Museum of St Petersburg History

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• Peter and Paul Fortress is the oldest construction in the city. Its intended mission as a military fortification constructed to protect the reaches of the Neva was never tested in combat. During the lifetime of Peter the Great, authorities turned it into a political prison. Indeed the first prisoner was Peter the Great's own son, Alexei, who took part in a conspiracy against his farther reforms. In the 19 century many revolutionaries and terrorists were imprisoned within the walls of the fortress. Lenin's elder brother, Alexander Ulyanov, spent time here before being executed in 1887 for his participation in helping plot the assassination of Alexander III. The last inmates imprisoned here were the members of the Provisional Government, who tried to rule the country in the months following the February 1917 overthrow of the tsar. They were held for several weeks but were eventually released. All emigrated and never returned to Russia. In 1924 the communist government ordered the fortress to be turned into museum which today consists of two parts: the prison and the cathedral. The Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul with the 122 meter ( 400ft ) high steeple is a remarkable monument to 18th Century Russian architecture. It was under construction between 1712 - 33 and designed by the Swiss architect Domenico Trezzini. Inside are located 33 tombs; 12 of them hold the remains of all the tsars from Peter I to Nicholas II. Those of the last tsar, Nicholas II, were moved here on July 17th 1998 from a grave near Yekaterinburg where he was executed by the bolsheviks in 1918. Other tombs within these walls hold the bodies of other members of the House of Romanov. You can set your watch to the firing of a cannon at the Peter and Paul Fortress every day at noon. This long-established tradition evolved from the earliest times when red flags were hoisted and cannon fired to warn of incoming flood waters. For more information and assistance please visit http://hermecon.narod.ru Welcome!
• The description was provided by Sergiusz Golubiew