St. Petersburg is considered the watch capital of Russia. The first city clock in St. Petersburg appeared in 1704. It was a mechanical clock that was installed under the spire of the Peter and Paul Church, which was then wooden. The first city chimes appeared in 1710 on the bell tower of St. Isaac's Church. The same ones were mounted on the stone bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral in 1720. In 1852, a clock from the Friedrich Winter company was installed on the building of the Moscow railway station, which also installed them. The same company supplied clock mechanisms, which were located in 1869 at the Main Admiralty and on the tower of the City Duma in 1884. Later, the same clock was installed on the building of the School House in 1911.

The first electric clock appeared in St. Petersburg in 1880, when Siemens and Halske took over the installation. A new electric clock was installed on the buildings of the Main Admiralty, the Imperial Public Library. On the tower of the Main Chamber of Weights and Measures, located on Moskovsky Prospekt, in 1905, an astronomical clock from the "Niger and Sons" company with three dials was installed. By 1910, about 70 city clocks and chimes were located in the city, and St. Petersburg time became the standard. Mass installation of clocks on the streets of St. Petersburg began in the 30s.

For the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, the Swiss Confederation made an official gift - "100 hours for St. Petersburg". Representatives of the Swiss company Moser-Baer AG, together with Matis LLC, carried out the reconstruction and restoration of historical watches. They were equipped with new Swiss mechanisms with radio correction and a hand position sensor. The clock hands are controlled via a communication satellite. Today, about 800 hours work on the streets of the northern capital. They are reconciled according to the astronomical clock of the exact time. But watchmakers say that some of them stop from time to time, freezing in some of their own historical time.

Chimes of the Peter and Paul Fortress

The history of the tower clock in St. Petersburg began in 1704, when the first clock was installed under the spitz of the wooden bell tower of the Peter and Paul Church. History has preserved the name of the master Nikifor Arkhipov. Unfortunately, the mechanism he created was soon lost, and the melody announcing the approach of a new hour was played on the bells by hand. With the construction of the stone cathedral according to the project of Domenico Trezzini, the question of making watches arose again. This time the chimes were ordered by Peter I from Holland. According to the recollections of Berchholz, chamber-junker of the Duke of Holstein, at the Peter and Paul bell tower of Peter the Great's time, every day at 12 noon, a special organist played plays. And the Big Clock played by itself every quarter of an hour. Having existed for more than three decades, the watch was destroyed in a fire in 1756. The search for the master was entrusted to Count Ivan Golovkin, who at that time represented the interests of Russia in The Hague. The choice fell again on the Dutch watchmaker Oort Crassus. The chimes he created were delivered to the Neva banks in August 1761, but languished for another 15 years, waiting in the wings due to the repair of the bell tower. But still they took their rightful place. 38 Dutch bells were installed on the belfry, on which the musicians played a variety of melodies. The hammers hitting them were connected to the keyboard with special cables. After the modernization of the chimes of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, carried out by the Moscow workshops of the Butenop brothers in 1858, the musicians playing melodies on the keyboard were successfully replaced by four ingenious mechanisms. Then, after the improvement of the "musical unit", the melodies "If our Lord is glorious in Zion" and the anthem of the Russian Empire "God save the king, strong, sovereign, reign gloriously ..." sounded from the bell tower. The political changes in the country after 1917 also affected the chimes of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, which were "reconfigured" first to the "Internationale", and from 1952 to 1989 to the anthem of the Soviet Union. And only in 2002, the melodies originally intended for them sounded over the Peter and Paul Fortress. To date, there are 103 bells on the four tiers of the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Including the carillon donated by Flanders in 2001, consisting of 51 bells of different sizes. Their voices can be heard during concerts at the Peter and Paul Fortress.

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 over a century.

And the modern clock was installed only in 1869. Then the mechanism in the clock was connected to the bells that made the chime.

Their mechanism worked until 1907, the time when it was stopped to connect the dial to new electrical appliances.

