Vasilyevskaya kurtina-part of the fortress wall and the former defensive structure of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg (Zayachy Island), intended for the defense and defense of the fortress.
In the curtin there is the Vasilyevsky Gate of the same name.
Initially, the construction of the Vasilievsky Curtain Wall, as well as the entire Peter and Paul Fortress, took place since 1703, and then the fortress structures, including to save time, were built of wood and earth (wood-earth fortifications). The section of the rampart (curtin) connected and now connects two bastions - Trubetskoy and Zotov.
The name "Vasilyevskaya" comes from the fact that the curtain is facing the Vasilyevsky Island of St. Petersburg.
The construction of the curtain wall in stone took place in 1709-1710 according to the project of the architect and engineer-fortifier D. Trezzini.
Under the kurtina, near the Zotov bastion, there was a fortress canal, filled in in 1882. Initially, the curtin had fourteen two-tier casemates, which in 1872-1905 were rebuilt into single-tier casemates.
The casemates to the left of the Vasilievsky Gate, which are located directly in the wall, were assigned to the Mint. In the 1870s, the casemates were adapted as living quarters for the guards of the Trubetskoy Bastion prison. The rooms on the right side of the curtain were used as warehouses, prison cells, and garrison barracks.
Today Vasilyevskaya Kurtina is an integral part of the Peter and Paul Fortress.
Vasilyevskaya Curtin - on the left, the rear facade of the Mint - on the right
In the Trubetskoy Bastion, which is adjacent to the curtain on the south side, today there is a museum exhibition dedicated to the history of the main political prison of tsarist Russia - the Trubetskoy Bastion prison. More about Trubetskoy Bastion Prison…
In Vasilyevskaya kurtina there are the eponymousVasilyevsky Gate, which was built in stone in 1710 on the site of the passage in the Vasilyevskaya Curtin.
In 1792-1794, according to the project of the military engineer F. O. De Rancourt, the outer facade of the gate was decorated with double pilasters and a triangular pediment. In 1874, the gate passage was enlarged, and the portico was dismantled and restored in 1953 by the architect A. A. Kedrinsky.
The internal facade of the Vasilievsky Gate-visually, an arch in the wall
The exterior facade of the Vasilievsky Gate
The gate leads toAlekseyevsky Ravelin Peter and Paul Fortress-an auxiliary structure of triangular shape, which was located in front of the fortress water moat and served to cover the Vasilyevskaya curtain and its gates. Learn more about the ravelin...
View of the external facade of the Vasilyevsky Curtain wall, Vasilyevsky Gate and bastions from the Alekseevsky Ravelin
Practical information
Vasilyevskaya Kurtina with Vasilyevsky Gate is located in the western part of the Peter and Paul Fortress, near the main square of the fortress - Cathedral Square, where the Mint is located, Peter and Paul Cathedral with the Grand Ducal Tomb, Botny house and the commandant's house with the exhibition "The history of St. Petersburg-Petrograd".
The entrance to the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress is free (free of charge).
You can also visit the Peter and Paul Fortress with one of the excursions
Nearest metro stations: "Gorkovskaya" and "Sportivnaya".
All accommodation facilities in Saint Petersburg, including in the city center and near the Peter and Paul Fortress, can be viewed and booked here
