Enough hot discussions on the occasion of building of the famous business center of the Russian concern Gazprom in the territory of St. Petersburg were during some years. The question is not only in sphere of reasonableness to erect phallus-like megalithic building in the cultural capital of Russia though, if one is to judge, the oil and gas giant has no particular relationship to the City of Peter. On the contrary, just Moscow with its modernized look of the epoch of Luzhkov and strict centralism is justified to transfix Russian sky by the next skyscraper of business importance.

The Great Okhta is elder St Petersburg in five centuries. The territory was passed from the Swedes to the people of Great Novgorod and backwards some times. In 1300, the Sweden fortress of Landskorna was built there. A trade settlement being situated in river valley mentioned in the Cadaster of Vod Pyatina of 1500 as Village in the Mouth of Okhta of Neva River or Neva Mouth. Ivan Vyrodkov, the engineer-fortifier of the Ivan the Terrible, led the building of the port-fortress in the mouth of Neva River together with his colleague Petrov in 1557. The document of 1559-1601s mentioned presence of Sovereign shopping arcade landing stage and orthodox church in the small town, furthermore it informed that volost inhabitants lived there. The Swedes occupied Izhora River’s valley again in the beginning of the 17th century.

The fortress of Nyenschantz was built by the Swedes in 1611 to control the territory of Izhora River and waterway on the Neva. 35-40 years later there was a trade town with the population of 220 houses, shipyard and levee near the fortress. So attractive position of the town gave rise to union between local merchants and the Sweden king of Carl XII. The merchants needed new territories to trade and the king needed money to fight against Russia.

Just that union became financial and political basis of the Northern War started in 1700. As a result, Peter the Great was obliged to solve difficult strategic problem to capture two well-fortified fortresses in the mouth of the Neva including Nyenschantz. Occupation of the fortress opened a way to the Finnish Gulf and the Baltic Sea and gave opportunity to start active trade with the countries of the Baltic and Scandinavia when northern Russian town was even not built. So the fortress of Nyenschantz and adjoining trade town had double geopolitical reason for Russian state – strategic and geo-economic.

The Russian Army under the command of general field marshal Boris P. Sheremetiev came to the fortress and laid siege it in April 24-25, 1703. One week later, after refusal of fortress commandant to surrender it at 7 p.m. shelling of 20 guns was started and continued during the night. The powder magazine was blown up by successful direct hit that meant the siege finish. The fortress capitulated and was passed on Russian State’s possession.

So the issue is one passing through generations and epochs: what is more valuable in respect of history and patriotic education for St. Petersburg and the history of the Russian State – safeguarding of the cultural memorial of Nyenschantz and other similar cherished objects or construction of modernistic megalith in the style of Imperial Hi-Tech? Scientific world forming inheritance conception at any modern civilization and ethnos answers definitely – Nyenschantz.

Alexander G. Buychik
Associate Professor
Ph.D. Soc. Sc., Doctor of Economics and Politics
Active member of the Academy Geopolitical Problems