It is known that during the blockade, the clock on the tower of the Main Admiralty did not work. But already in 1944 their arrows "ran" again.

Clock on the tower of the City Duma

The Duma clock tower has its own special biography. Built at the end of the 18th century according to the design of the Italian Giacomo Ferrari, it became both a town hall tower and a signal tower in case of fire, and later one of the links of the world's longest (1200 km) optical telegraph line Petersburg-Warsaw. The clock on the Duma tower was installed immediately, which can be judged from the watercolor by B. Petersen, but which is unknown. They served for about 80 years. In the 70s of the XIX century, the mayor of St. Petersburg F. Trepov conceived an ambitious project - night lighting of the clock on the tower of the City Duma. In 1882, after examining the watch mechanism, experts came to the conclusion that they had deteriorated long ago "due to their complete dilapidation." The city government has decided to allocate 3,570 rubles for the device of a new mechanism, with two metal and two glass frosted dials, illuminated at night. In June 1883, an agreement was signed with the watchmaker F. Winter to install this watch. Moreover, he could receive payment only after all the work. If the clock began to lag behind by more than two minutes a month, the master would have to be fined. The master undertook to start the mechanism for 50 rubles a year. The clock struck four times an hour. Alexander Blok wrote: “You cannot hear the city noise, there is silence over the Neva tower ...” And the silence over the Neva tower under Blok could only be in the intervals between the quarter clock. It is known that the watch was repaired several times, but already in Soviet times. A case was connected with them, which the newspapers of that time dubbed "the clinical death of the main Leningrad avenue." For the first time in many years, silence reigned over the Neva tower in the summer of 1986, when an intruder entered it and unscrewed a nut from a huge mechanism. The half-pound piece was soon returned to its place. But two years later, several gears and a counting wheel were stolen from the mechanism. The Voice of Nevsky fell silent again. The Duma clock was repaired in 1989, then in 1994. The old clock was running, and with a deviation of no more than 30 seconds per week. They walked, despite the fact that in winter snow was blowing into the mechanism, the watch dials cracked and the repairman of old large-sized watches, Vladimir Repin, twisted the cracked dials with bandages and manually wound the mechanism - 760 revolutions, lifting three weights to strike and to move the clock. After the recent renovation and renovation of the chimes, the voice of Nevsky Prospekt sounded, at last, in a new way.

Clock on the tower of the Institute of Metrology

Almost in the very center of the city, next to the Technological University, in the shade of trees, there is an old building with a clock tower. High, under the semicircular roof itself, there are three huge dials on this tower. One of them is unusual: it has not twelve familiar numbers, but twenty-four - according to the number of hours in a day. The clock on the tower of the Institute of Metrology is the most accurate St. Petersburg clock. They were installed on the initiative of Dmitry Mendeleev. All watches in the Research Institute of Metrology are linked into a single mechanism. This is not just a set of various devices for measuring time, but a whole well-coordinated electromechanical system, introduced by Mendeleev. At the head of this system are exemplary clocks, on which all the others, primarily the tower ones, are "guided". Model watches are located in a special room. The time conversion on the tower clock is carried out as follows: the mechanism is stopped for a day, and the next day the system is started at a "new" time and the hands again begin their usual course. This tower clock did not stop even during the blockade and was a symbol of life for the inhabitants of Leningrad. During the war, 12 laboratories worked at the institute, including the laboratory of time. Its work did not stop even in the winter of 1941-1942, since it was allowed to use part of the electricity intended for the Olga radio transmitter, which was installed at the Research Institute and communicated the city with the mainland. The clock mechanism, which is more than a hundred years old, is enclosed in a glass case the height of a man. There are numerous gears behind the transparent wall. Every minute there is movement - endless rotation. The work of a watch is similar to the vital activity of a complex organism. Initially, the course of the clock was ensured as follows: a huge weight was dropped into the mine - a bucket filled with lead weights, "pigs". The number of “ingots” was strictly regulated: as soon as one was removed, the total weight changed, the period of the pendulum oscillation, and hence the accuracy of the clock. In the 1960s, the pendulum stood up forever - the clock was transferred to an electric drive through a gearbox.

