Wednesday Walk in the Peter and Paul Fortress

The Peter and Paul Fortress is one of the oldest buildings in our city. The oldest house is considered to be the house of Emperor Peter the Great, which is located on a neighbouring plot of land. Peter and Paul Fortress was laid on 27 May 1703, the same date is considered the official Birthday of the city of St. Petersburg, and the house for the Emperor was built three days earlier, on 24 May. The house of Emperor Peter the Great is a house, not a palace. In fact, it is a simple wooden hut, a temporary dwelling, which became a dwelling and a workshop for the imperial personage at the time when the city was just beginning to be built. This house has survived to this day, it is now a museum.

I remembered the house of Emperor Peter the Great at the beginning of my walk around the fortress because I suddenly thought that perhaps the first builders of St Petersburg should have swapped this house and the fortress. The house was built so that both branches of the Neva River could be seen from the windows. Emperor Peter the Great liked to choose places for building houses and palaces so that the windows would overlook the water surface and the Palace Pier would be located near the entrance to the building.

The Peter and Paul Fortress is located on an island a little downstream in the bed of a more full-flowing arm of the Neva River, called the Big Neva River. That is, the fortress completely controlled only one of the branches of the Neva River, probably not quite right from the point of view of fortification. However, I am not very well versed in this. Perhaps the second arm of the Neva River is too shallow for big ships and there was no need to control it.

Now there is a museum of the city's history in the Peter and Paul Fortress. It is a very popular tourist spot. In the early morning or late evening you can stroll along the cobblestone streets in relative peace and quiet, but if you come here in the middle of the day, you are sure to find yourself in the centre of the crowd. However, some of the alleyways are off the main tourist paths and they can lead you to less crowded areas. I know of several quiet courtyards in this fortress where you can take a seat on a comfortable bench and face the sun.

Alternatively, you can choose to rest on the island, but outside the fortress. On the Neva side near the fortress walls there is a sandy beach. It is a great place with beautiful views of the opposite shore, bridges and the river, but now the granite walls are being repaired and it is too dusty. On the opposite side the island is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel, between the fortress and this channel there is a large meadow. You can find a cosy place near the wall of the fortress, and then the fortress will serve as a protection from the cold spring wind. Or you can sit by the water and watch the tourist boats passing by.

This is my entry for the #WednesdayWalk challenge by @tattoodjay.