What melody is played by the clock - chimes at the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Peter and Paul Cathedral Clock at the Blacksmith's Market
The first clock-chimes appeared on the first wooden Peter and Paul Church built in 1703-04. Actually, the clock itself was intended for the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in Moscow, but if Peter decided to move the capital closer to the borders of his possessions, then the clock was ordered to be delivered to St. Petersburg and placed in the bell tower ... However, the life of the first St. Petersburg clock-chimes was short-lived ...
For reference: in those years, the clock was significantly different from what we are used to now - the dial was divided into 17 parts, the minute hand, as such, was absent (what for, you ask?), the battle was carried out by one large bell and several small bells. Watches were an indispensable attribute of developed cities.
In 1714, the construction of the stone Peter and Paul Cathedral began under the strict guidance of the architect Domenico Trezzini. For the new bell tower, Peter I acquires another clock in Holland during his last trip to Europe. Soon they are installed on the bell tower by the watchmaker Andrey Ferzen, but ... the office, considering that the artisans no longer need to be kept at the clock (and what will happen to them, with the clock, then?), They fire everyone and the clockwork, having lost proper care, soon breaks down. .. This is what Trezzini addresses to the Office of City Affairs: “It is now necessary to disassemble and repair the large clock that is placed on the bell tower of the Holy Church of Peter and Paul, for which cleaning is necessary for weapons ... blacksmiths who used to be in that case or the other four man at the request of the watchmaker Andrey Ferzen".
We immediately stumble upon the graves of the royal relatives. These were buried during the life of Peter - the second grave of the son of the king - Alexei Petrovich.
Where do you think the tradition of burying those close to power in the walls came from?))
Interestingly, the clock installed on the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral was equipped with a special mechanism - a carillon, with which various melodies could be played on the bells. The word "chimes" comes from the French word "carillon" meaning a set of bells of different sizes and systems. The bells were placed on the bell tower, and were connected to the mechanism of the clock tower or the keyboard by a cable system.
The clock of the Peter and Paul Cathedral had 35 bells, and all of them had two hammers and one tongue - that is, the clock itself, the carillon and the bell ringer issued a separate chime. Russian bells were not suitable for carillon, so all the bells were cast in Holland.
Rising even higher...
In 1756, the wooden spire of the Peter and Paul Cathedral burned down, and with it the bells and chimes burned down. Queen Elizaveta Petrovna, who ruled at that time, ordered Count G.I. Golovkin to find and buy a finished watch or order a mechanism from some master. Soon, the enterprising Golovkin finds watchmaker Bernard Ootkras in Holland and concludes a contract with him for the manufacture of clocks for the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. If the master had known that now his whole life would become a complete nightmare, he would have run away from the strange Russian and his no less strange and amazing proposal...
But, having a different mentality, Oortkras meticulously, scrupulously, completed the order on time. On April 22, 1760, the watch was examined and found fit for use. August 28, 1760, on a chartered Dutch ship "Frau Maria", Oortkras delivers them to St. Petersburg.
And, finally, we reach a height of 16 meters from the ground (or from sea level?) - there is a small exhibition on the history of the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral - right in front of us is the skeleton of an angel on the spire. The frame is completely real. The angel stood for about 140 years and was completely replaced by the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg
According to the terms of the contract, the terms of work on the clock were strictly stipulated, but upon arrival at the installation site, it suddenly turns out that there is no trace of the bell tower yet. The clock (so as not to spoil the mechanism) was placed in a small wooden house, which was built especially for them on the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress, but, as usual, everything went wrong - either there were not enough boards, or they were stolen ... The house turned out to be much less than expected. The oversized watch barely fit in it. On top of that, Oortkras was ordered to wind up the clock in order to check its performance. Reluctantly, fulfilling the terms of the contract, the master rebuilds the house at his own expense and carries out all the manipulations with the mechanism.
From here begins the staircase inside the bell tower itself.
In order for the stubborn Dutchman to behave more quietly, he was assigned as an overseer, the watchmaker Drunk Miller, who experienced professional envy of his talented colleague and could not forgive the master that the order for making chimes "floated" out of his hands. In every possible way preventing Oortkras from working, unscrupulously accusing him of theft, incompetence, laziness and negligence, Miller ensured that the master was no longer paid a salary. As a result, Oortkras worked for free for two years and died in poverty from nervous exhaustion on May 27, 1764, without ever seeing his brainchild on the bell tower.
After the death of its creator, the clock lay idle for several years. In 1776, they were entrusted to the Viennese watchmaker Rediger, who completed them, noting that "they do honor to their creator." In the same year, the chimes were placed in the tower, and from that time on, the inhabitants of St. Petersburg began to hear the chimes emitted by the clock. The chimes worked without any significant intervention and repair for almost 64 years.
16 meters above ground, balcony above the colonnade of the west porch.
Pay attention to the swastika.))
There is a legend that before the start of the war (the Great Patriotic War), intelligence reported to Hitler about this beauty at the cathedral in the very center of the city of Leningrad. Hitler sees this good sign, forbade shooting at the cathedral on pain of death, which was done. Of course, random shells hit the territory of the fortress, but the cathedral remained intact.
True or false - who knows - correct!