Chimes of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra

The first chimes on one of the towers of the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Lavra were installed in 1782. A 13-ton bell has been hoisted on the adjacent tower. Four years later, the cathedral, built according to the project of Ivan Starov, was consecrated and the relics of Alexander Nevsky were transferred to it. The clock worked for over a century, but did not survive the first years of Soviet power. The Lavra waited a long time for the return of the chimes, and only in 2013, when the 300th anniversary of the monastery was celebrated, a copy of the old clock was installed. Their fight, like the ringing of new cast bells, sounded over Petersburg again. The arrival of electronics to the aid of watchmakers made it easier to control the chimes. The chimes strike every 15 minutes. The first quarter - two bells, 30 minutes - four, three quarters - six, all the bells play for a full hour, and then a 600-kilogram bell beats the required number of beats.

The clock on the facade of the building of the Nakhimov Naval School

The erection of the building with the clock became possible thanks to the victory in the competition of architectural projects dedicated to the 200th anniversary of St. Petersburg, architect A.I. Dmitrieva. In 1909-1910. the School House named after Peter the Great was erected. Since 1944, the building houses the Nakhimov School.

Watches at the Blacksmith Market

This watch is one of the most mysterious watches in St. Petersburg.

The blacksmith market was built in the late 1920s. Soviet ideology was praised by images, a hammer and sickle, ears of corn, figures of workers and peasants.

And only the tower clock looks more than strange against this background: the dial with a five-pointed star is framed by the signs of the zodiac.

No information about their author and manufacturer has survived to this day. In the 50s, the clock disappeared, in its place the empty attic window darkened. And only in the 90s, during the reconstruction of the entire market, they decided to return the watch to its place.

For more than half a year, the masters have been restoring the original look of the watch based on the only existing photograph.

Clock at the Transfiguration Cathedral

Earlier, on the site of the Transfiguration Cathedral, there was another temple, which burned down in 1825. After 4 years, the cathedral was rebuilt, but only the north-western belfry was left without a dial. The watch was returned to its historic site a quarter of a century later in 1853. They were made in London by the John Moore & Sons watch company. During the restoration, 32 bullet holes from the Civil War were found on the clock: they fired at the temple from the side of Liteiny Prospect. There is a legend that the main clock bell - the bell of the battle, beating every hour day and night, is made of decorative elements that adorned the hearse of the mother of Nicholas I, Maria Feodorovna.

Clock at the Marble Palace

The clock on the building of the Marble Palace was installed in 1781. But the clock on the building today is new, made in the mid-1990s. The watch managed to be restored based on some details that were completely accidentally preserved among the debris at the bottom of the watch mine.

The watch requires manual winding every three days. Seven-meter chains lift weights weighing over 150 kg.

Like the old tsarist times, the bells of the palace ring every 15 minutes.

Hermitage clock

The design of the Winter Palace, which was designed by the famous architect Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli, did not include any clock on the facade of the building. But in 1796, by order of the sovereign, the Russian inventor Ivan Kulibin, a clock was moved here from the Chesme Palace on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. However, their age was not so long, in the new place they barely had time to count their fortieth anniversary. The watch was irreparably damaged by fire during a fire in 1837. The restoration of the imperial residence was started immediately, but it was not until two years later that they reached the clock. With the task of creating a new clock, they turned to the venerable mechanic A. Gelfer, who had previously designed a tower clock for the Lutheran Church named after St. Peter and Paul. The Master graciously agreed, asking His Imperial Majesty for an eight-month deadline and funds for implementation. As a result, a new watch appeared on the pediment of the Winter Palace in 1839. The watch dial is made of steel in the shape of a circle and covered with black lacquer. The numbers and hands of the clock are gilded. The diameter of the dial is 160 cm. The height of the numbers is 20 cm, and the distance between the minute divisions is 8 cm. The length of the minute hand is 100 cm, and the hour hand is 78 cm. The dial is at a height of 22 m and is attached directly to the wall of the Winter Palace. Since this is a clock with a quarter bell ringing, the clock belfry is installed behind the ridge of the pediment on the roof of the palace. Today, as in 1839, the watch is wound by hand. One plant is enough for three days. Once the depth of the mine, along which the weights were walking, was 16.5 m, or about half the height of the Winter Palace. At the same time, the clock had only a daily factory. Today, modern technologies have made it possible to shorten the shaft for weights to 4.6 m. The last time the watch was restored was in 1994-1995. Figures adorn the dial on both sides. They are not repeated anywhere else. Hades and Persephone are masters of earthly and underground treasures. On the central pediment of the North facade - Hercules and Neptune.

