Peter and Paul Fortress 1
Петропавловская крепость
Petropavlovskaya krepost
The building of the Peter and Paul Fortress, ordered on 27 May
1703 by Peter the Great, is considered to mark the founding of St
Petersburg. First built in wood it was later replaced in stone by
Domenico Trezzini between 1706 and 1740.
Its history is gruesome, since hundreds
of forced labourers died while building
the fortress and its bas tions were later used to
guard and torture many political
prisoners. The prison
cells are open to the
public, along with
a couple of museums
and the magnificent
cathe dral, which
houses the tombs
of the Romanovs.
140 NORTH EASTERN EUROPE
The Mint,
founded in 1724,
still produces
ceremonial coins,
medals and badges.Trubetskoy Bastion
From 1872 to 1921,
the dark, damp, solitary-
confinement cells in
this bastion served as
a grim prison for
enemies of the state.
Commandant’s House
For 150 years this
attractive Baroque house
was the scene of interro-
gations and trials of
political prisoners. It
now houses a museum
with a ground-floor
exhibition on medieval
settlements in the region.Neva Gate is also known
as “Death Gateway”.The Naryshkin
Bastion is where
the noon cannon
is fired. The tradi-
tion began in 1873,
stopped after
the Revolut ion
and was resumed
in 1957.The Archives of
the War Ministry
occupy the site of
the “Secret House”, a
prison for political
criminals in the 18th
and 19th centuries.The Beach
During summer, the beach is
full of sunbathers. In winter,
it is the haunt of “The
Walruses”, a group of people
who break through the ice to
dip into the waters beneath.
0 metres0 yards100100For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp160–61 and pp162–3
STAR SIGHT. Cathedral of SS Peter
and Paul
Artillery Museum