In 1854, the clock was pulled out of the bell tower, the spire of which, by that time, had tilted significantly. They were placed until better times in the Kronverk bastion. In 1857, the architect D.I. Zhuravsky began to replace the wooden spire of the Peter and Paul Cathedral with a metal one, with a partial reconstruction of the lower dome of the bell tower, on which the chimes were placed. And since the watch, which had already served for over 81 years, did not have a major overhaul, it was decided to carry it out. Leading watch companies in Russia tried to get this order, but Zhuravsky preferred the Butenop Brothers firm. The company undertook to fix, update and improve the mechanism, install minute hands (which simply did not exist), make an internal dial on which one could put the hands on the outside. A new pendulum was made and the bell ring was reconstructed.
October 29, 1858 the clock was installed on the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. The manufacturer left a two-year warranty on them, as well as detailed instructions for use, settings and amendments - in Russian.
After 48 years of continuous operation, the clock was again repaired, which lasted from June 26 to July 12, 1906. After the 1917 coup, the clock was stopped.
The revolutionary-minded masses, under the leadership of the composer M.I. Chulaki, tried to set them up for the performance of the Internationale, but failed ... the bells were subjected to mechanical processing, due to which some of them were ruined.
In 1947, steeplejacks carried out work on the automation of the winding of the chimes, which until that time were wound manually, with the help of several healthy serfs or, later, prisoners of the fortress. The plant was enough for a day.
At the same time, quarter chimes were launched and, in fact, the striking of the clock, tying the chimes to the lower, so-called "Russian" belfry.
The melody performance mechanism was launched in 2002. The “Russian” belfry was given to the ringers, and the clock began to “play” the Dutch bells, on the “Dutch” belfry, which is located just above the clock faces. Every hour, the chimes play the melody "How glorious is our Lord in Zion", and every six - "God save the king." Because of this motive, the Bolsheviks at one time, violently shot dials and bells with rifles. In some places there were holes and marks - for a long, good memory ...
Left below.
And we are going higher. Staircase to the "Russian" belfry...
And above - in hours.
Russian bells - now only the ringer plays them.
Small bells on the "Russian" belfry.
Clock mechanism. Size rather big - 3 x 3 meters!
Located at a height of 45 meters from the ground, indoors. The room temperature is maintained positive around the clock, with the help of several thermal fans, otherwise the clock freezes and starts to behave unpredictably.
The inscription "the clock was remade in 1858 by the Butenop brothers in Moscow" is clearly visible - for overhaul they were dismantled and sent in parts to Moscow. I can hardly imagine how they were pulled out and then, lifted and collected. You must have unmeasured strength, and heroic health - after all, there is no elevator in the bell tower.)) Up and down - everything is on the stairs ...
A gear that tracks the sound of a large hour bell.
Inner dial added by the Butenop brothers in order to see the position of the hands on the outdoor dials, of which there are four pieces, oriented to the cardinal points. One floor above there is a distribution mechanism.
Escape gear and balancer - do not let the clock rush.
Another gear.
Well, it was necessary to come up with this ... It doesn’t fit in my head. Everything here is quite complicated, but it works like clockwork.))
Bass drum melodies centrifugal regulator. Before starting to play hourly melodies, the mechanism cocks itself and begins to rotate at a frantic speed. This crap kills speed. When it breaks for some reason, it starts to gouge several times faster, it turns out some kind of parody of the chimes.
Centrifuge from the snare drum in charge of the quarter beat.
The quarter beat drum is a kind of music box.
The music box is more serious. Drum with dialed melodies "How glorious is our Lord in Zion" and "God Save the Tsar".
Well, everything seems to be ... it's time to say goodbye to the clock, I'm going down, but then I notice one more interesting detail ...
Behind the clock is a spiral staircase to the switchgear, and in front of it is one of eight internal rods that support the spire in a vertical position.
She's closer...
And eight more rods inside the wall (they are considered external). The engineering genius of Dmitry Zhuravsky, who replaced the wooden spire with a metal structure, built on the principle of bridge trusses, still arouses genuine admiration. After all, if for some reason the spire deviates from its vertical axis, it can always be returned to its previous position with the help of ...
Here is this sickly wrench)))
But they have never been used. The construction of the spire is very durable. In strong winds, which St. Petersburg is famous for, the spire, together with the angel-weather vane, "walks" about half a meter on the sides.
Well, I got out of the cathedral.
The London Big Ben, the Prague Eagle, the Kremlin chimes and many of their equally well-known counterparts in the "watch shop" in many cities around the world adorn towers, palaces, stations and squares. And they do not just decorate, but help the ever-hurrying residents of megacities to find out the most accurate (well, or almost exact) time. Of course, the Northern capital of Russia can rightfully be proud of the masterpieces of watchmaking masters - both ancient and quite modern. Let's name the most famous chimes of present-day St. Petersburg.
Clock of the Peter and Paul Cathedral
It was here, in the Peter and Paul Fortress, on the now non-existent wooden church in 1704, the first outdoor mechanical clock in Russia appeared, the mechanism for which was made by the Russian master Nikifor Arkhipov. These were “still those” chimes - their main bell beat the time every hour, and weighed more than two hundred pounds. But Peter, who prefers everything European, replaced this clock in 1720 with a clock brought from Holland, with 35 bells. But, alas, they died in a fire in 1756, along with the bell tower on which they were installed.
However, the Peter and Paul Fortress did not remain without chimes. In 1760, in Holland, a new watch was bought from master Bernard Oort Krase, which was delivered to St. Petersburg. True, they were installed only in 1776. And since that time, the inhabitants of St. Petersburg began to hear (and still hear) their famous chimes.