The clock on the Vege house

The hexagon-shaped building, which is called the Vege tenement house, is located between the Mariinsky Theater and the Nikolsky Morsky Theater. During the construction of the house, the main facade was decorated with a clock, with Roman numerals on the dial.

When the chronometer rose, it was covered with a sheet of plywood. They tried to reconstruct the clockwork, but all attempts were unsuccessful. The chronometer stood for about 50 years.

In the fall of 2015, it was replaced by a complete replica of the mechanism that was installed here over a century ago.

Clock at the Moscow railway station

Moskovsky railway station was built in 1847 and, until the time it acquired its current name, it bore the name of Nikolaevsky, and then Oktyabrsky.

The architect built the station, which in appearance resembles a European town hall.

One of the main architectural details in the exterior of the building is the 4-cornered clock tower located at the top of the central entrance.

Some time after the completion of construction work, a unique clock device with a bell was placed on the tower.

Clock on the tower of the Finland Station

The first station building was built on the Finland Railway in 1870 by the architect Pyotr Kupinsky.

Above the facade of Finland Station, on the metal structure of the tower, a city white metal clock of five meters in diameter is installed.

Clock of the Gatchina Palace

The Gatchina Palace was built in 1781 and was already decorated with a clock tower. In Soviet times, the watch was lost, a void gaped in the place of the dial. Optical engineer Yuri Platonov restored the clock from a photograph of the clock of the Marble Palace, built in the same period by the same master - Antonio Rinaldi. By that time, only a few details remained from the clock of the Marble Palace. The dimensions of the clockwork were calculated from them. It took over a year to create it. In 1993, a clock mechanism was installed in the Gatchina Tower, and in 1994 the dials showed the time, beating every quarter of an hour. The clock worked for 15 years; it did not run for 2 years. But in 2012 they were restored, the tower was insulated. The clock is now running.

Vyborg clock tower

The Vyborg Cathedral survived six centuries, but was destroyed in the twentieth century, during the German bombing during the Second World War.

Despite the almost complete destruction of the cathedral, its bell tower was not damaged. Some townspeople see this as the "providence of God", but the case has not always kept the belfry. The first massive fire happened in 1678, the fire spread from one building to another and gradually reached the clock tower of the cathedral. The heat from the flames melted both the clockwork and the brass bells.

The inhabitants quickly restored the tower, reinforcing it with stone. After 60 years, the fire was repeated, and in 1793 the bell tower, like the whole city, burned for the third time.

At the time of the next restoration, the clock was moved to the upper part of the bell tower. The new movement was ordered from a watchmaker from Helsinki. The new clock began to show the time in all parts of the world, and residents can still find out what time it is from any part of the city.

04.01.2017

The chief watchmaker of St. Petersburg Andrei Kudryavtsev told "PD" about the secrets of ancient mechanisms that have witnessed many historical events in the life of our city.

Before the revolution of 1917, the chimes on the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral were the main clock of the country. Today it is the mechanical heart of St. Petersburg, beating in unison with the history of the city.

From the first days

In 1720, by order 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 struck every half hour, and in the mornings they sang various melodies, which was a novelty for Russia.

