Petersburg: Peter and Paul Fortress, stories and legends

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The Peter and Paul Fortress (officially known as the Saint Petersburg Fortress, or Petergorad Fortress between 1914 and 1917) is the oldest monument of architecture in Saint Petersburg, a fortress of the first class (according to the classification of the fortresses of the Russian Empire). Located on the Rabbit Island, in Saint Petersburg, it is the historical center of the city. The foundations of the fortress were laid on May 16 (27) 1703, which is the date of the founding of Saint Petersburg. It was never used in any battle. From the early 18th century until the beginning of the 1920s, it was used as a prison. Since 1924, it has been a state museum. The Peter and Paul Fortress is a monument of Russian architecture, on which various architects have worked. The modern fortress houses numerous architectural monuments and museums: the Peter and Paul Cathedral (the burial place of the Russian imperial family of the Romanov dynasty), the Grand Burial Vault, the Boyar House, the Commander's House, the Engineer's House, the Mint, the History Museum of Saint Petersburg, the Military-Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering and Communications Forces, the Museum of Cosmonautics and Rocket Technology. The fortress is part of the historic center of Saint Petersburg and, along with the nearby collection of monuments, is included in the list of World Heritage Sites of UNESCO; it is one of the tourist centers. The silhouette of the Peter and Paul Fortress has become a symbol of the city and occupies a key position in its panorama. Since 1873, there has been a daily artillery signal shot from the Naryshkin Bastion of the fortress (not carried out from 1934 to 1953). It is a historic symbol of the city. According to the statute of Saint Petersburg, the historic symbols of the city are the angel on the spire of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the small ship on the spire of the Admiralty, and the monument 'The Bronze Horseman'.