I must say that the clock worked properly, being repaired only in 1858 and 1906. But after the October Revolution, they stopped, not submitting to the "revolutionary will", which tried to impose on them the execution of the "Internationale". This had to be done in 1937. In 1947, the chimes that had suffered during the war were repaired, the steeplejacks carried out work to automate their “factory”, which until that time was carried out manually once a day. And from 1952 to 1989, the clock played the anthem of the USSR: at 6, 12, 18 hours and at midnight. Then they were silent for more than a dozen years, beating only time and quarter chimes.
And in 2002, over the Peter and Paul Fortress, the melodies originally intended for clocks sounded again: “How glorious is our Lord in Zion” and the anthem of the Russian Empire (1833-1917) “God save the Tsar, strong, sovereign, reign for glory ...”.
Where are: Peter and Paul Fortress, Cathedral Square, 1
Clock on the tower of the Main Admiralty
In 1711, a clock appeared on the tower of the Main Admiralty, which served the city faithfully for more than a century. And the clock we know today, made by the well-known St. Petersburg firm Friedrich Winter, was installed only in 1869. Then the mechanism in the clock was connected to the bells that chimed. So it was in the full sense of the word chimes. Their mechanism worked until 1907, the time when it was stopped in order to connect the dial to new electrical appliances.
During the blockade, the clock on the tower of the Main Admiralty did not work. But already in 1944, their shooters "ran" again. It should be noted that these clocks are perceived rather than as a means of telling the residents of the city the exact time, but as a wonderful element of decor, just like the clock on the pediment of the Winter Palace.
Where are: Admiralteisky pr., 1.
Clock on the tower of the City Council
According to some reports, the tower erected by Giacomo Ferrari already initially had a clock. Which ones are unknown. It is only known that when F. Trepov, who held the position of mayor in the 70s of the 19th century, suddenly decided to organize night lighting of these hours, they were examined and found out that the clock had fallen into absolute disrepair. And this means that they urgently needed to be replaced with new ones.
New chimes in June 1883 and ordered the master Friedrich Winter. The contract was such that if the clock made by the watchmaker began to fall behind by more than two minutes per month, he was to be fined. Winter himself wound up the watch mechanism - for 50 rubles a year. The chimes "celebrated" not only every hour, but also "quarter", that is, 15 minutes. The clock was distinguished by its precise movement and melodic chime of bells.
It is known that the clock was repaired several times, but already in Soviet times. The state of emergency was also connected with them, which the newspapers of that time dubbed "the clinical death of the main Leningrad avenue." This is when one drunken comrade entered the clock tower and for some reason unscrewed the nut from the clock mechanism. The nut was put back in place.
But today the clock on the tower is still running, and with a rate deviation of no more than 30 seconds per week. And this is despite the fact that the current mechanism basically retained the old design. The clock is still driven by a chain structure with weights located in a 20-meter-deep shaft. One "factory" watch is enough for a week. Moreover, even today you can hear the sound of these chimes. True, at a very close distance. After all, today's Nevsky is far from the quietest place.
Where are: Nevsky prospect, 33/Dumskaya street, 1-3
Clock on the arch of the General Staff Building
It is impossible to ignore the city clock under the arch of the General Staff building due to their history and uniqueness. They were installed in 1890 as mechanical by the same firm "F. Winter. But with the advent of the new century, their fate changed dramatically. In 1900, Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev, who was the custodian scientist for the Main Chamber of Measures and Weights, proposed to install an electric mechanism in this clock, synchronized with the reference clock of the Main Chamber of Weights and Measures. This project has been implemented. The synchronizing electrical signal was transmitted over a specially laid cable several kilometers long.
It should be noted that the modern clock on the arch of the General Staff building has a Swiss mechanism, donated to the city for the 300th anniversary. Two huge dials, 2 meters in diameter each, are today an adornment of the Northern capital and another opportunity for St. Petersburg residents and guests of the city to “check their watches”.
Where are: Palace Square, 6-10.
Clock on the tower of the Moscow railway station
Where else is a watch always urgently needed? That's right - at the station. And when in 1851 the construction of the Nikolaevsky (later Moskovsky) Station, built for the needs of the railway connecting St. Petersburg and Moscow, was completed, it became obvious that a very important architectural accent in the appearance of the new building is the quadrangular tower above the entrance. Of course, with a watch on it. By the way, the clockwork with the bell was made by the same notorious firm “F. Winter. For those who were late for the train, the clock tower not only indicated the exact time, but also the direction of the main entrance.
Where are: Nevsky prospect, 85.
Clock on the tower of Vitebsk railway station
When in 1904, according to the project of the academician of architecture S.A. Brzhozovsky, a modern building of the Vitebsk railway station was built in the "modern" style, it was also not forgotten " clock tower”, and, of course, the clock on it. She decorates left side the main, northern, facade of the building overlooking Zagorodny Prospekt. In the niches of the tower, owls comfortably “settled down”, spreading their wings over the clock faces.
Where are: Zagorodny avenue, 52.
Electronic clock-barometer on Malaya Konyushennaya
This miracle mechanism appeared quite recently - only at the end of the 90s of the last century - at the time when Malaya Konyushennaya Street was being equipped, turning it into a pedestrian zone. This modern watch is so charming that it certainly deserves attention. In addition, they are also unique, as their elegant cabinet contains a barometer, thermometer and clock at the same time.