The fire of 1756 destroyed the bell tower and clockwork. In 1760 new chimes were made and delivered to St. Petersburg by the famous Dutch master Barend Oort Crassus. 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. The Moscow craftsmen, the Butenop brothers, who had previously created the chimes on the Spasskaya Tower, took over the repair of the main clock of the capital. They restored the damaged clock of the Peter and Paul Cathedral and partially modernized the mechanism. Minute hands that did not exist before appeared on the dials. The renovated musical chimes performed two melodies until October 1917: "If our Lord is glorious in Zion" and "God save the king." After the revolution, the chimes were 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 were played again only in 1952, but this time the anthem of the USSR. Only in 2002, after an 85-year hiatus, from the bell tower Petropavlovsky Cathedral again sounded "If our Lord is glorious in Zion" and "God save the king." As Andrei Kudryavtsev said, he restored the musical mechanism of the chimes from the documents preserved in the archives.

Success again

Another work of the master is a clock revived on November 12, 2014 on the Duma Tower. During the restoration work, the original mechanism drive and the bell chime system were restored. And recently, Andrei 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 test run of the repaired mechanism has been carried out. The ceremony of launching the old chimes is scheduled to be synchronized with the noon shot from the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress on January 14th. The chimes of the Nakhimov School are the last established creation of the world famous St. Petersburg watch company "Friedrich Winter". The company installed more than 60 tower chimes in St. Petersburg alone.

Carillon is a mechanical musical instrument that, through a clockwork mechanism, makes a row of bells play a melody. In 2001, on the first tier of the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, a carillon of 51 bells with a four-octave range (total weight 15 tons) was installed.

"Petersburg Diary": What can affect the correct operation of old mechanisms?

Andrey Kudryavtsev: First of all, there are sharp temperature fluctuations and high humidity. After all, 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 time or stop altogether, just catching something negative from the person. During their pre-lying life, they have witnessed many historical events and acquired their own spirit and character. Each mechanism is unique in its own way.

"Petersburg Diary": How would you describe your charges?

Andrey 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 Duma Tower is the voice of Nevsky Prospect, and the front clock in the Nakhimov School is a symbol of the city's honor. They are installed in the building where future officers study, our honor and protection.

"Petersburg Diary": Are there many more mechanical watches waiting for their revival in Petersburg?

Andrey Kudryavtsev: It's hard to say that recently there has been 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 preserved at best, or even completely 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 it is necessary to monitor the exact course almost constantly. The accuracy should be perfect, so when adjusting the mechanism, I focus on the midday shot from the walls of the Naryshkin Bastion, which occurs exactly at noon. The clock on the Duma Tower must be wound manually 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 climb 4 times to the angel and 6 times to the clockwork. However, if necessary, the mechanism can be controlled even from the ground. The slightest malfunction can be heard if you listen carefully to the voice of the clock.

Petersburg Diary: What watch do you use?

Andrey 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

St. Petersburg as an unsurpassed city in the world with an interesting history, an abundance of cultural values ​​and attractions, including the Peter and Paul Cathedral with its famous chimes.

St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Thousands of tourists from different countries are in a hurry to get acquainted with its history, cultural values, sights, unique architectural monuments. The abundance of theaters, art exhibitions, galleries, museums is impressive and delightful to the core.

During a trip to St. Petersburg, tourists admire the Peter and Paul Cathedral - the burial vault of Russian emperors. The famous cathedral has a fascinating history, it is no less curious about the chimes that adorn its tower.

* In 1704, the chimes made by Nikifor Arkhipov, installed on the village bell tower of the Church of Peter and Paul in the Peter and Paul Fortress, became the first mechanical clock in the city. Chimes today

The first chimes were created by the Russian master Nikifor Arkhipov for a temporary bell tower made of wood, installed in the upper part of it in 1704. Until that time, there was no tradition to equip towers with clocks. Peter I introduces an innovation borrowed from Europe.

