral around the imperial necropolis in the 1900s.


After 1917, no construction was carried out on the territory of Hare Island. In 1924, the Peter and Paul Cathedral and the Trubetskoy Bastion prison were transferred to the Museum of the Revolution. In 1954, the complex of buildings of the Peter and Paul Fortress became part of State Museum history of Leningrad (St. Petersburg).

Today the Peter and Paul Fortress is part of the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg, the museum’s funds are located here, open permanent exhibitions, temporary exhibitions are held.

Notable exhibits

  • Carved gilded iconostasis and altar canopy

    A gift to the temple from Peter I and Catherine I. The iconostasis was created in Moscow according to the drawings of D. Trezzini by a group of master carvers under the leadership of I. P. Zarudny. Peter and Paul Cathedral and the Grand Ducal Tomb



Peter and Paul Fortress - St. Petersburg

History of the Peter and Paul Fortress. Guide, attractions and memorable places, opening hours, map of the fortress...

From the moment of the construction of this unique fortification, the history of St. Petersburg actually begins. That is why, quite naturally, the Peter and Paul Fortress is the oldest architectural monument on the list of attractions Northern capital.

On May 27, 1703, on the Holy Trinity, according to drawings personally made by Peter I, on the island of Vesely or Zayachiy, at the mouth of the Neva, in its widest spill into 3 branches: the Malaya Neva, the Bolshaya Neva and the Bolshaya Nevka, the construction of a fortification began, which was supposed to protect the Northern capital under construction.

Alexander Danilovich Menshikov was ordered to supervise all the work. Since initially all the fortifications of the fortress were made of wood and earth, by October the construction was already completed.

The very first flood showed the fallacy of this approach; it simply washed away the bulk of the erected earthen bastions. In this connection, three years later, i.e. in 1706, the famous architect D. Trezzini began to cover the banks of the Neva in stone.

At the same time, construction began on a temple in the name of the apostles Peter and Paul, which was later converted into the Peter and Paul Cathedral (it became a cathedral in 1731; it is also known as the Grand Ducal Tomb; Russian emperors and empresses are buried here). The work took quite a long time, and was finally completed after the death of Peter the Great.

The plan of the fortress was drawn up with the personal participation of Peter. In its appearance, the Peter and Paul Fortress resembled the natural contours of the island in the form of an elongated hexagon.

Stone walls were built in all corners. Their width reaches twenty meters, and their height - up to twelve. They consisted of 2 walls: an internal (valganga) with a thickness of 2 m and an external (escarpment) with a thickness of up to 8 m. Broken brick, crushed stone, earth, and sand were poured between them.

The pentagonal bastions received their names in honor of the associates of Peter I who oversaw the construction of one or another fortification. From here arose Naryshkin, Menshikov, Trubetskoy, Zotov, Golovkin and one in honor of Peter, Sovereign Bastion. Each was equipped with fifty guns.

In accordance with the fortification science of those times, the bastions were connected (by walls).

IN Konverkskaya, Petrovskaya, Vasilievskaya And Nikolskaya located with the same names. The main ones for the ceremonial entry, of course, were the Petrovskys.
In the curtain wall, named after Catherine (it was built blind), barracks and weapons casemates were located. For secret forays into the rear of the enemies standing at the fortifications, they were prepared underground passages(saps or sorts) and passages disguised in the walls (patterns).

For defense against the enemy from the sea, two triangular ones were built. Alekseevsky was named after Father Peter, and Ioannovsky- in honor of my older brother. They were built in the 1730s.

On the land side, one of the additional protections was a crownwork - a shaft made of earth in the form of a crown. In the 70s - 80s of the 18th century, on the side of the Neva River, the walls of the fortress for seven hundred meters were lined with granite.

The history of the Peter and Paul fortifications developed in such a way that they did not take part in any military operations and until the very beginning of the twentieth century they were used as the main state prison for dangerous political criminals (hence the well-known expression “to imprison in a fortress”).

