The Peter and Paul Fortress

When  Peter  the  Great  re-conquered  the  lands  along  the  Neva  river  in  1703,  he  started the construction  of a fort  to  protect  the area  from  possible  attack  by  the  Swedish.  The  Fortress  was  founded  on a small  island  in  the  Neva  Delta  on  May 27,1703.  The Swedes were defeated before the Fortress was even completed.  For  that  reason,  the Fortress  housed  part  of  the  city's  garrison  and  rather  notoriously  served  as a high  security  political  jail. After the death of Peter the Great its Cathedral was turned into the cemetery for the Royal Dynasty of the Romanovs.

(Closed Wednesday)