When the stately stone Peter and Paul Cathedral was erected on the site of the wooden turret in 1733 according to the project of the architect D. Trezzini, Peter I in Holland bought unique chimes for crazy money and installed according to his decree. At the beginning of the 18th century, the original clock was considered a real miracle, it was the largest in St. Petersburg. But they soon burned out in a fire. The new clock, made in Holland by master Oort Krasé, was replaced only 13 years later, when the tower was completely restored after a fire in 1773. The chime mechanism of the Dutch master Oort Krasa (the watch itself was bought for 45,000 rubles - just a huge amount at that time)

* photo: dedmaxopka.livejournal.com

Those who travel to the most beautiful Russian city are happy to accommodate numerous hotels in their comfortable rooms, among them the atrium hotel St. Petersburg is considered a city with a high culture of service, the hotel staff is distinguished by professionalism and friendliness. The hotel's equipment is modern, made according to the latest hospitality industry, there is everything you need for a good rest. Rooms can be booked online.

It offers a variety of hotels in any area of ​​the city, they offer elite rooms, economy and middle class. Tourists who prefer mini hotels in St. Petersburg pay inexpensively for a high level of service and comfortable accommodation.

The famous chimes were modernized several times, they were supplemented with minute hands, pendulums, musical devices. In the second half of the 19th century, the chimes performed the 3rd Russian anthem, written by D. Bortnyansky. Until now, this immortal melody sounds every hour, once in a quarter of an hour the bells ring, at noon and at 6 pm the anthem of the Russian Empire (1833-1917) is heard "God save the Tsar, strong, sovereign, reign for glory ..."

Twice in its entire history of existence, the watch has stopped for a long time. This happened during the 1917 revolution and the Great Patriotic War.

London Big Ben, Prague eagle, Kremlin chimes and many of their no less famous brothers in the "watch shop" in many cities of the world adorn towers, palaces, train stations and squares. And they do not just decorate, but help the ever-hurrying residents of megalopolises to find out the most accurate (or almost exact) time. Undoubtedly, the Northern capital of Russia can rightfully be proud of the masterpieces of watchmakers - both old and quite modern. Let's name the most famous chimes of today's Petersburg.

Clock of the Peter and Paul Cathedral

It was here, in the Peter and Paul Fortress, on the now defunct wooden church in 1704 that the first street 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 chimed the time every hour, and weighed more than two hundred poods. 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, a new watch was bought from the master Bernard Oort Krasé in Holland and delivered to St. Petersburg. True, they were installed only in 1776. And from that time on, 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 coup, they stopped, disobeying the "revolutionary will", which tried to impose on them the fulfillment of the "Internationale". This had to be done in 1937. In 1947, the chimes damaged during the war were repaired, the climbers 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 sang the anthem of the USSR: at 06.12.18 o'clock and at midnight. Then for more than a dozen years they were silent, beating only time and quarter chimes.

And in 2002, the melodies originally intended for the clock sounded over the Peter and Paul Fortress: "If our Lord is glorious in Zion" and the anthem of the Russian Empire (1833-1917) "God save the Tsar, strong, sovereign, reign for glory ...".

Where are located: 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 over a century. And the watches we know today, made by the famous St. Petersburg firm "Friedrich Winter", were installed only in 1869. Then the mechanism in the clock was connected to the bells that made the chime. So these were chimes in the full sense of the word. Their mechanism worked until 1907, the time when it was stopped 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 arrows "ran" again. It should be noted that this clock is perceived rather not as a means of communicating the exact time to the residents of the city, but as a wonderful element of decor, as well as a clock on the pediment of the Winter Palace.

Where are located: Admiralteisky pr., 1.

Clock on the tower of the City Duma

According to some reports, the tower, erected by Giacomo Ferrari, already originally 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 XIX century, suddenly decided to organize night lighting of this clock, they were examined and found out that the clock had come into absolute decay. And this means that they urgently needed to be replaced with new ones.

