Military and political history of St. Petersburg

The Peter and Paul fortress in is the oldest architectural monument of the city: the date of foundation of the fortress is considered to be the date of foundation of the Northern capital. The Peter and Paul fortress proudly bears the name of the “Main city historical museum”, which it officially is. There is about a dozen of different museum venues and exhibitions onsite, including the magnificent Peter and Paul Cathedral, the burial place of the Royal Romanov family, Imperial prison, where many prominent writers and public figures of Russia were held, and other interesting sites.

Besides, during a walk at the Peter and Paul fortress you can not only visit various museums, but also observe the unique architecture of the fortress, Peter and Paul Cathedral and the Mint, admire the magnificent panorama of the Neva, the spit of Vasilyevsky Island, Winter Palace and Palace bridge, sit on the knees of the monument to Peter I and study the history of St. Petersburg floods by the plaques on the walls of the Neva gate.

The Field of Mars is one of the largest parks of the city, a unique architectural ensemble that combines a whole bunch of historical monuments of the Northern capital

When Peter the Great decided to build his summer residence here, the gardens became the main parade ground for the conduction of maneuvers and masquerades. In 1805 the area changed its name to “The field of Mars”: new name was associated with the erection of the monument to legendary commander Alexander Suvorov, who was represented in the armor of Mars, the god of war. Since then, the area is associated with the installation of monuments to military personalities. In 1917 by the decision of the Petrograd Soviet a cemetery, where the bodies of the revolution victims were buried, grew at this place.

In our days The Field of Mars has become a place of recreation for residents and guests of the Northern capital, though still retaining its original historical significance.

Peter I was very passionate about military thematic. The emperor realized that the strengthening of the defense borders of the country will contribute to its prosperity and power. To promote battle themes, in 1703 he ordered to build the Arsenal (Kronwerk) — a special place to save the memorable military pieces. Instances for it were brought from all over the country. The guns were adjoined by the military flags, uniforms and different types of weapons. The museum collection was constantly replenishing and with time it became the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineer and Signal corps.

To date, the museum has the richest collection of Russian and foreign weapons that had been brought from 54 countries. Among the exhibits there are rare edged weapons, personal weapons of famous marshals, generals and representatives of the royal dynasty as well as   various awards and uniforms. Especially popular are the famous armored car that served as a platform for Vladimir Lenin’s while he was delivering his revolutionary speech, the pistols of Napoleon Bonaparte and real anti-aircraft missile complexes. The museum also hosts permanent exhibition devoted to the genius of the famous Russian weapons designer Mikhail Kalashnikov.

*except Mon, Tue, last Thu of every month

The museum is located in the historical centre of the city and is housed in two mansions built in the early twentieth century. One of them, the jewel of St. Petersburg art Nouveau, is the mansion of the prima ballerina of the Mariinsky theatre Mathilda Kshesinskaya. In 1917 this building was the headquarters of the revolutionaries: Lenin, Stalin, Sverdlov and other prominent revolutionary activists were frequent guests here. The second mansion built in 1909 for a timber merchant baron Vasily Brandt also belongs to the historical and architectural monuments of St. Petersburg.

Expositions and exhibitions of the museum focus on the main political, economic and cultural transformations of the 19th-20th centuries, the crucial stages of Russian history which determined its fate. You will certainly discover unexpected sides of Russian history, biographies of prominent Russian politicians, reformers, revolutionaries, emperors and party leaders.

*except Thu.

The exposition of the Memorial Museum of Smolny is dedicated to the history of the unique building, which by the will of fate was in the midst of the Russian history and whose name became one of the symbols of the Great October revolution.

The museum preserved personal belongings of Vladimir Lenin, Nadezhda Krupskaya and Sergei Kirov, the first Soviet original posters (over 2000 pieces), a collection of the first samples of Soviet art and objects relating to arts and crafts: the famous commemorative plates, vases and other valuable works. In total the museum has over 48 000 exhibits, most of which are exhibited in the museum halls.

*upon availaibility

The tragic history of Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War inevitably should have gotten its own independent exposure. And do not let the compact size of a building in Salt Lane mislead you: the walls hide thousands of exhibits that tell about the toughest years in the history of St. Petersburg since the beginning of the war until the victory day.

The museum regularly hosts temporary exhibitions dedicated to the siege years. But the main place is occupied by the exhibits that tell the story of the inhabitants of Leningrad in those years: organization of their household, military production, transport arrangement and other aspects of everyday life in the siege period. Here you will also find recreated interior of a city apartment of 1940-ies, which allows you to see the unvarnished life in difficult war time.

*except Tue, last Thu of every month