IN different time the prisoners of the Peter and Paul ravelins were Peter's brother Alexey, Radishchev, Princess Tarakanova, and the Decembrists. Five leaders of the uprising on Senate Square were publicly executed on the fortress's crown.

The Peter and Paul fortifications, by right of birthright, lead the sights of St. Petersburg. Today the main State Museum of the History of the City is located here, which combines Peter and Paul Cathedral, buildings of the Trubetskoy Bastion Prison, Grand Duke's burial vault, Engineering house, Commandant's house, Church house, Botny house, bastions, ravelins And curtains.

Festive events are constantly held here, and guides tell tourists interesting stories from the life of the fortress. The fortress also became a real “testing ground” for films: many films were shot here, including “Treasure Island”, “The Nose”, “The Incredible Adventures of the Hussars in Russia” and many others.

And a cannon shot at noon from the Naryshkin Bastion has long been one of the main symbols of St. Petersburg.

Map of sights of the Peter and Paul Fortress

Per day!

Peter-Pavel's Fortress- this is the oldest fortress of the city, its historical core. Located on the Neva River in St. Petersburg on Hare Island.

History of the Peter and Paul Fortress

The beginning of its construction dates back to May 27, 1703, at the very beginning of the Northern War. Emperor Peter I is considered the founder of the fortress, as well as the entire city. The Peter and Paul Fortress was intended to block enemy troops on the river, although it was never used for these purposes. The fortress was originally called St. Petersburg.

Over time, the fortress became the heart of St. Petersburg, the capital of the Russian Empire.

The first fortress was approved to be built according to the design of a French engineer Joseph Gaspard Lambert de Guerin. It looked like an irregular hexagon with six bastions and curtains connecting them, and was located along the perimeter of Hare Island. An earthen ditch was built outside the fortress in the eastern part. And to the north of the fortress is Kronverk.

The fortress was built from wood, earth and turf. The work was carried out very quickly, but with terrible conditions for the workers, who died from cold, hunger and disease. Constant flooding also complicated the work. But by October 1, 1703 it was finished.

The earthen fortress stood for only three years. According to the project Domenico Trezzini it was decided to rebuild it in stone. From 1706 to 1740, the earthworks were demolished and new bastions made of brick and stone appeared in their place. In 1708, by order of Peter I, the construction of the front gates in the fortress began, according to the design of the same Domenico Trezzini. At first they were made of wood, but later they were remade of stone, preserving the original idea of ​​the architect.

On July 12, 1703, on the day of Saints Peter and Paul, it was founded wooden church. And already in 1712-1733, according to the design of Domenico Trezzini, a stone temple was erected in its place, which was called the Peter and Paul Cathedral; the fortress also began to be called Peter and Paul fortress after the name of the cathedral.

During subsequent renovations, the Peter and Paul Fortress underwent only minor reconstructions. Additional external structures (Ioanovsky and Alekseevsky ravelins) were erected in 1731-1740s during the reign of Anna Ioannovna. In 1779-1786, during the reign of Catherine II, the outer facade of the walls facing the river was lined with granite. And the Neva Gate was ceremoniously decorated.

From the beginning of the 18th century, the Peter and Paul Fortress became a prison, the so-called “Russian Bastille”. Special prison buildings were built, and especially important state criminals were brought here.

During the 18th-19th centuries, many different buildings were built on the territory of the fortress: the Engineering House, the Mint, the Treasury, the Weights and Measures Depot, the Grand Ducal Tomb, the House of Stock Capitals, the Church House, the prison of the Trubetskoy Bastion and others.

Only at the beginning of the twentieth century, under Emperor Alexander I, the Peter and Paul Fortress became accessible to visitors. The first excursion was held around the imperial necropolis in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

After 1917, no more construction was carried out on Hare Island.

Since 1954, the buildings of the Peter and Paul Fortress have belonged to the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg, exhibitions are held here, and expositions are constantly open.