New chimes in June 1883 were ordered by the master Friedrich Winter. The contract was such that if the watchmaker's clock was more than two minutes behind a month, he was to be fined. Winter himself wound up the watch mechanism - for 50 rubles a year. The chimes "marked" not only every hour, but also "quarter", that is, 15 minutes. The clock was distinguished by its precise movement and melodic ringing of bells.

It is known that the watch was repaired several times, but already in Soviet times. An emergency was connected with them, which the newspapers of that time dubbed "the clinical death of the main Leningrad avenue." This is when one drunk comrade got into the clock tower and for some reason unscrewed the nut from the clock mechanism. The nut was returned to its place.

But today the clock on the tower still runs, with a deviation of no more than 30 seconds per week. And this is despite the fact that the operating mechanism basically retained the old structure. The watch is still powered by a chain-type structure with weights placed in a shaft 20 meters deep. One "factory" of hours is enough for a week. Moreover, you can still hear the chimes striking today. True, at a very close distance. After all, today's Nevsky is far from the quietest place.

Where are located: Nevsky prospect, 33 / Dumskaya street, 1-3

Clock on the Arch of the General Staff Building

The city clock under the arch of the General Staff building cannot be ignored due to its history and uniqueness. They were installed in 1890 as mechanical by the same firm “F. Winter ". But with the onset of the new century, their fate has changed dramatically. In 1900, Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev, who was a custodian scientist for the Main Chamber of Weights and Measures, proposed installing an electrical mechanism in this clock, synchronized with the reference clock of the Main Chamber of Weights and Measures. This project was implemented. The synchronizing electrical signal was transmitted over a specially laid cable several kilometers long.

Note 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 Petersburgers and guests of the city to “synchronize their watches”.

Where are located: Palace Square, 6-10.

Clock on the tower of the Moscow railway station

Where else is a watch always urgently needed? Quite right - at the station. And when in 1851 the construction of the Nikolaevsky (in the future Moskovsky) railway station, erected 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. Certainly with a clock on it. By the way, the clockwork with the bell was made by the same well-known firm “F. Winter ". For all 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 located: Nevsky prospect, 85.

Clock on the tower of the Vitebsk railway station

When in 1904, according to the project of academician of architecture S.A. Brzhozovsky, the modern building of the Vitebsk railway station was built in the "Art Nouveau" style, then the "clock tower" was not forgotten, and, of course, the clock on it. It adorns the left side of the main, northern, facade of the building overlooking Zagorodny Prospekt. In the niches of the tower, the owls "nestled" comfortably, spreading their wings over the clock dials.

Where are located: Country Avenue, 52.

Electronic barometer clock 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 curbstone contains a barometer, a thermometer and a clock at the same time.

Where are located: st. Malaya Konyushennaya.

Clock-fountain "Flood"

As a matter of fact, this is not a pure city clock, 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 them by.

So, the "Flood" fountain clock with a dial diameter of 6 m was manufactured by the "Chronotron" company for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg and installed in 2003 in the 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.

As a matter of 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. Petersburg always ends up in the water (a hint of the Northern capital's lot - to courageously fight floods). It is believed to be the largest watch in the world. Until now, the largest was considered the clock in Maruyama Park (Kasai, Japan).

Where are located: business center "Petrovsky Fort", intersection of Pirogovskaya embankment and Finlyandsky prospect.

July 12 - the day of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. We invite you to take a photo tour of the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul of the Peter and Paul Fortress together with the chairman of the Society of Church Bell Ringers Igor Vasilyevich Konovalov and find out how the ringing of the highest bell tower in Russia is arranged and who sang the anthem of the Soviet Union on church bells.

Surprisingly: Peter the Great, founding a new capital on the banks of the Neva, first of all erects a bell tower with a very high spire. It is the bell tower, and not some other structure, that is a kind of banner that means that Russia stands firmly on the banks of the Neva.

Many believe that in terms of architecture, the Peter and Paul Cathedral was built as a western church. I think in vain. If we take a close look at it, we will find out that there is only one element of Western church architecture - the pulpit, that is, the elevation at the left pre-altar pillar. A sermon is delivered from the pulpit and the Holy Scriptures are read for those who are in the temple, so that the preacher or reader can be clearly seen and heard.

