Kresty Prison, Former prison complex in Saint Petersburg, Russia
This complex sits along the Neva River in the Kalininsky District and consists of two red brick buildings shaped like crosses, joined by a small orthodox chapel with a central dome. Each building rises several stories high, with rows of barred windows running along the exterior walls and narrow corridors inside.
The site served as a wine warehouse from 1730 before authorities converted it into a detention facility during the reforms that followed the end of serfdom. Architect Antony Tomishko designed the cross-shaped buildings in the 1860s, and they remained in use as a working prison until the early twenty-first century.
Visitors walk through cells where political prisoners and ordinary inmates once lived, seeing the narrow bunks and small windows that shaped daily existence. The exhibits show personal letters, handmade tools, and objects that tell how people passed time behind these walls.
Guided visits run three times each weekend day and typically last around two hours, starting from the entrance on Arsenalnaya Embankment. The site is a short walk from Ploshchad Lenina metro station, with the main gate facing the river.
The cross layout allowed guards to observe all wings from a single central point, reducing the need for patrols. Tomishko placed a chapel at the intersection of the buildings so inmates could attend services without leaving their cell blocks.
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