Where are: st. Malaya Konyushennaya.
Clock-fountain "Flood"
As a matter of fact, this is not a city clock in its purest form, since it is not located on a building, street or square, but in the atrium of the Petrovsky Fort business center. But this is a unique clock of our city! Therefore, we simply cannot pass by them.
So, the fountain clock "Flood", having a dial diameter of 6 m, was made by the company "Chronotron" for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg and installed in 2003 in the newly opened business center "Petrovsky Fort". The design of the “Flood” watch was developed by the honored architect of Russia V. Struzman, the chief artist of St. Petersburg I. Uralov, as well as architects V. Shprits, A. Mikhalev, artists S. Repin, V. Sukhov, N. Fomin.
In fact, we have a fountain in front of us: the clock itself is installed in its bowl at an angle of 13 degrees to the horizon in such a way that part of the rotating map of St. It is believed that this is the largest clock in the world. Until now, the clock in Maruyama Park (Kasai, Japan) was considered the largest.
Where are: business center "Petrovsky Fort", the intersection of Pirogovskaya embankment and Finlyandsky prospect.
No, I won't tell you about Peter and Paul Fortress or myself Peter and Paul Cathedral in Saint Petersburg. To do this, you need to deeply understand history. I, as an ordinary tourist, had an amazing opportunity to climb observation deck Belfry of the Peter and Paul Cathedral and I got up. In this article, I would like to, so to speak, lend you my eyes for a while. Just look, admire those amazing views that open from a height. Perhaps, when you yourself find yourself in St. Petersburg, you will also want to climb the bell tower, because not a single photograph conveys the fullness of the atmosphere of soaring "above the city". In the meantime... are you ready to climb? Then follow me!
Spire of the Peter and Paul Cathedral hard not to notice. It can be seen from almost anywhere in the historical part of the city. Of course, it does not shine through the walls of houses, but you will go out onto the banks of the Neva and - here it is! Height - 122 meters!
Being in St. Petersburg for the first time after a forty-year absence, not knowing the rules, I did not even imagine that you could even enter the Peter and Paul Fortress, let alone climb the bell tower. No wonder I thought so. It was enough to stumble upon two closed doors:
to understand that the entrance there is either completely closed to mere mortals, or it is available only to some special people, or for a lot of money. Over time, it became clear that the gates at that particular moment were closed only because I rushed to the Peter and Paul Fortress at 6 o'clock in the morning.
In fact, the entrance to the territory is completely free. A detailed overview of the territory of the complex will be presented in a separate article, but now let's move on to the topic observation deck on the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
When, wandering not far from the mint, I suddenly noticed a man upstairs, I had the idea that if he could somehow find himself there, next to the bells, then maybe I could somehow succeed?
Here, on the square in front of the bell tower, I made this unexpected discovery. By the way, pay attention to the benches - this is a place where you can listen to the sound of a very special musical instrument - carillon. A little later we will see him and listen to the music, but for now, just so you know. A carillon is a musical instrument with a keyboard whose sounding parts are bells.
And then in the window under the clock I suddenly saw a man. Yes, look, he is looming there now!
Overwhelmed by a timid hope for the seemingly unattainable, I walked across the square straight to the entrance to the cathedral. They immediately made me happy: Yes, you can go up, but for this you must first buy a ticket to the cathedral itself (450 rubles), and then, after going inside, buy another ticket to the bell tower (150 rubles).
In vain, foaming at the mouth, I exhorted the aunt at the turnstile that the cathedral itself did not interest me very much, but I needed to "go there, upstairs." The attendant was as impregnable as the Trubetskoy Bastion and sent me for a ticket.
No matter how sorry it was to part with the money that was prepared for a snack in the canteen, I had to choose - either daily food, or spiritual food. Based on the fact that you are reading this report, it is not difficult to guess what exactly outweighed that wonderful autumn evening.
Tickets were sold in a separate building, which has a strange name " Botny house".
Yes Yes. Here is this yellow building with columns (entrance from reverse side). Thinking about the origin of such a strange name, at first I thought that everyone was "booted" there, or at least "bottomed" used to be. In practice, it turned out that inside, oddly enough, there is a real boat, albeit a small one. It's nothing but Boat of Peter I. After the end of the Northern War in 1721, Peter I decided to transfer his small boat to St. Petersburg. First, a simple shed was built for him, and then a whole building was built.
Moreover, the building was first built, and then they began to think, "how can we now drag this boat inside?" Naturally, she did not pass through doors and windows. I had to dismantle a part of the wall and drag the "grandfather of the Russian fleet" - that was the name of the Botik of Peter I - into the room through the resulting opening. In a word, they did everything right :). And it's still a common thing to this day. First we do, then we think.
And here he is - Botik:
In fact, this fragile little ship has a very interesting story. Unfortunately, within the framework of this article it is impossible to cover it completely. Therefore, if you are interested, ask Wikipedia. Everything is written there briefly, but clearly.
In addition to the bot itself, the building has an extensive trade in souvenirs. And what is not here:
It's nice that you can pay by card. An unpleasant moment - the prices here are simply indecent. There is also a ticket office here. Here are the prices valid until the end of October 2016:
I immediately realized how important have information. The fact is that up to this point I had already visited the Museum of Cosmonautics and Rocketry, paying 150 rubles for admission. Now, to visit the cathedral, I had to pay another 450 rudders. That is, together it already turns out - 600.
