Peter and Paul Fortress

The Peter and Paul Fortress, which laid the foundation of the city of St. Petersburg, was founded on May 27, 1703. Over time, the fortress also became a memorial museum. For visitors, the fortress was first opened in the early XIX century. during the reign of Emperor Alexander I. In the 1900s, tours of the imperial necropolis were held in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. In October 1917, the fortress became the field headquarters of the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee, which led the armed uprising in Petrograd and the capture of the Winter Palace. During the Great Patriotic War, the grave of Peter I in the Peter and Paul Cathedral was one of the places near which the defenders of Leningrad were sworn in. In 1954, the complex of buildings of the Peter and Paul Fortress was transferred to the State Museum of History of Leningrad (St. Petersburg). Since then, a new stage in the development of the fortress began. Restoration work was actively developed, which continues to this day. In the late 1960s – early 1970s, the collections, departments and management of the Museum moved to the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress. In 1971, the first major exhibition on the history of architecture of St. Petersburg - Petrograd XVIII-early XX centuries was opened here. From that moment, the active development of the fortress areas for exposition and exhibition activities began. Since the late 1980s, the Peter and Paul Fortress has also become a venue for various city-wide celebrations. Here you can get acquainted with the ancient fortifications, see the museum of the prison of the Trubetskoy Bastion, the mint, the printing, the museum of cosmonautics and rocketry, see the Peter and Paul Cathedral, where the tomb of the Romanov family is located. There is an opportunity to climb on the roof and walk along the special excursion route "Nevskaya Panorama". Printing works in the fortress - according to ancient technology in your presence, a real engraving will be printed, which can even be carried with you.