Admiralty building, St. Petersburg: history, description

The Petersburg Admiralty building is one of the most recognizable symbols of the city. It was built under Peter I and has since been used as a location for colleges, ministries and other government institutions.

Child of Peter I

The importance that the Admiralty building represents for the city, emphasizes the fact that it was erected immediately after the foundation of the new capital. Peter I personally engaged in the development of the plan and the shipyard's drawing necessary for the construction and parking of ships. All the necessary preparatory work was done in just a few months, and in 1705 the very first building of the Admiralty appeared.

Due to the fact that at this time Russia was at war with Sweden (including at sea), all the economic buildings were fenced with a fortress wall and defensive bastions. They were necessary in the event of the siege of St. Petersburg, although they were never used. The first ship, completely made in the Admiralty, was launched in 1706.

At the same time, an order appeared (analogous to the ministry), responsible for the entire Russian fleet. So Peter I was finally able to realize his dream of a new capital of the country, which, in addition, was the heart of her shipbuilding.

At that time, in addition to the administrative buildings, here were located smithies, workshops and slipways, where new ships were built. Along the building was the Admiralty Canal, which became part of a unified system of city canals. Thus, this place was also an important transport hub.

Boat on the spire

The Admiralty building was rebuilt for the first time in 1711, and eight years later it received its famous spire. At its very top was a ship's figure, made by Dutch craftsmen, famous for their love of the fleet. It was their European experience that Peter tried to instill in the city of his dreams.

About the boat on the spire still there are sharp disputes between researchers and local lore. There is no unified theory about its prototype. There are two popular points of view. One says that the model of the ship was the first vessel, which took in St. Petersburg. From the very beginning life was boiling here, and a convenient shipyard became the home for many crews. According to another theory, the figure of the ship was copied from the silhouette of the frigate "Eagle". This was the first military ship of the Russian fleet, built on the orders of Peter's father, Alexei Mikhailovich, in the 60s of the XVII century.

The spire of the Admiralty was repaired several times. During these procedures the boat was changed. However, the original figure, made by the Dutch in the years of Peter I, was lost. The spire immediately attracted the inhabitants of the city. For them he became an unofficial symbol of Petersburg. The Admiralty Ship in this rank can successfully compete with the Bronze Horseman, the drawbridges and the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

In the XVIII century

Over the long years of its existence, the Admiralty building in St. Petersburg was rebuilt several times. In the 1730s. Architect Ivan Korobov erected a new stone building that replaced obsolete buildings. At the same time, the author of the project retained the old Petrine layout, but changed the appearance, giving it monumentality.

The importance of the presentability of the facade was extremely high, since the Main Admiralty was located at the intersection of the central and busiest streets of the capital - Nevsky Prospekt, Voznesensky Prospekt and Gorokhovskaya Street. Then came the so-called "needle" - a gold-plated spire.

Over the next decades, the city authorities systematically engaged in ennobling and rebuilding areas adjacent to the complex. During the holidays, they became a favorite place for people's festivities. At the end of the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna , the meadow surrounding the building was completely covered. This pedestrian route immediately became popular among residents and visitors of the city.

The water space around the Admiralty served as the central platform for naval exercises of the fleet. The canal, which was a transport artery inside the city, was periodically clogged. Under Elizaveta Petrovna, regular work was begun to clean it up.

Zakharov's project

In the middle of the XVIII century the Winter Palace was built . It corresponded to the style, which was later called Elizabethan Baroque. The palace was very near the Admiralty. Their striking dissimilarity and belonging to different epochs were easily conspicuous. Therefore, at the beginning of the XIX century, the city authorities examined several projects for the renovation and reconstruction of the Admiralty building.

Andrei Zakharov was chosen to be the leading architect. He began work in 1806 and died, and not having had time to see his offspring. His project was continued by the students. They did not change Zakharov's main messages and ideas.