Architectural ensemble of the Peter and Paul Fortress

Internal buildings and institutions of the Peter and Paul Fortress:

  • Peter and Paul Cathedral (1712-1733) with the tomb of the emperors
  • Grand Ducal Tomb (1897-1908)
  • Chief officer's guardhouse
  • Engineering house
  • Main Treasury
  • Carriage maker
  • Prosecutor's House
  • Arsenal on the crownwork
  • Artillery Workshop
  • Chief Officer's House
  • Parade-Major's House
  • House of Stock Capitals

Other points of interest:

  • Monument to Peter I
  • 12 chairs

Fortification buildings of the fortress:

  • Fortress gate: Vasilyevsky, Nevsky Gates, Ioannovsky, Kronverksky, Nikolsky, Petrovsky
  • Bastions: Gosudarev, Naryshkin, Trubetskoy, Zotov, Golovkin, Menshikov
  • Ravelins: Alekseevsky, Ioannovsky
  • Curtains: Vasilyevskaya, Ekaterininskaya, Kronverkskaya, Nevskaya, Nikolskaya, Petrovskaya
  • Batardo and turret
  • Cavalier
  • Counterguards
  • Kronverk
  • Fortress moats
  • Postern

Museum of the Peter and Paul Fortress

On the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress on Hare Island there is the main exhibition complex State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg.

Visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress and Museum

Visiting the Peter and Paul Fortress and Hare Island is free.

The territory of Hare Island is open to the public daily from 06:00 to 21:00, and the Peter and Paul Fortress (within the fortress walls) - from 9:00 to 20:00. Other exhibitions and museums are open from 10.00 to 18.00 (times may vary).

Peter-Pavel's Fortress - historical Center Petersburg, located on Hare Island.

Peter-Pavel's Fortress founded on May 16, 1703 according to the plan of Peter I. Initially, the fortress was called Zankht-Peter-Burkh, in 1914-1917 - Petrograd Fortress.


The plan of Peter I implied the presence of 6 bastions connected by curtains, 2 ravelins and a crownwork (originally wood and earthen, in the 30s-40s and 80s of the 18th century, covered with stone).


In 1703, Zayachiy Island was connected to the Petrograd side by the Ioannovsky Bridge.

There are animals like these on the island)

The Peter and Paul Fortress was never used for its intended purpose. It functioned as a prison for political prisoners.


On November 8, 1925, the Leningrad Council decided to destroy the Peter and Paul Fortress and build a stadium in its place. The decision was soon reversed.


The Peter and Paul Fortress has its prototype - the Novodvinsk Fortress at the mouth of the Northern Dvina, near Arkhangelsk. It was built by Peter I a year earlier - in 1702. Today there is practically nothing left of it


The Peter and Paul Fortress is a historically unique defensive structure with extraterritorial supporting defensive points


Today the Peter and Paul Fortress is part of the Museum of the History of St. Petersburg. From the Naryshkin bastion of the Peter and Paul Fortress, a signal cannon is fired at midday every day.


In 1991, on the territory Peter and Paul Fortress A monument to Peter the Great by sculptor Mikhail Shemyakin was erected. Ugly monument))

Since the beginning of the 21st century, various entertainment events have been held on the beach of the Peter and Paul Fortress.


I will simply list the main attractions of the fortress, sometimes with brief description– otherwise the article will be too long and boring =) So, on the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress there are:

Kronverkskie


Nikolskie

Petrovsky


Eagle close up


I couldn’t find a photo of the Vasilievsky Gate

Bastions Peter and Paul Fortress:

Gosudarev


Naryshkin


Menshikov



Trubetskoy


I couldn’t find a photo of Golovkin’s bastion)

Ravelins:

Alekseevsky


Ioannovsky


Vasilyevskaya

Ekaterininskaya


Kronverkskaya


Nikolskaya


Petrovskaya

Engineering structures:

Nevskaya (Komendantskaya) pier


Kronverksky Canal Peter and Paul Fortress