Fort Schanze

Fort Schanze is a maritime fortification on Kotlin Island featuring thick stone walls, bastions, and casemented gun emplacements arranged in a geometric layout to control naval approaches to Saint Petersburg. The structure includes interconnected defensive elements designed to concentrate firepower on attacking vessels.

Built in 1706 during the Great Northern War on orders from Peter I, the fort guarded the emerging Russian navy and the newly founded Saint Petersburg from Swedish attacks. Over subsequent centuries, the fortification was modernized with advanced weaponry while maintaining its core defensive purpose.

The fort embodies Russian naval power and remains a symbol of maritime defense on the island that locals and visitors recognize immediately. Walking through its passages, you encounter the structure as it was built to inspire confidence in military strength.

The fort is accessible via the Kronstadt highway with regular bus service from Saint Petersburg to the western end of Kotlin Island. Wear sturdy shoes as paths are unpaved and the terrain around the fortifications is uneven.

The fort was designed so that multiple guns from different bastions could concentrate their fire on a single target approaching from the sea, a tactical innovation that made it one of the most feared naval defenses in the Baltic. This overlapping firepower system became a model for other fortifications.

Location: Kronstadt

Inception: 1706

Part of: Forts of Kotlin Island

GPS coordinates: 60.02556,29.67389

Latest update: December 8, 2025 19:47