In the last century, the silhouettes of the legendary island appearing on the horizon of the Gulf of Finland attracted residents and guests of St. Petersburg with their mystery and inaccessibility. It was a city for the chosen few, a closed military port, steeped in martial glory, and its name sounded proud and mysterious, Kronstadt. Now it is open to all, connected to St. Petersburg by a ring road and part of its territory, but it has not lost its magical aura and charm.

Upon closer acquaintance, the city seems not so shiny, but rather worn by time, the local climate, and decades of Soviet rule. However, transitioning from the bustling tourist-filled St. Petersburg to the quiet, sparsely populated Kronstadt with its crumbling forts, abandoned warehouses, shallow canals, wide deserted avenues, and romantic docks, you feel as if you have stepped out of modernity. This is a sanctuary city, literally soaked in history, where attractions await curious tourists at every turn. Without a time machine, one can be transported back a hundred, two hundred, or even three hundred years, arriving at its very foundation in 1704.

Nature seems to have specially prepared this land for the construction of an impregnable fortress: around the main island of Kotlin are shallows and more than 30 islets, perfectly suited for the construction of forts. Since the fortress was built, no enemy has been able to break through it.

Peter I fought hard for access to the sea. He tried to keep the construction of the capital at the mouth of the Neva a secret for as long as possible, while Swedish ships, like vultures, waited in the Gulf of Finland to reclaim these lands from the Russians. The newborn capital needed powerful protection from the sea. The fort Kronshlot, laid by Peter on Kotlin Island in the Gulf of Finland, 30 km from St. Petersburg, became that guardian. It definitively destroyed Swedish dominance along the banks of the Neva.

The western outpost of Russia literally grew from the waters of the Gulf of Finland in just a few months. After achieving several brilliant victories over the Swedes in 1703 and laying the Peter and Paul Fortress at the mouth of the Neva, Peter I understood well that in spring, as soon as the ice melted, the Swedes would return. Waiting for the Swedish squadron of Numers to winter in Vyborg, the tsar personally measured the depths in the area of the Neva Bay fairway and Kotlin Island. The northern fairway was considered inaccessible due to insufficient depth and rocks. By securely protecting the south, the Russians would forever block the Swedes' passage to the capital from the sea.

The tsar's plan was simple and brilliant: to place a fort on the southern fairway of the Gulf of Finland and fortifications on the island so that enemy ships would be caught in crossfire. Nature itself aided his designs: from the narrowest point of the fairway, a shoal extended to the shore. It remained only to build up the island over the winter and erect a fort on it. The project was authored by Domenico Trezzini.

All winter, work was in full swing: rafts (log structures) were filled with stones and lowered through a hole in the ice to the bottom of the bay to build the foundation for the fort. A platform was erected on them. This technique was used in Russia for bridge construction. By spring, a three-tiered tower with embrasures, 37 meters high with an observation deck on top, was erected on this foundation. Cannons from the lower tier fired directly over the water, so even a boat could not slip past the fort. A hefty price was paid for it: during construction, about eight thousand horses and thousands of people who lived in tents directly on the ice perished from cold, hunger, and exhausting work. On May 7, 1704, the fort was solemnly consecrated. It was named Kronshlot, which translates from Dutch as "crown castle." This marked the beginning of future Kronstadt.

Opposite the fort, an earthen battery was erected on the island to ensure crossfire. From the Kotlin spit, the stationed regiment carefully monitored the Gulf of Finland. Additionally, around the fort, 40 hastily built half-galleys were gathered.

The grand efforts proved not in vain: in the summer, the Swedish squadron attempted to break through to St. Petersburg but was stopped by fire from the fort. The following winter, the Swedes tried to destroy Kronshlot but got lost and did not dare to attack the well-fortified fort.

