* The Peter and Paul Fortress, despite its austerity and simplicity, is the main monument of the history of our city. It was here that in May 1703, on Zayachy Island, according to all the canons of fortification, the construction of the St. Petersburg fortress began. Despite its powerful equipment, strong walls, well-chosen location, and the construction of a crown castle and ravelins, which reinforced the already impregnable citadel, the fortress has never participated in a single battle in its entire history. Simultaneously with the fortress walls, a temple was built, consecrated in the name of Saints Peter and Paul. The temple itself represents an amazing world of Baroque architecture, new to Russia at that time, as well as the conceptual approach of the great reformer in the study of biblical subjects, attracted to reveal the deeds of the Russian tsar. It is in this temple that the royal tomb is located, where Russian monarchs and members of the imperial family are buried, starting with Peter I and ending with the family of Nicholas II. During the tour of the temple, I will definitely tell you about the most striking episodes in the life of each ruler. Despite the fact that powerful fortress walls were not needed to protect the city from the outside, the state put them to good use by placing prison cells for political criminals in the curtinas and bastions. It should be noted that the prisoners were closely and strictly monitored, and not a single escape had been carried out during the two centuries of the existence of the Russian Bastille. Nowadays, we are used to perceiving the fortress as something isolated, but at the time of the birth of the young city, almost the entire administrative center of St. Petersburg fit within the fortress walls. It is about this time that we will talk during the tour of the fortress. The tour route passes through Alexander Park and Zayachy Island, in addition to the Peter and Paul Fortress, you will get acquainted with St. Petersburg in miniature, the monument to the destroyer “Stereguschy” and the magical world of northern Art Nouveau.