So this is the last part about my wonderful trip to St. Petersburg.
It is very cold in Russia in March, especially near the sea. This did not stop us from going to the Peter and Paul Fortress for an excursion. It is worth dressing warmly to withstand the Petersburg winds.
The date of the beginning of the construction of the Peter and Paul Fortress is the date of the founding of the city of St. Petersburg. Most of the time since its inception, this place has served as a prison. Only in 1924 did the Peter and Paul Fortress become a state museum.
The entrance to the Peter and Paul Fortress is a majestic gate with an interesting panel above it. This panel symbolizes Russia's victory in the Northern War. This gate is the first triumphal arch in Russia.
At the entrance we were greeted by a monument to Peter I, the Russian Emperor, the founder of St. Petersburg. His contribution to the history of the Russian Empire was very significant. The head looks very small compared to the body in this monument, but this is the idea of the authors.
Then we visited the Peter and Paul Cathedral. This cathedral is the burial vault of the Russian emperors.
Members of the imperial family were buried here, starting with Peter I, ending with the last Russian emperor Nicholas II and his family. Inside, the cathedral is very interesting, decorated according to the traditions of Orthodox cathedrals. I did not take photographs of the tombstones of the members of the imperial family, as it is a little scary for me. They are located on either side of the pulpit in the central part of the cathedral.
The excursion took a very long time. It took us many hours to go around all the premises of the Peter and Paul Fortress. The prison cells in which the prisoners were kept during the fortress's time as a prison facility were very frightening. I also didn't want to photograph it from the inside, because it's creepy enough. There is an ominous atmosphere inside the cells and corridors, which I did not like very much and we hurried out of there. A lot of exhibitions, expositions, interesting facts gave us a complete idea of this place.
This place is definitely worth a visit. In my memory there are wonderful memories of this walk through historical places, the source of the birth of the city of St. Petersburg.