Peter did not waste time: the Kotlin spit "grew" with batteries. The Russian fleet, the Kronshlot fort, and new fortifications were fully prepared for the Swedish attack, which all summer long tried in vain to break through to St. Petersburg. By the summer of 1706, another fort, St. Alexander (Alexander-Shantz), was built on Kotlin, and together with Kronshlot, they covered the fairway with crossfire. After the victory at the Battle of Poltava, the tsar ordered the construction of a city with a harbor, large houses, and shops on Kotlin. He planned to transfer the port there, as large ships had difficulty navigating the Neva: the river silted the bottom of the bay.

In the early 19th century, the Baltic fleet was commanded by the French Marquis de Traverse. Under him, the Baltic military fleet did not venture beyond the shallow eastern part of the Gulf of Finland for exercises. Since then, the name "Marquis's puddle" has stuck behind the Neva Bay.

Captured Swedes began to build a pier on Kotlin so that large ships could dock. Gradually, the island became populated with officers' houses, churches, and taverns. By the emperor's order, nobles, merchants with families, and numerous laborers were relocated there for permanent residence. During this time, the three-story palace of Peter I (which burned down at the end of the 18th century), the Italian Palace of Alexander Menshikov (which has survived to this day), and the naval hospital were erected. The tsar loved to sit with his comrades under two old oaks on the shore of the bay with a glass in hand.

Construction of new large harbors began. In June 1715, Peter solemnly welcomed 45 Dutch and English ships in Kronstadt. Four years later, more than 100 foreign ships arrived at the Kronstadt port. A customs office was organized on Kotlin, and the port was completed, dividing it into commercial and military sections. From there, goods were delivered to St. Petersburg on shallow-draft vessels.

By the mid-18th century, another fort, "Citadel," was constructed, and the central fortress surrounded Kotlin from both sea and land.

Sailing through the shallow Gulf of Finland, ships constantly risked running aground, so Peter I ordered two lighthouses to be installed on the island. In 1920, he signed a decree containing the words: "To defend the fleet and this place with all strength and life, as the most important task." They became Kronstadt's motto for its entire remaining history. These words were inscribed on the pedestal of the monument to its founder in Petrovsky Park.

The reforming tsar was so proud of his "child" and believed in its strength that four months before signing the peace treaty with Sweden, he demonstrated it in all its might and beauty to the extraordinary ambassador of Sweden, unafraid to reveal military secrets.

In 1723, Peter I laid the fortress of Kronstadt, the Crown City. Since then, the city on Kotlin has also been called that.

From the very beginning of Kronstadt's existence, everything here was subordinated to the needs of the fleet. The great tsar envisioned making it a second Amsterdam. The large ravine in its center is part of the unique "dock-canal" complex, created under Peter's direct orders for the repair of ships right in the canal. It was quick and convenient, with all necessary materials delivered via the canal. The system was built after the emperor's death, developed by engineer Ludwig von Luberas. After a ship was brought into the canal, the dock was drained, and water flowed by gravity through the ravine into a specially dug giant pit.

The construction of this grand system required such effort that a saying was born: "From the Intercession to the Intercession, people die on the island." The construction, which claimed the lives of many diggers, lasted almost half a century and was completed under Elizabeth Petrovna. In honor of the opening of this system, an obelisk was erected with the eloquent inscription: "What will Russia not conquer with courage?" The developer of the system, Ludwig von Luberas, died almost immediately after its opening.

The city's defensive system included 19 island and about 10 coastal forts. The most powerful fortifications were built by the time of World War I.

Peter I was the first to realize the idea of creating a fortress consisting of a core and a line of fortifications in front of it, forts. Each of them represented a small fortress in itself. The forts still rise above the water's surface in varying degrees of preservation, monuments to past greatness.

The first fort, Kronshlot, was completed during Peter's lifetime, and an inner harbor with three gates appeared. By the time of the Crimean War, which united England and France against Russia, several more forts were built, some in just one season. In the summer of 1854, the Anglo-French squadron approached the fortress but did not dare to storm it, as it seemed impregnable.

