Place to see: Peter and Paul Fortress, Saint Petersburg, Russia

About this place:

The Peter and Paul Fortress (Петропа́вловская кре́пость) is the original citadel of St. Petersburg, Russia, designed by Domenico Trezzini and founded in 1703.

The fortress contains a number of buildings including the Peter and Paul Cathedral, where all Russian tsars from Peter I to Alexander III are interred. The remains of the Imperial martyrs, Nicholas II and his family and entourage, were also interred there, in St.Catherine's Chapel, on the 80th anniversary of their deaths (July 17, 1998). Other structures inside the fortress include the still-functioning Mint building, the Trubetskoy bastion and the City Museum.

The fortress was established by Peter the Great on May 16 (by the Julian Calendar, May 27 by the Gregorian Calendar), 1703 on a small island, Zayachii (hare) (or Vesiolii - cheerful) ostrov, on the Neva River. Built during the Northern War, the fort was never actually needed. The fort was completed with six bastions in earth and timber within a year. During the period from 1706 to 1740 it was rebuilt in stone. From about 1720, the fort served as a base for the city garrison and also as a prison for high ranking or political prisoners. The Trubetskoy bastion, built in the 1870s, became the main prison block. The Cathedral was built from 1712 to 1733, and has a 123.2 m bell-tower and a gilded angel-topped cupola.

The last prisoners at the Fortress were held in 1917, and in 1924 most of the site was converted to a museum.

(Information from Wikipedia)