PETER & PAUL FORTRESS

Many centuries ago the territory of the coast of the Gulf of Finland belonged to the Novgorod principality. It was a good trade route and many countries fought to seize those lands. In the 17th century it was occupied by Sweden and Russia was cut off from the Baltic Sea. So Peter I decided to regain the old Russian territories, and in 1700 he started the so-called Northern war against Sweden, which lasted for 21 years. In the course of that war, in 1703, Russia gained back the territory on the coast of the Gulf of Finland and on May 27, 1703 a fortress was founded to protect these lands. It was built on Zayachii Island - the small, flat island attracted the notice of Peter I because of its small size (700 by 400 metres) and strategic position (in case of a Swedish invasion it would have been easy to watch each of the branches of the Neva).

First the fortress was built of earth and its construction was completed in four months. Later it was rebuilt in stone. By the end of the 18th century, the walls of the fortress had been faced with granite.

The Peter & Paul Fortress is a prolonged hexagon with six bastions connected by straight walls. Peter I personally observed the construction of one of the bastions, which was named the Tsar Bastion, The other bastions were named after the people who were responsible for their construction (Peter I's closest associates): Menshikov, Zotov, Trubetskoi, Golovkin, Naryshkin.

In order to fortify the fortress, two ravelins were set up on its two sides. One of them is known as the Ivan Ravelin, and the other, the Alexei Ravelin. They were separated from the fort by moats which were filled in in the 19th century.

There are five gates in the fortress. The main one is St Peter's Gate designed by the architect Trezzini. It is decorated with a wooden bas-relief " Precipitation of Simon Magus by Apostle Peter", which allegorically represents Russia's victory over Sweden and St Petersburg's invincibility. Below there is a huge figure of the double-headed eagle - the national emblem of Russia. In the niches there are two statues representing Bellona, the goddess of War, and Minerva, the goddess of Wisdom.

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