From the exploded southern fort "Paul I," part of the wall and a tower remain. The infamous Plague Fort "Emperor Alexander I" housed an anti-plague laboratory in the early 20th century. Despite the strictest precautions, it communicated with the outside world via a steamboat named "Microbe," and two plague epidemics began here. At one time, there were plans to turn it into a cultural and entertainment complex and a museum of fort history, but the project stalled. Although it may have a bright future, its counterpart on the coast of France, Fort Bayart, became famous worldwide after many years of oblivion.

Fort Reef, one of the last to be built, became a refuge for rebellious sailors during the Kronstadt uprising.

From the southern forts during the Great Patriotic War, fire was directed at the occupied Strelna and Peterhof.

The northern forts of the fortress were built later than the southern ones; they are well visible from the Dam and the Resort District. They were also erected on raft foundations with log platforms, and later, by order of military engineer Totleben, were rebuilt in stone and concrete. Several casemates of Fort Totleben have been restored and now house a museum.

In the late 19th century, two new forts were built at a distance from Kronstadt on both sides of the northern fairway, along with 27 km of pile-raft barriers that enemy ships could not see in advance.

The 19th century was the heyday of Kronstadt. The city had a special gubernatorial status. Before the construction of the maritime canal, all ships heading to St. Petersburg stopped in the harbors of Kronstadt, about 3000 vessels a year. The city had vice-consulates from Belgium, Spain, Brazil, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

If the tea is not strong enough, they say here: "Well, what tea! You can see Kronstadt through it!" This saying has a long history; in Kronstadt taverns, tea was served with the inscription "Kronstadt" at the bottom. Through real strong tea, the word did not shine through.

There was also a downside: all the typical sins of large port cities flourished here, drunkenness and prostitution. To avoid violating the regulations, clever sailors lowered empty bottles on ropes straight from the barracks windows, and enterprising merchants filled them with alcohol. They had to partially board up the barracks windows. Entrepreneurs transported alcoholic beverages from Kronstadt to the capital, where they were not sold during holidays.

Peter I also accustomed sailors to vodka. He believed it gave strength and courage. Like all his initiatives, this ended quite successfully; in the 19th century, about 300 taverns operated in Kronstadt. Traditionally, if a drunken sailor lay at the gangway with his head toward the ship, he was carried on board. If the opposite, he was sent to the guardhouse. And if after a drunken fight his face was adorned with bruises, he would report that he had shipwrecked at "Cape of Good Hope." That was the name of the most famous tavern in the city.

Several times, Kronstadt suffered greatly from natural disasters. In 1764, a catastrophic fire occurred. In 1824, ports and fortresses were destroyed by a terrible flood. But each time it was rebuilt anew, even better than before. In Kronstadt, the Trade Court, naval hospital, Arsenal, and Steamship Factory (Kronstadt Marine Plant) were built, the Kronstadt Fortress was reconstructed and rearmed, and the Mine School was established. The French squadron visited Kronstadt already on a peaceful official visit.

One of the famous residents of Kronstadt, merchant Sinebryukhov, opened a brewery in Finland, "Beer Sinebryukhoff," and created an art museum. It was said that initially, his ancestor's surname sounded quite ungracious, Krasnobryukhov. When he asked Paul I for permission to change his surname, he ordered only the color of the belly to be changed. Thus, the merchants became Sinebryukhovs. Of course, this is just a legend. In reality, this was a respected Kronstadt merchant family that supplied food for round-the-world expeditions. The residential house of Sinebryukhov in Kronstadt is an architectural monument in the classical style.

Kronstadt is famous for being the location of the zero mark of sea level, from which the level of land surfaces, sea depths, and cosmic heights is measured in Russia. It is measured by a special device, a staff gauge. It is installed in a pavilion on the support of the Blue Bridge over the Obvodny Canal.

Observations of sea level began in 1707 in Kronshlot, as throughout its history, like St. Petersburg, Kronstadt regularly faced floods. The first hydrographic station in Russia opened on Kotlin, conducting constant observations of sea level.

Local residents recount that when Yuri Gagarin was shown the staff gauge, he exclaimed that he now knows where the navel of the earth is! There is also a legend that this absolute zero can erase the boundaries of time in the consciousness of those nearby, leading them to make scientific discoveries far ahead of their time.

Kronstadt became a major scientific center. More than 40 circumnavigations departed from here, leading to over 50 significant geographical discoveries. The first Russian circumnavigation, commanded by I. Krusenstern and Y. Lisyansky, started from the Baltic Fleet base. From here, Bellingshausen and Lazarev set out to discover Antarctica, Bering explored the strait between Asia and America, and Pakhtusov discovered New Land.

In Kronstadt, the world's first icebreaker was created, and radio communication was invented, which was used to send messages to ships.

You can see the radio receiver invented by Alexander Popov in his Memorial Museum-Cabinet.

Even the water supply was first built in Kronstadt, two weeks earlier than in Moscow.

Separated from the "mainland," the freedom-loving Kronstadt, a city that always had its own opinion, knew how to defend it and make others take it into account. In October 1905, an uprising against the tsarist regime broke out in Kronstadt, involving about 3,000 sailors and 1,500 soldiers. The rebels were let down by discipline and lack of unified leadership, and the government troops that arrived from St. Petersburg crushed them. Revolutionary sailors actively participated in the events of February and October 1917.

In 1921, Kronstadt revolted against the Bolsheviks with their military communism, which had drained the country. Initially, there was no uprising; the Bolshevik deputies simply lost the elections to local councils, which the authorities considered a rebellion. The main demands of the "rebels" did not contradict the slogans of the new regime: free elections of councils, freedom of speech and press, and the realization of the slogan "land to the peasants." At the same time, they demanded the release of political prisoners and permission for self-employment. The Bolsheviks stormed Kronstadt and literally flooded it with blood. Its residents began to be mass evicted from the city. Nevertheless, this uprising forced Lenin to drastically change his policy and move to the NEP, which allowed private entrepreneurship.

During the war, Kronstadt starved alongside Leningrad; in the winter of 1941, almost all its food supplies were transported to the besieged city. Despite fierce bombings and shelling, the fortress held out. The people of Kronstadt fished, even catching small sticklebacks, which saved them. After the war, they even erected a monument on the embankment to the "fish-savior." The small road of life passed through Oranienbaum, Kronstadt, and Lisiy Nos.

In Kronstadt, everything is unique: location, history, monuments, and coat of arms. It is an open-air museum. Its entire center is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The coat of arms of Kronstadt was approved by Catherine II, and since then it has hardly changed. In its left part, there is an image of a lighthouse with an imperial crown on top, a reminder that this is the capital of the Baltic Fleet, founded by Emperor Peter I. In the right part, there is a cauldron on a green background, hinting at the legend of the origin of the name Kotlin. It is said that when the tsar first landed on the island with his detachment, he discovered a cauldron with still steaming food left by fleeing Swedes.

The main attraction that rises above the city is the Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It was built in the early last century literally with the money of sailors: for several years, a quarter percent of the salary of each military sailor (from sailors to admirals) was deducted for its construction.

The sailors themselves chose the architect and approved the design of the cathedral. Money for one of the icons was collected by tailors from Kronstadt workshops. The wives of officers embroidered carpets for the steps of the cathedral with silver and pearls. The famous priest and miracle worker John of Kronstadt donated a large sum for it and served a prayer before the start of its construction.

The apartment where John of Kronstadt lived is a museum open for visits.

The cathedral, built according to the design of Vasily Kosyakov, became one of the largest in Russia, accommodating up to 5,000 believers. Its dome was specially made as high as possible so that the cross would serve as a beacon for ships. The enormous building was filled with marine symbolism; the floor of the cathedral, adorned with images of fish, stars, and jellyfish, resembled the sea floor, the dome was decorated with gilded anchors, and inside it was as high as the infinite sky. In this cathedral, sailors seemed to enter their native element.

In the late 1920s, the cathedral was closed, and instead of a cross on the dome, they wanted to install a red star or a figure of Lenin. Thank God the Bolsheviks lacked the strength and skill for this. The temple was turned into a club named after Maxim Gorky and was called Maximka.

The cathedral suffered its most terrible loss in the 1930s: the black marble memorial plaques with the names of sailors who did not return from the sea disappeared from it. According to one version, the authorities found a practical use for them: they were laid in the foundations of buildings, paved streets, used as benches in baths, and even cut meat on them in food stores.

During the war, the devastated cathedral continued to serve the residents of Kronstadt: in its high dome, there was an observation point, anti-aircraft guns were installed at the top of the temple, and a miraculously surviving bell warned of air raids.

The Nikolsky Naval Cathedral on Anchor Square was restored in the early 2000s. Today, the main cathedral of the Russian Navy is enormous, stunning, and unlike anything else. It again serves as a guiding star, illuminated beautifully in the evening light. Visiting Kronstadt is worth it just for this.

As in a large port, all religions and denominations were represented in Kronstadt. Before the arrival of Soviet power, there were about 30 Orthodox churches in the city, two Lutheran churches, a Catholic church, an Old Believer church, as well as a mosque and a synagogue.

Nowhere else in the world can you see cast-iron pavement that has stood for more than a century and a half. Unfortunately, only two such sections remain in Anchor Square; during the war, the cast-iron castings were used to produce mine casings.

The city has preserved buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries: the Italian Palace of Menshikov, the Admiralty, the buildings of the Kronstadt Fortress, Arsenal, Trade Court, Peter's Dock, the Fortress Wall, Tolbukhin Lighthouse, and endless bridges over the city's ravines and canals. Numerous parks and squares of the city were laid out in past centuries: the Summer Garden, Petrovsky Park, Hospital Garden, and Catherine Square.

Kronstadt has many historical museums: the Museum of the History of Kronstadt, the Kronstadt Fortress, the Naval Museum, the lighthouse service museum in Fort Konstantin. Additionally, from the island's piers, one can embark on a tour of its famous forts. And, of course, it is impossible not to visit the monumental Dam that protects St. Petersburg from floods. The easiest way to get to the city is via the ring road, which runs right along it. The incredible, ever-changing marine landscape with the silhouettes of the city on the horizon stretches on both sides of it.

Throughout different historical epochs, many great people lived and worked in Kronstadt, and none of them were overlooked by the people of Kronstadt; monuments and memorials stand at every turn. Among them are two monuments to its founder Peter I, a monument to the inventor of the radio receiver Popov, navigators Pakhtusov and Bellingshausen, admirals Makarov and Ushakov, marine artist Aivazovsky, the city's native physicist Kapitsa, Saint John of Kronstadt, and Vladimir Lenin, as well as monuments to the famous cauldron depicted on the city's coat of arms and the savior stickleback. This is in addition to numerous monuments dedicated to the revolution and the Great Patriotic War, and the eternal flame.

The residents of Kronstadt claim that the cat Matroskin from the beloved cartoon is also from Kronstadt. It was there that writer Eduard Uspensky met his prototype, a sea pirate cat.

Every year, on the last Sunday of July, a naval parade takes place in its western capital on Navy Day.

It seems that for a city tested by wars and floods, all the best is left in the past. However, it has the potential to become a major tourist center. By order of the President of Russia, the largest naval museum in the world, an oceanarium, a diving center, a hotel, a marina for yachts and boats, a cable car, etc., will be created there. The historical park "Island of Forts" with the Alley of Heroes of the Russian Fleet, a stone garden, a rope park, cafes, and children's playgrounds has already opened. One hopes that the influx of tourists will not spoil the unique atmosphere of this historical reserve but will benefit it, finally restoring its numerous forts and historical monuments, many of which still remain in ruins.