The new facade of the Admiralty

According to the proposal of the architect, almost all of the Main Admiralty was rebuilt. From the old building there was only the former tower on which rested the gilded spire with the ship. The former fortifications, which remained in the city since the time of the Northern War, were demolished. Now the capital was enjoying a peaceful life, and the need for bastions fell away. On the liberated spot appeared the popular boulevard among the inhabitants of St. Petersburg. Now there is no less demanded Alexander Garden.

The duration of the new facade reached 400 meters. All architectural decisions of Zakharov were realized only with one purpose - to emphasize the key importance of the Admiralty building in the guise of the capital. St. Petersburg and then, and now it is difficult to imagine without the famous facade of this administrative complex.

Building decoration

Restoration works of the XIX century added to the ensemble of the Main Admiralty a lot of new sculptures that complemented the rich image of the building. Decorative reliefs, created by Russian masters, depicted ancient subjects and allegories, as well as the history of the creation of the fleet in Russia. All this emphasized the imperial status of the great sea power, whose ships plowed all the seas of the world.

In the year of construction of the building (1823) under the project of Zakharov, the complex acquired its own unique interior. Most of it has survived to this day and today is of great cultural value. Important features of the halls of the Admiralty are their original rigor combined with rich and bright lighting creating an amazing atmosphere.

The Citadel of the Fleet

The interesting history of the Admiralty includes various periods of its use. Originally, according to the precepts of Peter, the building housed the naval college, and later - the Naval Ministry.

Also here was the headquarters, whose members were the most titled admirals of the empire. It was in these walls that decisions were made on the eve of the key military campaigns in the history of the Romanovs' reign. The strategy, born and coordinated in the Admiralty, was used during sea operations in the Crimean and First World War.

Naval Museum

Civilians had access only to some corps of a huge complex. In particular, since the very appearance of the Admiralty, the Naval Museum was opened there. Here were kept the most important monuments of the Petrine era. For example, these were models of ships, drawings and personal correspondence of the first emperor, concerning the creation of the Baltic Fleet.

Until 1939 this rich museum hosted the Admiralty building. Architect Zakharov has expanded the area for expositions, which with each generation have been increasing and increasing. In the Stalin era, the museum moved to the building of the former St. Petersburg Stock Exchange on the arrow of the Vasilievsky Island.

With the latest Romanovs

The construction of ships on the territory of the Admiralty ended in 1844. All equipment was transferred to the Novodmiralteyskaya shipyard. Because of this, the need for channels surrounding the complex has disappeared. They fell asleep. So on this place there was Konnogvardeisky boulevard.

In 1863, under the decree of Emperor Alexander II, a small church inside the Admiralty complex received the status of the Cathedral of St. Spiridon of Trimifuntsky. At the same time the bell tower was erected. These changes could not but affect the appearance of the huge building. The Orthodox Church did not like the reliefs depicting pagan gods - the characters of ancient mythological subjects.

Some time between the clergy and the Naval Ministry was a stubborn struggle. In the end, Alexander II agreed to make concessions to the church. The building was devoid of several sculptures and other art objects. Destruction of monuments occurred, despite the active protest of architects and artists of St. Petersburg.

In 1869 the Admiralty tower acquired its own dial, drawn from Europe. It hung for forty years, after which it was replaced by a new electric analog during the reign of Nicholas II. The Admiralty was often the seat of the Romanov dynasty, as some relatives of the kings received higher ranks in the fleet. For example, the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich was in charge of all the Naval Ministry in the period from 1855 to 1881.

Modernity

After the October Revolution, the Bolshevik government deployed a naval school in the building. Soon it received the name of Felix Dzerzhinsky. The institution also trained engineers. In connection with this, in the 1930s, the strategically important laboratory for the production of engines for rockets was in the Admiralty.

Fortunately, the building almost did not suffer from the raids of German aviation during the siege of Leningrad. The famous spire with the ship was covered. The last major restoration of the building occurred in the Brezhnev era in 1977.

In the post-Soviet period among residents of St. Petersburg there is an acute discussion about the future of the Admiralty. In 2013, an Orthodox church appeared in the tower with a spire, at the opening of which there was the highest general of the Russian fleet.