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Oreshek is one of the most beautiful and famous northern fortresses and looks picturesque from both water and land. Here the walls and towers of the 15th century and the remains of a church turned into a war memorial have been preserved. In the 17-20th centuries the fortress was used as a prison - the prison buildings where the most famous political prisoners sat have been preserved.

Fortress

The fortress was founded on the island, which was called Nut - either because of its oblong shape, or because of the abundance of hazel trees growing there. On this place in 1323 was concluded peace agreement with the Swedes - and then the fortress was built here, first wooden, and since 1353 stone. There is now a memorial stone in the fortress to commemorate this peace. The remains of the very first fortifications can now be seen under a special canopy - they are deeply embedded in the ground and were discovered already in the 20th century by archaeologists.

In the 15th century the fortress was actually erected anew. A series of wars with Sweden with the use of artillery had begun, so all the northern fortifications of this time were actively rebuilt. It is believed that this was the first Russian fortress with such a number of towers. It was built according to all the rules of fortification art and occupied the entire territory of the island. The central part - citadel - was protected by three towers, and seven more were located on the perimeter. Now of all the towers, six have survived. The wooden tents over the towers and wooden ceilings have been restored.

In 1612 Oreshek was captured by the Swedes. It fell because it was on an island: the defenders were simply taken by force, most of the garrison died of starvation During the Northern War in 1702 it was taken from the Swedes by Peter the Great. After the victory, the tsar renamed the town Shlisselburg - "key-city".

Prison

Since the 18th century, Shlisselburg loses its strategic importance and begins to be used as a political prison. Here the so-called Secret House is arranged - a one-storey building with several prison cells, which is located behind the inner walls, camouflaged even from inside the fortress. It was designed for the most difficult and uncomfortable prisoners.

For example, it was here that the unfortunate Emperor John VI, Elizabeth's deposed son Anna Leopoldovna, was imprisoned. The Empress was not prepared to kill the child for the sake of power - but imprisoned him forever in this secret prison. He became a "nameless prisoner", a Russian "iron mask": his name was never mentioned anywhere. But, unfortunately, rumours did leak out - and it ruined him. Already under Catherine II there was a conspiracy to return to the throne of the legitimate sovereign, and in an attempt to release John VI was killed.

The leader of the Bashkir uprising of the 17th century Batyrsha was imprisoned in Shlisselburg for five years. He died when he threw himself with an axe in his hands at the guards.

Several Decembrists were imprisoned here - after being sentenced and before being sent to penal servitude they lived in the northern fortresses. In Shlisselburg were brothers Nikolai and Mikhail Bestuzhev, Alexei Yushnevsky, Ivan Pushchin and others. A.Yushnevsky later in his letters recalled that Shlisselburg prison was the most terrible - much worse than the Peter and Paul Fortress.

In Shlisselburg Secret House served imprisonment many participants of the Polish uprisings. The most tragic was the story of Walerian Lukasinski. He took part in the Polish uprising of 1830 and after it spent 37 years in the fortress - whether by personal order of Nicholas I, or simply being forgotten. After 37 years in the fortress they themselves did not know why and for how long this man was imprisoned. He was allowed to walk only under Alexander II, and never allowed to see his family once.

Now in the Secret House there is a museum exposition, telling about the most famous of its prisoners, reproduced the situation of the cells and the punishment cell.

By the middle of the 19th century, the political struggle intensified. The secret house became insufficient for the ever-increasing number of prisoners. In 1883, a new prison building was built for 40 cells, and from the beginning of the 20th century all new buildings began to be built. Shlisselburg became a central, central convict prison. Now the buildings of the 20th century, significantly damaged during the war, are in ruins, and in the new prison of 1883 is a museum exhibition, telling about the famous prisoners of each of its cells.

Here for many years spent several Narodolovtsy: Vera Figner, Nikolai Morozov, Mikhail Frolenko. In the courtyard of the Secret House grows an apple-tree. It is a descendant of the trees that political prisoners once planted here: the only amusement they were allowed was their own garden. Some were sent to penal servitude from here - Grigory Gershuni, for example. Some committed suicide - Sophia Ginzburg was stabbed to death in 1891.

This is also where executions took place. It was in Schliesselburg that Alexander Ulyanov, Lenin's older brother, was shot. The place of his execution is marked with a memorial sign.

War memorial

In the centre of the fortress is one of the most impressive memorials dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. It is the ruins of the garrison church of St John the Baptist turned into a monument. It was built in 1831, and during the war was almost completely destroyed. For 500 days Shlisselburg endured a siege and bombardment - it protected the Road of Life, which passed just a few kilometres away and saved the besieged Leningrad. Already then in the fortress appeared mass grave of those who died during the siege.

In 1985, the ruins of the church were turned into a monument. Several sculptors and an architect worked on it. The centre of the whole complex is the sculptural group "Oath" - the defenders of the fortress swear not to surrender.

Now St John the Baptist Church is officially active. It was consecrated, and sometimes services are held on its ruins.

Sights of the city

There are several interesting sights in the city itself. This is the Shlisselburg History Museum, located in one of the old 19th century factory buildings on Factory Island. It opened in 1995. There is no permanent exposition here, but regularly changing thematic exhibitions devoted to the history of the city - the museum's collection contains more than six thousand exhibits.

In the immediate vicinity of the fortress is the Annunciation Cathedral. The first Orthodox cemetery church appeared here at the same time as the fortress itself - already in the XIV century. Under the Swedes it was destroyed, and Peter the Great ordered it to be rebuilt. The present building of the church was built in 1764. In Soviet times it was a production workshop of the famous record manufacturer "Melodiya", and since 1990 the cathedral has been in operation again. By now it has been completely restored. The same complex includes a small warm Nikolskaya Church of 1770 and the Kazan Chapel.

In Shlisselburg there are also locks of the Staroladozhskiy Canal, built in the 18th century. This was a route that connected the Volkhov and the Neva, bypassing the dangerous Lake Ladoga. It became the largest canal of the 18th century not only in Russia, but also in the whole of Europe. The canal was opened in 1731 and operated until the middle of the XIX century. The last reconstruction of the locks and the mouth of the canal took place in 1836-1842. Since the end of the 19th century the canal was no longer used, giving way to the Novoladozhskiy Canal.

Interesting facts

One of the Decembrists - Joseph Poggio spent six whole years here. This was specifically requested by his father-in-law, fearing that his daughter would follow her husband to Siberia. In the end, her father gave her a condition - either she divorces and marries someone else, or Joseph will forever remain in Shlisselburg solitary confinement. She divorced.

Warsaw recently erected a monument to the most famous Polish prisoner of the fortress - W. Lukasinski.

On a side note

  • Location. Museum of Shlisselburg history: Leningrad region, Shlisselburg, 2a, Factory Island St. Fortress:. Shlisselburg, Orekhovy Island.

  • How to get there: Bus № 575 from the metro station Dybenko to Shlisselburg or by train from the Finland railway station to the station Petrokrepost. Further - across the lake by boat. The cost of the crossing there and back is 300 roubles for adults and 150 roubles for children. The crossing works only during the navigation season, may be limited due to weather conditions. Official site of the crossing: https://petrokrepost.ru/

  • Official site of the fortress: https://www.spbmuseum.ru/themuseum/museum_complex/oreshek_fortress

  • Opening hours: from 1 May to 31 October, 10:00-18:00.

  • Ticket price: adult - 250 rubles, discount - 150 rubles.