From foundation until 1917 The fortress was established by
Peter the Great on , on small
Hare Island by the north bank of the
Neva River. From around 1720, the fort served as a base for the city garrison and also as a prison for high-ranking or
political prisoners.
Russian Revolution and beyond and "Peter and Paul" fortress During the
February Revolution of 1917, it was attacked by mutinous soldiers of the
Pavlovsky Life Guards Regiment on 27 February (O.S.) and the prisoners were freed. Under the
Provisional Government, hundreds of Tsarist officials were held in the Fortress. The tsar was threatened with being incarcerated at the fortress on his return from
Mogilev to
Tsarskoye Selo on 8 March (O.S.), but he was placed under house arrest. On 4 July (O.S.) during the
July Days demonstrations, the fortress garrison of 8,000 men declared for the
Bolsheviks. They surrendered to government forces without a struggle on 6 July (O.S.). On 25 October (O.S.), the fortress quickly fell into Bolshevik hands. Following the ultimatum from the
Petrograd Soviet to the Provisional Government ministers in the
Winter Palace, after the blank salvo of the cruiser
Aurora at 21:00, the guns of the fortress fired 30 or so shells at the Winter Palace. Just two hits, inflicting only minor damage, and the defenders refused to surrender at that time. At 02:10 on the morning of 26 October (O.S.), the Winter Palace was taken by forces under
Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko; the captured ministers were taken to the fortress as prisoners. On 28 January 1919, four grand dukes from the
House of Romanov were shot within the walls of the fortress on the orders of the Presidium of the
Cheka under
Felix Dzerzhinsky,
Yakov Peters,
Martin Latsis, and
Ivan Ksenofontov. The structure suffered heavy damage during the bombardment of the city during
World War II by the
Luftwaffe who were laying siege to the city. It has been restored post-war and is a tourist attraction. == Sights ==