For the same price, one could buy a so-called "complex ticket" and visit several more interesting expositions. A combined ticket does not have to be used on the same day. It is valid for two days and allows you to visit all these museums once. Alas, I did not know about this, therefore, without knowing it, I limited my possibilities. And to myself and to you, because I can not show reports on other exhibitions. I'll be smarter next time. And you also keep in mind.
The same applies to excursions in St. Petersburg. It is important to know where to buy them so as not to overpay intermediaries.
Ascent to the observation deck of the Peter and Paul Cathedral
But now, finally, all the formalities have been settled, the ticket to the Peter and Paul Cathedral is in hand. It's time to go. Unfortunately, my ascent took place in the late afternoon, so the pictures that you will see from a height will be more evening.
Here let me give you one important piece of advice. If one of the goals of your ascent to the bell tower is photography, then it is better for you to climb from morning to afternoon. At this time, the sun illuminates the part of the panorama that you can photograph. After lunch, the sun will shine in your eyes and you may not get good photos. In any case, the lighting will no longer be so interesting.
Let's go! It all starts with the fact that you pass through the turnstile. There your ticket will be redeemed, and you yourself will have two plans for the further development of events.
- You immediately go straight to the Peter and Paul Cathedral
- You buy another ticket to the bell tower, first go there, and then to the cathedral.
A ticket to the bell tower is bought on the spot and costs an additional 150 rubles.
After buying a ticket (attention! cards are not accepted here!) You can start climbing on your own. It's comfortable. The fact is that you can still climb to the observation deck on the bell tower as part of an organized tour. I already felt what a crowd of people in a confined space is on the example of climbing the bell tower of the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral. Therefore, the prospect of independent ascent more than suited me.
First, the ascent goes along a narrow corridor:
Of course, here the passage is wider than, say, in Pereslavl-Zalessky. There certainly two people can not disperse! The Peter and Paul Bell Tower is a little more spacious, but in any case, a group of people will have to move in single file.
In total, we have to overcome about 270 steps to the observation deck. I won’t say more precisely, while I was counting, I lost it a couple of times, but total number something like this. To imagine such a staircase, try walking up to the 13th floor of a high-rise building. For some people, this is not an easy task. It's good that you can climb in several stages. The first room that we will meet on the way is the "attic" of the bell tower. Here is an exposition on the history of the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
Here, for example, you can find out that initially the statue of an angel on the spire of the bell tower was conceived quite differently than the one we are used to seeing. You can see the frame of the statue in full size:
Just here, in the attic, I was met by a young man who checked and tore up my ticket. Further, for some reason, he followed me until the moment when I left the tower. Probably we, tourists, still need to be looked after. And then we are! Suddenly, God forbid, we touch the bell, but this cannot be done in any way. Appropriate strict declarations are found here at every turn.
In principle, he did not interfere with me, he did not sniff over my ear, he simply stood aside and "was present." However, to survey the panorama of the city under the supervision of an attendant, who is only waiting, "until this idiot has seen enough and taken pictures" was somehow uncomfortable. Nevertheless, I completed the filming program completely. I shot everything that I was going to, with all the lenses that are in this case were appropriate. You'll see for yourself soon.
Pay attention to the steps of the stairs. Each of them has an overlay made of natural stone. On the one hand, this is good - they are more durable. On the other hand, they are polished with the soles of more than one million feet. Therefore, be careful and try to hold on to the handrails. Under adverse conditions, you can slip.
During the ascent at this stage in the middle of the room we will be accompanied by a massive wooden frame. It stretches in the middle of the tower and goes somewhere up:
After passing a few more spans, we can consider a musical curiosity. This is Carillon. A musical instrument made from bells connected to a keyboard mechanism. By the way, what do you think is the name of the musician who plays the carillon? The trumpeter plays the trumpet, the drummer plays the drum. We also know guitarists, harpists, violinists, etc. Who plays the carillon? I give you a few paragraphs to think about.
This is what this rarest musical instrument looks like (I could not resist taking a kind of selfie with a carillon :):
51 bells with a total weight of 15 tons are installed on a massive frame. However, you can read more about this tool on the plate:
From myself I can add the following amusing information. When this carillon was installed in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, it suddenly became clear that there was no one to play it. And even send no one to study. The Peter and Paul Fortress "does not have a full-time carilloner." By the way, here is the answer: a carillonaire is a musician who plays the carillon.
I'm afraid to assume the worst, but it is not there now. Therefore, concerts of carillon music are performed by an ordinary "boy" who simply selects the next melody on a smartphone. So, the music that you will hear in the next video is not played by a person, but by a Samsung smartphone according to a predetermined program. I have seen it happen myself.
Video. Concert of carillon music (to tear off your hands)
The quality of performance, of course, does not stand up to criticism. I'm not going to claim. Maybe this is not always the case. Maybe in the season the maestro in a tailcoat really rises here and captivates the onlookers gathered below with his art. Alas, I saw a slightly different approach to business.
To prevent visitors from falling down and being killed by the bells of the carillon, in addition to the railing, a net is additionally stretched along the stairs. Higher and higher we rise inside the tower. Looking out the windows we are in a state of pleasant excitement. After all, very soon we will be on the observation deck and see this !!!
That is the end goal of our journey. I confess at first, when I saw the closed staircase, I was a little confused:
It turned out that we were on the platform, which is on the left. This is where the fun began.
