Петропавловская крепость: История и судьба цитадели Санкт-Петербурга

Original citadel of Saint Petersburg, Russia

The Peter and Paul Fortress (Lang ru) is the original citadel of Saint Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706 to 1740 as a star fortress. Between the first half of the 1700s and early 1920s it served as a prison for political criminals. It has been a museum since 1924.

The fortress was established by Peter the Great on May 16 (Old Style; henceforth "(O. S.)"; May 27 by the Gregorian calendar) 1703 on small Hare Island by the north bank of the Neva river. From around 1720, the fort served as a base for the city garrison and also as a prison for high ranking or political prisoners.

During the February Revolution of 1917, it was attacked by mutinous soldiers of the Pavlovsky Life Guards Regiment on February 27 (O. S.) and the prisoners were freed. Under the Provisional Government, hundreds of Tsarist officials were held in the Fortress. The tsar was threatened with being incarcerated at the fortress on his return from Mogilev to Tsarskoye Selo on March 8 (O. S.); but he was placed under house arrest. On July 4 (O. S.) during the July Days demonstrations, the fortress garrison of 8,000 men declared for the Bolsheviks. They surrendered to government forces without a struggle on July 6 (O. S.). On October 25 (O. S.), the fortress quickly fell into Bolshevik hands. Following the ultimatum from the Petrograd Soviet to the Provisional Government ministers in the Winter Palace, after the blank salvo of the cruiser Aurora at 21.00, the guns of the fortress fired 30 or so shells at the Winter Palace. Just two hit, inflicting only minor damage, and the defenders refused to surrender at that time. At 02.10 on the morning of October 26 (O. S.), the Winter Palace was taken by forces under Vladimir Antonov Ovseenko; the captured ministers were taken to the fortress as prisoners. On 28 January 1919, four grand dukes from the House of Romanov were shot within the walls of the fortress on the orders of the Presidium of the Cheka under Felix Dzerzhinsky, Yakov Peters, Martin Latsis, and Ivan Ksenofontov. The structure suffered heavy damage during the bombardment of the city during World War II by the Luftwaffe who were laying siege to the city. It has been restored post war and is a tourist attraction.