The entrance gateway to the fortress
In the centre of the fortress is the Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul. It is the resting place of the Romanov Tsars starting with Peter the Great. A second chapel had to be built for the non-imperial members of the family.
The cathedral has a huge spire which dominates the sky line.
Peter the Great's tomb is on the right. These are the first of the tombs.
Other family members - all the tombs are exactly the same in white
The final resting place of the Imperial family and their servants shot after the Revolution
Peter the Great was known as the Sailor Tsar, he formed the Russian navy and was obcessed by boats. This is where he kept his sailing yacht and a model of one is stored here, which is also the shop.
The mint
The Peter and Paul fortress from the Hermitage bank
On the way out was this rather strange statue of Peter the Great - the head is taken from his death mask but the body is based on someone else.
No I am not in the wrong country. While we were there an exhibition is being held about the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci. He designed all sorts of machines, many for military use. I don't think many were made in his life time, but the drawings are sufficiently detailed that scolars in Italy have been able to create working models of his designs. The exhibition is going around the world and it is in St Petersburg now - so we went.
Two different flying machines
A parachute - this has been used and works, though the parachutist cut loose and used a modern parachute to land so he wouldn't be hurt by the heavy frame.
A tank - lots of guns to fire in lots of directions
the design
A submarine and in the background a simple military bridge
A devise for measuring distances
A portable organ
A diving suit
All the designs were interesting and ingenious. It is obvious many were made but not all.
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