The first thing that surprised me very much, and not to say pleasantly, is the grid. She covered the entire opening through which one could admire the city:
It is clear that the height is large - 43 meters. Probably theoretically possible to fall. But... it was so unexpected! To be honest, I was not prepared for this turn of events. During my travel history, I have repeatedly climbed the high bell towers (Reverend in Suzdal, Bogoyavlenskaya in Pereslavl-Zalessky), there also existed a theoretical possibility to fall down.
But nowhere did you have to look at the landscape through the Rabitz grid. What is there to see. And how do you order to take pictures through it?
The second ambush - of the four "windows" facing in different directions of the horizon, you can only approach one. For the rest, unfortunately, the passage is closed.
I thought, now I’ll shoot a full 360-degree panorama of St. Petersburg, as I once did in Suzdal. And here, not only is only one window available, they also pulled the grid! In a word, on the observation deck of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, I had to, pardon the banality, descend from heaven to earth.
Stumbling in indecision, I decided at least something, at least somehow to photograph. Just to show that I really was here. First, I clicked a little on the inside of the bell tower:
Out of frustration, he decided to break the ban and touched the tongue of the bell. It was at this point that I noticed that there was a gap in the reticle where I could fit my 77mm lens. By the way, it - this gap - is a little visible in the previous photo. See, on the background of the river on the left? True, the hole was clearly made by some midget. It was at my waist level. But... you know, sometimes to do good photos people go to more serious hardships. I had to shoot in a "G" shape.
What to say: art requires sacrifice (and destruction). I attached the correct lens to the camera and the work began to boil. Next you will see a number of photos taken from the observation deck. In fact, there are many more. The best ones have just been selected.
This is the famous St. Isaac's Cathedral, the Admiralty and the Palace Bridge across the Neva. On the right side, you can barely see the monument to Peter I on horseback:
This is Birzhevoy Bridge, Makarov Embankment, in the foreground is a horseshoe-shaped building - the Archives Building (on the site of the Secret House):
This is the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island - the place where the Neva is divided into two large branches. It turns out the Neva (goes to the left) and Malaya Neva (to the right, from where the Meteor floats):
Saint Isaac's Cathedral. Alas, the top is under restoration. In the foreground - the Admiralty and the Palace Bridge:
Here is the same view, but already taken with a telephoto lens. Here you can see the stairs by which tourists climb to the observation deck. St. Isaac's Cathedral. Alas, this time I didn’t get to it (but I promise to improve):
One of the famous Rostral columns. It is interesting that at the very top there are gas burners that are lit on holidays. In one of the following articles, I will show you the burner up close, but for now, look at the Rostral Column from a distance:
Ships sail along the Neva every now and then, bringing variety to the landscape:
This photo shows the stadium on Krestovsky Island. It will not be completed by the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On the right is the future skyscraper - the Lakhta Center. When it is built to the end, you will get the tallest building in Europe with a height of about 460 meters:
Here are some more photos of St. Petersburg in the evening:
And here are the guns from which the famous midday shot is fired. This tradition is very old. In 1865, exactly at noon on February 6 (18), the first midday shot was fired in St. Petersburg. Moreover, at first, a signal gun was installed in the courtyard of the Admiralty. In 1872 it was transferred to the Peter and Paul Fortress.
In general, the very first midday shots were fired in Sevastopol and Nikolaev as early as 1819. Their goal was not to scare the crows at all, as it might seem, but to give a clear signal, according to which clocks on ships and in the admiralty were compared.
The right to fire a midday shot is sometimes granted to especially honored guests of the city. Since I am still very far from such a status, I have to limit myself to a simple contemplation of two guns.
Descent from the observation deck of the Peter and Paul Cathedral
You can stay here for a very long time. In general, it would be interesting to climb here several times - at night, in the morning, in the afternoon, in different weather. For all the immutability of the landscape, the pictures will be interesting in their own way every time. But then the moment came when it was necessary to think about the way back. After all, I still had to have time to visit the Peter and Paul Cathedral itself (in vain did I buy a ticket).
Having put my ammunition in my backpack, I begin a careful descent. Why careful? It's simple. Remember, I wrote about stone overlays on every step? These slabs polished with many soles are very insidious:
It is worth gaping and slipping ... at best, a pair of broken hands. At worst - a magical flight, a fateful meeting with a carillon and a farewell BOMMM! But it’s really interesting around, I want to take a look around during the descent. So it's better to hold on to the handrail, like in the subway. And in general, they say that the height "tightens". Although there is a railing, a grid, but still a large space under the feet gives rise to an amazing and hitherto unknown desire. Desire to fly :)
On the way, you still manage to get to the windows on the lower floors and, albeit through the grid, take interesting photos. This is the dome of the Peter and Paul Cathedral itself. In the background is Kuibyshev Street.
Alas, it was not possible to come close to the grid - the passage was closed. Just in case, keep in mind a simple rule: the closer the lens is to the reticle, the less visible it is. The camera focuses on the background, and the grid on the front is blurred and becomes almost invisible.
Then - a small exhibition of bells (which are forbidden to touch with hands):
Gradually descending, we find ourselves in the attic of the bell tower, where the museum exposition is located. Alas, there was simply no time to look at it for a long time:
The last flight of stairs, and we get to the entrance to the Peter and Paul Cathedral:
Here you can immediately go outside or proceed to the cathedral. Naturally, I chose the second option. I had a ticket!
