Russian Art

Alexeev, F. Ya. "The Peter and Paul Fortress and the Palace Embankment, Detail". 1799

Notes: Detail from "The Peter and Paul Fortress and the Palace Embankment" This detail shows the embankment side of the Winter Palace. The Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg is located just upstream from the bifurcation of the Neva River. To the west (downstream), it faces the apex of triangular Vasilievsky Island known as the Strelka (pointer) as well as the embankment of the Winter Palace, which is on the "Admiralty" side of the river. The fortification was founded in 1703 and was the city's first structure. Its stone walls are 40 feet high and 12 feet thick; the grounds within include the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, one of the city's most visible landmarks and the burial place of most of Russia's Tsars and Tsarinas since the time of Peter the Great. The fortress, which was used as a prison during the nineteenth century, is now a museum.