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Monday, 16.07.2007
Peter and Paul Fortress
The Peter and Paul Fortress is the undisputed heart of the city. The cornerstone of Sankt Piterburch (Peter the Great originally wanted the name to be in Dutch) was laid on 27th May, 1703. Designed to be a bastion against Swedish aggression, the Peter and Paul Fortress was never required to prove its strength. Instead it soon became one of the most notorious political prisons of Tsarist Russia.
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Today, the fortress is a peaceful oasis in the centre of a hectic metropolis: It houses the Museum of History of the City and is a place through which Petersburgers like to stroll in their leisure hours. It’s easy to fill a whole day exploring the grounds.
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| Coordinates |
Petropavlovskaya krepost
Nearest metro: Gorkovskaya
Opening hours: 11.00am – 5.00pm, Tuesday to 4pm
Closed: Wednesdays, last Tuesday in the month (the fortress itself is open every day until 10pm)
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If you’re not content just to walk around or laze on the beach, you can buy a ticket at the entry for all the fortress’s museums and exhibitions. And there are a lot of them. The only extra charge is then for the impressive panorama view of the Neva obtained when walking up along the battlements.
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Sights around the Cathedral.
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In front of the steeple of the Peter and Paul Cathedral (the centre point of the fortress, described in detail in the section on Churches) stands a small house built in neo-classic style – the boat house.
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From 1761 to 1940, this contained the Dutch sloop known as the ‘grandfather of the Russian fleet’, on board which Peter the Great learnt to sail. The boat is now in the naval musueum on Vassily Island, and the boathouse contains a souvenir shop.
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In front of the cathedral lies the graveyard of the fortress commanders, one of St. Petersburg’s oldest graveyards. 19 of 32 commanders from 1720 to 1907 were buried here, and Orthodox and Protestant rest side by side peacefully.
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Opposite the graveyard, you will see the controversial statue of Peter the Great, presented to St. Petersburg by its native son, the sculpture Mikhail Schemyakin, who lives in the USA.
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Here Peter the Great is bereft of all heroism, instead endowed with a tiny bald head set on a over-dimensionally long body with long trailing fingers. Almost every visitor has a photo taken of him or herself next to the weird Tsar, who over time become a real cult figure among the people.
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Museums and exhibitions
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In the Commander’s House, the permanent exhibition dedicated to the history of Petersburg and Petrograd (1703-1924) is currently being reworked.
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The Engineers’ House has an exhibition under the name ‘Museum of Old Petersburg’. To the right and left of the Neva Gate are exhibition rooms, usually used to show works by foreign photographers. The Mint on the far side of the square in front of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, where coins and medals have been minted since 1724, also has a museum on the subject.
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In sharp contrast, to the left of the St. John Door you will find the Museum for Rocket Construction and Space Travel (officially called the ‘Gasodynamic Laboratory’).
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It may be surprising to find such a museum on these historic premises, but the fact is that 1932-33 Soviet rocket research laboratories were located here. The museum comprises the reconstructed design offices of the rocket builders, and also contains Sputniks and original space suits.
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Grand panorama and a real sandy beach.
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After so many museums, it’s time for some fresh air. Climb the imperial battlements to gain a wonderful view of the fortress and the Neva. Then go out to the pier, where boats wait to take you on a tour of the Neva. As you pass through the gate, you will see plaques on both sides showing where the waters of the most catastrophic floods reached their highest point.
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Turning to the left, you will come to the fortress’ beach of fine white sand. Bathing is prohibited here, and the water quality is poor, but many do anyway. And it is indeed an interesting experience to view the palace facades on the far side from a frog’s-eye perspective.
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In summer, volleyball contests, sand sculpture exhibitions, rock concerts and theatre performances take place here. In winter, there are ice sculptures – and the ‘walruses’ – hardy souls who come to bathe in ice holes they drill themselves.
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Caution – Cannons and dungeons!
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The cannon on the Naryshkin battlement is fired at 12 noon daily. Tourists give a start, and Petersburgers glance at their watches to check they are keeping time.
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If you have a taste for the macabre, visit the Trubetskoi Bastion. The Peter and Paul Fortress was in Tsarist Russia a much-feared political prison, where at different times the Dekabrists, Dostoyevski, Cherneshevski and Pisarev were held.
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The prison that was established in 1872 in the Trubetskoi Bastion held Lenin’s brother Alexander Ulyanov in cell 47, who was then hung in 1887 for participating in an assassination attempt on Tsar Alexander III. The cells are now populated with waxworks of prisoners and wardens for extra authenticity.
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(sb/rUFO)
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