However, I would like to give a description of the Peter and Paul Cathedral and photographs from it in a separate article.
And now, it's time to say goodbye and sum up some results.
Conclusion
The ascent to the observation deck of the Peter and Paul Cathedral for me personally was the brightest and most interesting event when visiting the Peter and Paul Fortress. Of course, it is worth going up only in good weather. In strong wind and rain, I think the pleasure will be somewhat dampened.
If you go there yourself, take a good camera. Maybe binoculars. The view from above is excellent.
It is very important to choose the right time to visit. The sun beating directly into the eyes in the afternoon can spoil the impression of the ascent no worse than a heavy rain.
If you are a big fan of excursions, you should buy a ticket and go up with a guide. Such organized ascents occur four times a day (alas, I did not specify the time). Hiking has its pros and cons.
The advantage is that you do not have to pay 450 rubles for visiting the Peter and Paul Cathedral. The tour is much cheaper. In addition, you will listen to the speech of the guide, learn a lot of new and interesting things.
Minus - you will crowd, stand in line for a hole in the grid to take good photos. You will have to work in a hurry, so the result may be far from expected.
If photography is the main thing for which you climb the observation deck, then it is better to go on your own. It will turn out a little more expensive, but you can stay at the top as long as you want and calmly do whatever you have in mind.
I wish you successful ascents and pleasant memories.
4 in the morning, white nights, the bridges are drawn, I'm sitting on the roof with friends, shooting city views, and we also have a bottle of red wine with us ... It's quiet outside, and suddenly I hear a beautiful melody; bell and ancient. For about five minutes I thought that I understood this - the notes of the melody “How glorious is our Lord in Zion” reach me. Yeah, I remembered the name of the composer - Bortnyansky, which means I hear the clock of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Perhaps, for the sake of this, it was worth climbing onto the roof at night - to shoot beautiful views under the melodious bell ringing, unexpectedly heard in the night. In general, the matter remained small - to get to the bell tower and look at the clock, ancient bells, tower and spire.
No sooner said than done, and here we are, together with the watchmaker of the chimes of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, Andrey Alexandrovich Kudryavtsev, are climbing the bell tower. There are 131 bells, part of the so-called Russian ringing, part of the European one. Russian bells are not tuned, because they are initially cast in a certain sound, while European bells are bored after casting - they are tuned to the desired sound.
With the help of bells of European ringing, you can type a musical row and play melodies according to notes. Therefore, on the chimes of the Peter and Paul Cathedral there are old European bells cast in Holland and brought to St. Petersburg in 1760. On the modern corillon, there are also bells made by a Dutch company, but the bells ringing during church services- domestic. The sounds of the chimes are heard from a height of 62 meters. This height was just enough to hear the beat of the clock in the old city limits in the 18th century. And the noise in St. Petersburg at that time was clearly less than now.
The clock sounds every 15 minutes and every hour. Twice a day - at 12 and 18 o'clock the anthem of the Russian Empire - "God Save the Tsar" is performed. In 1937, an attempt was made to dial the melody of the Internationale on the clock, but nothing happened, and only in 1952 was it possible to dial the melody of the Anthem Soviet Union, which the watch played until 1989.
In general, it was interesting for me not only to see the clock and the tower, but also to communicate with the keeper. Andrey Aleksandrovich has been in charge of these watches since 1998. It was then, after the tragic death of the previous master, that he, as the person best acquainted with the device of the ancient mechanism, was offered this job. Since then, at any time, he is ready to overcome the 280 steps of the stairs in the bell tower and promptly eliminate any malfunction if it occurs in the mechanical heart of St. Petersburg. After 16 years of work, the master can determine the deviations in the work of the clock even by a slightly changed sound of the chimes and immediately come to the rescue. In addition to daily worries about cleaning the mechanism, changing the lubricant, and other maintenance work on the complex "heart", the master needs to be a little more and a musician. It was he who in 2002 scored on a special musical drum, with the help of pegs, two melodies - “How glorious is our Lord in Zion” and “God save the Tsar”. The work was not easy - on a large musical drum there are 120 rows (120 note bars) of 100 holes for pegs, in total there are 12,000 of them. But, armed with old notes of 1858, which are still stored in the archive, and applying the knowledge gained in childhood at a music school, Andrei Alexandrovich coped with this task.
After inspecting the clock, we climbed higher - to the belfry, and after it - even higher - to the spire! Built in 1858 according to the project of military engineer Dmitry Zhuravsky, the openwork metal spire is covered with gilded metal sheets and attached to the stone building of the bell tower with 16 strands. A very weighty key is kept in the bell tower for tightening the huge nuts of these strands - after all, in a storm the amplitude of the spire's movement reaches 160 centimeters.
But, according to the watchmaker, this key has never come in handy.
Inside the spire there is an elegant metal staircase, ending with a platform and a small hatch to the outside. It was through it that during the Siege, climbers came out to the outer staircase of the spire, working to disguise the spire of Petropavlovka. It was very difficult for them, weakened by hunger, to do this - for example, they managed to climb at a negative angle on the "apple" and to the figure of an angel only after 3 days of unsuccessful attempts. Inside the flashlight under the spire you can see St. George's ribbons - they were tied by a participant in that ascent to the spire, the famous climber Mikhail Mikhailovich Bobrov.
