Admiralteysky Canal Embankment, 2t, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 190121
In 1828, it was decided to build a naval prison building in the western part of New Holland Island, on the site of the boat sheds that had fallen into disrepair. The project was assigned to the Military Department architect Alexander Egorovich Staubert, and it was ultimately constructed in 1829. The project for a three-story ring-shaped building with a round inner courtyard was completed in record time: in less than two years. For the first time, this building appears as a "Prison" on the "Detailed Plan of St. Petersburg for 1828 by Major General Shubert"; on the plan from Zuev's atlas (1858) it is marked as the "Detention Tower"; on later maps (1870s - 1910s) the building is indicated either as the "Naval (Correctional) Prison" or as the "Prison of the Naval Department."
The first floor of the building was allocated for guard rooms, a bakery, and storerooms, while the second and third floors housed prisoners—about 250 people per floor. Staubert himself called the building the "Detention Tower," but among the people it became known as the "Bottle" due to its distinctive shape resembling a bottle neck. According to legend, this is where the expression "don't get into the bottle" originated—no one wanted to end up in prison. During the first 30 years, the Bottle housed naval detention companies, sewing, rigging, carpentry, and other workshops, a temporary hospital, and a gymnastics team. It was only in 1863 that the building was reconstructed for prison purposes. A commandant's mansion was attached directly to it. An essential part of the ensemble was the completion of the previously unfinished northeastern wing along the Kryukov Canal. This created another rounded corner in the style of Delamotte, decorated with paired columns. The construction work was overseen by military engineer Mikhail Pasypkin.
According to Konstantin Mann, director of the Naval Ministry's office, the military correctional prison of the department became "the first prison in Russia built on the principles of a proper penitentiary system adopted in the best prisons of European countries." The cells were arranged so that prisoners could only sleep in them, while during the day they worked and received payment. The imprisoned sailors performed carpentry, turning, and rigging work, and learned new professions.
Sources:
