There is hardly a person in our country who does not know about such a beautiful famous monument as the Main Admiralty in St. Petersburg. It is in its form that perpetuates the memory of the era of Russian classicism. The Admiralty in St. Petersburg is a complex of buildings located on the island of the same name. It is considered one of the architectural masterpieces of the Northern capital, which received worldwide recognition. Being the city dominant, the Admiralty building in St. Petersburg is the completion of Gorokhovaya Street, as well as Nevsky and Voznesensky Avenues.
Background
Even after the Russian troops, having defeated the Swedish invaders on the banks of the Neva, returned all adjacent lands, the threat of new attacks remained relevant. Therefore, in St. Petersburg they began to hastily erect military fortifications. The entrance to the Neva from the bay was blocked by the guns of the Peter and Paul Fortress and the shooters of Vasilievsky Island, and the tower of the Kronshlot fortress was built near Kotlin Island. In addition, at the mouth of the river, it was decided to use the newly built shipyard as another defense point.
Building
On November 5, 1704, according to an entry from the court journal, the Admiralty House was laid down. Its length was two hundred, and the width was one hundred fathoms. The shipyard was built by thousands of workers, who drove here from Vologda, Ustyug, Belozersk and Kargopol. The construction was carried out exactly at the place where the Admiralty is today. In St. Petersburg, according to the design of Peter the Great, who made plans for the shipyard himself, the first house of the same name was built. It, like the current structure, was made by the so-called peace - in the form of the letter "P", opening towards the river.
However, single-story wooden buildings alone could not become a fortress. And therefore it was decided to surround the building with defensive lines. In November 1705, A. Menshikov was informed that the construction of the fortress was "completed." Now it was surrounded by earthen ramparts, ditches through which drawbridges were built, and bastions with guns.
Destination
The Admiralty in St. Petersburg played an extremely important role for the city as a defense node. It was with him that the formation of the center of the Northern capital began. The fact is that, according to the fortification requirements of that era, it was not allowed to erect constructions from the fortress walls at a distance of three hundred fathoms, so that under their cover the enemy would not be able to get close. Therefore, the adjacent territory was not built up at all, and the remaining undeveloped land plots eventually turned into the main squares of St. Petersburg: we are talking about the Palace, Senate and Admiralty.
Description
Workshops, warehouses and boathouses were located on the vast area open to the Neva River. The central part of the building in 1711 was decorated with a tower. And after a partial reconstruction of the structure in connection with the establishment of the Admiralty College, an iron spire rose above it to a height of more than fifty meters. This symbol, by which many recognize the Admiralty building in St. Petersburg, was crowned with a gilded apple and a weather vane. During the rise in the Neva water level on the tower lights were lit as a signal of impending disaster.
Admiralty Shipyard has become the largest enterprise in the city. Already in 1715, almost ten thousand serfs worked here.At first, only small vessels were built at the shipyard: the government was in a hurry to increase the fleet due to the incessant sorties of the Swedes. The first eighteen-gun ship was launched in April 1716. After almost a century, earthen ramparts near the building of the then Admiralty were torn down, falling asleep to the canal and its walls. And in the place of the alley, where today there are statues of Hercules and Flora, they arranged a boulevard. In those years, the Admiralty in St. Petersburg was a favorite place for walks of many Petersburgers.
Architect
But from the boulevard was no longer visible the old shipyard. The more the center of the Northern capital was built up and made ceremonial, the more unsightly its wooden buildings looked. The Admiralty in St. Petersburg, whose photos of the time were in the museum, it was decided to rebuild. However, none of the foreign architects working in the city took up this task. Then the talented architect I. Korobov was entrusted with making the project, who, having retained the previous layout, changed the wooden buildings to stone buildings.
The new kind
The second Admiralty building, completed in 1738, stood until the beginning of the last century. By this time, Neva “dressed in granite”, on the right side of it the famous Winter Palace sparkled with its splendor, and the Bronze Horseman was erected on the other. It was clear that the modest Admiralty for the city center again required restructuring. Already the third new building was erected in 1806-1823. according to the project of the brilliant Russian architect A. Zakharov. Having developed the plan of Korobov, he created such a triumphal structure as the Admiralty in St. Petersburg, a photo against which almost every tourist who comes to the Northern capital takes home.
The master excellently solved the task assigned to him: he created a colossal structure that was uniform in terms of artistic design and visual perception.
Interesting Facts
The main facade of this architectural monument has a length of 407, and the side, set to it at right angles and going to the river, are 163 meters each. The overall dimensions that the Admiralty in St. Petersburg has today are somewhat smaller than those that were originally provided for in the project. The reason is this: when the building facing the Winter Palace was completed in draft form, the order of Alexander the First immediately broke down the part of the erected building that blocked the emperor’s view from his apartment in the palace on the Neva estuary. And then Zakharov had to fulfill the king’s demand and retreat in length.
When Leningrad experienced difficult siege days during the Great Patriotic War, the Admiralty spire was covered with a cover so that it would not serve as a guide for the Nazis. This work under fire was carried out by a group of urban climbers. During the Nazi blockade, the Admiralty building, which did not have the status of an object of military importance, was seriously damaged. Eighteen high-explosive bombs and almost six dozen shells fell on him. And during the defeat of the Nazis near Leningrad by Soviet soldiers, among the trophies was captured and the gun, which had a tag with the settings of the sight specifically for the Admiralty.