Being in a flashlight, I did not part with the feeling of flying. Tall windows, the sky all around, the sun and clouds, the thin metal walls of the spire, the spiral staircase “as if into the sky” - I just didn’t want to leave from there, there was a desire to just put the camera aside and look at the city, at these clouds floating above it, changing states of nature. I felt that I was in the heart of the city, in historical place where it began, and where its irrational beginning, metaphysics is very well felt. But it was necessary to go down - this was the very case when the descent is more difficult than the ascent. But I think I'll be back there. Necessarily.
04.01.2017
The chief watchmaker of St. Petersburg Andrey Kudryavtsev told "PD" about the secrets of ancient mechanisms that were witnesses of many historical events from the life of our city.
Before the revolution of 1917, the chimes on the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral were the country's main clock. Today it is the mechanical heart of St. Petersburg, which beats in unison with the history of the city.
From the first days
In 1720, by decree of Peter the Great, a carillon chime with 35 bells, brought by the tsar from Amsterdam, was installed on the cathedral bell tower in the Peter and Paul Fortress, which became the first clock tower in St. Petersburg. The clock chimed every half an hour, and in the morning they performed various melodies, which was new for Russia.
The fire of 1756 destroyed the bell tower and clock mechanism. In 1760 the famous Dutch master Barend Oort Krass made and delivered the new chimes to St. Petersburg. At the same time, their assembly was completed only in 1776, at the same time four dials with a diameter of 2 m were installed. The chimes served until 1853, when the mechanism fell into disrepair. Moscow craftsmen, the Butenop brothers, who had previously created the chimes on the Spasskaya Tower, took up the repair of the capital's main clock. They restored the course of the damaged clock of the Peter and Paul Cathedral and partially modernized the mechanism. On the dials appeared previously non-existent minute hands. The repaired musical chimes until October 1917 performed two melodies: "How glorious is our Lord in Zion" and "God Save the Tsar". After the revolution, the chimes fell silent for a long time. An attempt made in 1937 to set them up for the performance of the "Internationale" was not crowned with success. The chimes played again only in 1952, but this time the anthem of the USSR. Only in 2002, after an 85-year break, from the bell tower Petropavlovsk Cathedral again sounded "How glorious is our Lord in Zion" and "God save the king." As Andrei Kudryavtsev said, he restored the musical mechanism of the chimes according to the documents preserved in the archives.
Success again
Another work of the master is the clock on the Dumskaya tower that came to life on November 12, 2014. During the restoration work, the original mechanism drive and the bell ringing system were restored. And recently Andrey Kudryavtsev managed to complete the restoration of the front tower clock of the Nakhimov School, which stopped about 40 years ago. So far, only a trial run of the repaired mechanism has been carried out. The ceremony of launching the ancient chimes is scheduled to coincide with the midday shot from the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress on January 14th. The chimes of the Nakhimov School are the latest established creation of the world-famous St. Petersburg watch company Friedrich Winter. The company installed more than 60 tower chimes in St. Petersburg alone.
A carillon is a mechanical musical instrument that causes a series of bells to play a melody through a clock mechanism. In 2001, on the first tier of the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, a carillon of 51 bells with a range of four octaves (total weight 15 tons) was installed.
"Petersburg Diary": What can affect the correct operation of ancient mechanisms?
Andrei Kudryavtsev: First of all, sharp temperature fluctuations and high humidity. Still, the mechanism of the facade clock is a device of impressive size with a large number of metal parts. Only the large musical drum of the chimes of the Peter and Paul Cathedral has a diameter of 2 m and weighs 1.2 thousand kg. However, the clock can lag behind the running of time or stop altogether, simply by catching something negative from a person. During their long life, they witnessed many historical events and acquired their own spirit and character. Each mechanism is unique in its own way.
"Petersburg Diary": How would you characterize your wards?
Andrei Kudryavtsev: The chimes of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, located in the very center of St. Petersburg, are the mechanical heart of the city. The clock on the Dumskaya Tower is the voice of Nevsky Prospekt, and the facade clock in the Nakhimov School is a symbol of the honor of the city. They are installed in the building where future officers study, our honor and protection.
"Petersburg Diary": How many more mechanical watches are waiting for their revival in St. Petersburg?
Andrey Kudryavtsev: It's hard to say Lately there is a tendency to replace complex mechanical watches with antique-style electric ones. They are much cheaper and do not require constant maintenance. At the same time, the unique mechanisms installed in the 18th and 19th centuries are at best conserved, or even completely left out of work and silently rust without maintenance.
Petersburg Diary: How often do you have to check mechanisms?
Andrey Kudryavtsev: The main clock of the city requires the most attention. If you do not need to start them - now this process is controlled by four electric motors, then you need to monitor the exact course almost constantly. The accuracy must be perfect, so when adjusting the mechanism, I focus on a midday shot from the walls of the Naryshkin bastion, which occurs at exactly noon. The clock on the Duma Tower must be manually wound at least once a week. To do this, you have to lift three weights to a height of 20m, each weighing 160kg.
During the restoration of the Peter and Paul Cathedral in 2003 in one day I had to rise up to the angel 4 times and the clock mechanism 6 times. However, if necessary, the mechanism can be controlled even from the ground. The slightest malfunction can be heard if you carefully listen to the voice of the clock.
"Petersburg Diary": What watch do you use?
Andrei Kudryavtsev: None. There is no need for them, for many years of work I have learned to feel time, its endless inexorable run.
Text: Andrey Sergeev
