BUILDINGS

Engineers' House was built in 1748-1749 for the offices of Engineering Department. It is a rare example of mid-18th century military structure, which has preserved its original appearance. At present, there is the Museum of St. Petersburg's history and Architecture.

The long one-storied building opposite Engineers' House was built in 1802 as a Storeroom for Artillery. Towards the end of the 19th century it was used as a horse-riding school.

Guards' Bastion was intended for the guards of the fortress. Besides, officers who broke army regulations served their sentence there.

Commandant's House was meant for the commandant of the fortress. He was appointed for life by the tsar himself from among retired officers of high rank. When a commandant died, he was buried in a special cemetery by the wall of the cathedral.

The first stone Commandant's House was built in 1748; it was smaller in size than the- present-day building. Later, it was enlarged and rebuilt several times, and was finally completed in 1894.

The ground floor of the House was occupied by the commandant's office where inquests were carried on; it was there that the Supreme Criminal Court passed the death sentence upon the leaders of the Decembrist uprising. Nowadays the building houses the Museum of the History of St. Petersburg.

The Mint was established by Peter I in one of the bastions of the fortress in 1724. In the early 19th century, a special building was constructed for it (architect A. Porto). One of the most famous things made by the Mint was the tomb of St. Alexander Nevsky, nowadays part of the Hermitage display. At present, the Mint produces coins and medals.

Boathouse was built in 1765 (architect A. Vist) to keep a small boat which Peter I used for the earliest boat trips of his childhood on a small river in Moscow. According to legend, the boat was English-made, and had been given to Peter's father, Tsar Alexis. In 1723, when a naval parade was held in Russia to celebrate the victory over Sweden in the Northern War, Peter I ordered to bring the boat to St. Petersburg. The boat, steered by Peter I, headed the parade and was named the " grandfather of Russian Navy". At present, the Central Naval Museum has it.

Grand Dukes' Burial Vault was added to the cathedral building in the early 20th century (architect D. Grimm, 1896-1908); however, its architectural style was made to match the early 18th-century architecture of the cathedral. There are 13 burials made in the early 20th century, and some recent burials of members of the Romanov family who died abroad.

IMarvshkin Bastion is known for the part it played in the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. In October 25th, 1917, a lantern raised on the flagstaff of the bastion was a signal to start the assault of the Winter Palace. The signal was responded to by an artillery shot from the cruiser " Aurora". Immediately afterwards, the cannons of the fortress opened fire on the Winter Palace.

There are two old guns on the bastion wall, which give a shot at midday, indicating the exact astronomical time. This tradition goes back to Peter I's time.

Nevsky Gate was the one through which prisoners sentenced to death were taken out of the fortress to the place of execution. In older times, it was known as the " gate of death".

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