SHLISSELBURG AND THE ORESHEK FORTRESS

The town of Shlisselburg is located at the head of the Neva River, 60 km from St.Petersburg. Between 1944 and 1992 it has been called Petrokrepost (meaning Peter's Fortress).

The town was laid in the early 18th century as a big port on the water route heading for the capital of the Russian Empire. In 1780 Shlisselbug obtained the status of a district town of St.Petersburg province and its coat of arms, bearing a silver town with a golden key and the emperor's crown above, was approved.

The central section of the town lies in the system of Ladozhskye by-pass canals. Two unique engineering constructions, a four-chamber granite sluice built in 1836 and a column-supported bridge of 1832, still dominate at the opening of the old Ladozhsky canal into the Neva. The Blagoveshchensky (Annunciation) Cathedral with its belfry, Nikolskaya (St.Nicholas) Church, Chapel of Our Lady of Kazan and Gostiny Dvor (Merchants' Yard) are among other structures of the 18th-19th centuries that are worth seeing. The monument to Peter I, by sculptor Mikhail Antokolsky, is another landmark of the town.

Shlisselburg played an important role in the events of World War II. With the capture of the town by the Germans on September 8, 1941, the siege of Leningrad began. The town was badly ruined during the siege that ended in January 1943, to be reconstructed after the war.

The Oreshek (Nut) Fortress, that withstood attacks by the Swedes in the 14th-17th centuries, is located on an island not far from Shlisselburg. It was captured by Sweden in 1612 but returned to Russia in 1702. The fortress served as a political prison in the 18th-19th centuries.

The old walls of the fortress have been damaged during the War, when Soviet soldiers defended it for almost 500 days. Restoration has been conducted here since 1966.

Two monuments in the fortress glorify its defenders, with one being dedicated to the warriors perished in the recapture of Noteburg in 1702 and another one commemorating those who fought for it in 1941-1943.

The historical exhibit of the museum (the 14th- 18th centuries)
The museum exhibit features the history of the town of Shillesburg and the Oreshek Fortress.

A scale model of the fortress as in the 16th century is presented in the central hall. Residential and household constructions belonging to the military, civil and church authorities of the town were placed inside the citadel. Houses of townspeople were built outside the fortress walls, on the banks of the Neva. In the year 1500 about 1,000 people (in 198 households) resided in Oreshek, both on the river banks and islands. One of the fortress towers, recreated by the model, was named the Golovina Tower (originally the Nikolskaya Tower) in the name of a Peter I's associate Count F.Golovin, who participated in the seizure of Noteburg in 1702.

The archeological finds (a wooden comb, a bronze seal-ring, Swedish coins, iron knives, axes, keys etc.), on loan from the Institute of Archeology of Russian Academy of Sciences and State Museum of the History of St.Petersburg, represent the Swedish period in the history of the fortress.

"The Army of Peter the Great" exhibit features the events of the Northern War of 1700-1721 and the recapture of the Oreshek fortress from the Swedish crown. A moment of the assault by the Russian troops is pictured in detail on the drawing of 1703. Replicas of the uniform of Peter's times are displayed in the hall.

Several cannon-balls of the 15,000 that bombarded between October 1 and 11 of the year 1702 and an alarm-gun found on the bank of Ladoga Lake are on display.

The historical exhibit of the museum (the 18th-20th centuries)
Architectural graphics, including maps and schemes of the town and fortress, design drafts of residential and community buildings of the 18th-19th centuries, as well as lithographs by K.Beggrov documenting the reconstruction of the Ladozhsky locks in the 1820-ies in Shlisselburg, is of major interest in the exhibit.

The history of the town in the 20th century is revealed in numerous documents, photos, artifacts, scale models of vessels etc.

Museum of the Town of Shlisselburg History
Address: Dom Kul'tury, Malonevskii kanal, Shlisselburg, Leningrad region. Phone (262) 76 822
Transport: bus № 575э from the Ulitsa Dybenko metro station
Open: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays
Founded in 1990, the Museum of the Town of Shlisselburg presented its first exhibit to the public in 1997. Being one of the youngest museums in Leningrad region, it features the history of one of its oldest towns.
Back in the 14th century the Russian fortress Oreshek (Nut) towered above the head of the Neva River, connecting Ladoga Lake with the Gulf of Finland. It was renamed Noteburg in the 17th century, when under the Swedes, and obtained the current name, Shlisselburg (Key-town), after being retaken by the Russians in the course of Northern War. Defense of the fortress in World War II days is another stormy period in its history.
More than 4,000 authentic objects of the museum collection including archeological findings, documents, drawings, models illustrate those times, as well as present day of the town centred around shipbuilding and ship-repairing facilities.

Oreshek Fortess
Open: 10.00 - 17.00 every day
Entrance to fortress: free of charge.
Address: Oreshek Fortress, Shlisselburg, Leningrad region (45 km east of St.Petersburg)
Tel.: (812) 498 06 79
Homepage:  www.spbmuseum.ru/ore...