Petersburg Hotels
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5 Stars Hotels |
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4 Stars Hotels |
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3 Stars Hotels |
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Mini-Hotels |
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Peter & Paul Fortress
The history of the St Petersburg began on a small islands off the northern bank
of the Neva where on May 16 (May 27, New Style) 1703 the artillery-salute signaled the laying
of the foundation of the fortress named Sankt Petersburgh, the town of Saint Peter.
The new citadel was to protect the lands on the Neva recaptured from Sweden in the course of
the Great Northern War (1700-1721). Flat Hare Island (Zayachy Ostrov) in close vicinity of
the sea was noticed by Peter I because of its strategic position and its small size.
Construction works were carried out according to the Tsar's own plan. It took less than half
year to build an earthen emplacement. Two and a half years later the work was began on the
construction of a stone building. Peter closed the entrance into the Neva for the Swedes.
The plan of fortifications forms an elongated hexagon with six bastions connected by straight
walls (9 to 12 meters high and 16 to20 meters wide) consisting of two parallel walls filled in
with earth and crushed stone. Deep inside the wall hollows were left, to house the casemates of
the local garrison.
The Fortress had lost its military significance before it was completed. Its guns never saw any
actions and were put to use as a flood warning signal. The fortress housed apolitical prison for
two hundred years.
The Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul with gilt spire dominates the whole panorama of the Neva
banks. A weathervane in the form of the angel's wings spread about 4 meters. Till now it remains
the city's tallest architectural structure (122.5m high).
The Cathedral was erected in 1712-1733 by the architect Domenico Trezzini. The architectural
style of this cathedral is a combination of different traditions and European styles.
The Cathedral is the sacred burial place of every tsar.
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