Peter and Paul Fortress

The fortress on the Hare Island near the right (northern) bank of the Neva was founded on May 16 (27), 1703, according to the joint plan of Peter I and Joseph Lambert de Guerin. From August 1703 to 1728, the work in the fortress was directed by the architect D. Trezzini. The fortress is the historical core of St. Petersburg. Now the fortress is part of the Museum of the History of St. Petersburg.
During the Northern War with Sweden, by 1703 Russia conquered the lands in the Neva delta. To protect them from the attack of the Swedes, it was necessary to build a fortification here. The former fortress of Nyenskans (at the confluence of the Okhta with the Neva) was considered insufficiently suitable for the protection of the Neva.
The site for the future fortress on May 8 or 9, 1703 was chosen by Peter I, Alexander Danilovich Menshikov and the French engineer-general Joseph Gaspard Lambert de Guerin. Their choice fell on the Hare Island.
The fortress was founded on May 16 (27), 1703 according to the joint plan of Peter I and Joseph Lambert de Guerin: 6 bastions, connected by curtains, 2 ravelins, a crownwork. With the fire of its guns, the fortress was supposed to block the fairways of the two largest branches of the river delta: the Neva and Bolshaya Nevka. From August 1703 to 1728, the work in the fortress was directed by the architect D. Trezzini. The history of St. Petersburg begins with the history of the creation of the Peter and Paul Fortress.
Initially, an earthen fortress was built (all fortifications were wood-earthen). Its reconstruction in stone began at the end of May 1706. Six bastions were built of stone and brick, interconnected by straight walls - curtains. The height of the bastions and curtains is from 9 to 12 meters, the width is from 16 to 20 meters. Rebuilding in stone continued in the 1730s-1740s and 1780s.
In 1703, Zayachiy Island was connected to the Petrograd side by the Ioannovsky Bridge, the first bridge in St. Petersburg. In the spring of 1707, on the northern shore of the strait separating Zayachiy Island from the City Island, the construction of an additional earthen fortification - a kronverk began, and in the 30-40s of the 18th century - the construction of new structures - Ioannovsky and Alexeevsky ravelins, which served to cover the entrances to the fortress.
The Peter and Paul Fortress did not take part in hostilities, and in the 19th century it was used as a prison (mainly for political prisoners). In 1914-1917 the fortress was called Petrograd. In the days of the October Revolution (1917) the garrison of the fortress went over to the side of the
Bolsheviks. In Soviet times, the fortress became a branch of the Museum of the History of Leningrad. Now the 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 daily at 12:00