Another noteworthy detail is the carved wooden iconostasis with a rich set of icons. They say that it is performed somewhat theatrically, in the form of a theatrical scenery. Perhaps this is so. The iconostasis does not cover the entire altar, but the altar curtain makes up for the missing wooden parts.

The bell tower of the cathedral, as is canonically accepted in Orthodox churches, is located above the western entrance.

It acquired its final appearance, that is, the way it was before the 1917 revolution, just a few years ago, when a carillon was installed in the lower tier of ringing - a musical instrument in which bells are used instead of strings. It is possible to perform all kinds of secular musical works on it, because the bells are clearly tuned in the chromatic scale.

Above the carillon is the so-called church bell or, as it is mistakenly called, the "Russian belfry", although the belfry is not a set of bells, but a bell-carrying structure made in the form of a wall with bells hanging on it.

The bell ringing of the Peter and Paul Cathedral includes one of the heaviest surviving historical bells of St. Petersburg - a 5-ton evangelist. This bell was cast under Nicholas II in Gatchina at the Lavrov's bell foundry and brought to the cathedral. And at the same plant, medium and small bells of the Russian bell ringing were cast.

Due to some circumstances that are not clear to us now, the church bell ringing of the Peter and Paul Cathedral was in some desolation even before the revolution. Many bells were broken, many hung uselessly. And the ringing itself was rather "motley". The history of the largest bell is interesting. It was cast from an old bell, cast during the reign of Tsars John Alekseevich and Peter Alekseevich around the 80s of the 17th century. By the will of Tsar Peter the Great, he was transferred from somewhere to the new capital, St. Petersburg.

The bell set of the Peter and Paul Cathedral is one of the few that survived after the revolution, while most of the bells were melted down in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The "second wave" of the bells' destruction is the years of the so-called "thaw", they are also the period of aggravation of the persecution of the Church.

Why the bells in the Cathedral of Peter and Paul have survived is difficult to say. Perhaps they were hanging too high. Or maybe they were not of particular value for melting: their total weight is only 8 or 9 tons, this is not much.

Above the Russian church ringing in the octahedral superstructure under the spire is another completely unique set of bells - Dutch tuned chimes from the middle to the end of the 18th century, during the reign of Catherine II.

Clockwork

The spire of the cathedral burned several times, the bells deteriorated and broke, but were restored by the will of the emperors and empresses. These bells played the melodies of the clock of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. The bells rang out in quarters: at 15 minutes - once, at half an hour - two, at three-quarters of an hour - three times. When an hour passed, they played 4 quarters and the hour bells rang out according to the number of hours. Until 1917, they performed at the beginning of each hour "If our Lord is glorious in Zion", and at 12 noon - the national anthem "God Save the Tsar". The watch was made in Holland by Orth Crassus.

Under Soviet rule, it was decided that the clock of the Peter and Paul Cathedral should play the anthem of the Soviet Union - "The Indestructible Union of the Free Republics." But the local party organs forbade the singing of the anthem on the upper bells specially tuned for the performance of hour melodies, because they considered it an outrageous disgrace to play the anthem of the USSR on bells of foreign production.

And an unheard-of decision was made: to adapt the bells of the Russian church ringing to perform the melody of the anthem of the Soviet Union. They were added in number, outweighed, undermined, connected with a specially made clockwork ... A hammer was attached to a large 5-ton evangelist - and he struck the clock. For the first time the anthem of the USSR was performed on these bells in 1952.

I heard this performance of the USSR anthem when I was in Leningrad in 1976. The sound was out of tune and resembled the melody of a hymn relatively. But those who knew that this was the anthem, of course, could recognize it.

Russian ringing bells adapted for performance melodies of the anthem of the Soviet Union

Great bell with bells the watch hammer attached to it

Including because of this adaptation of the bells to the performance of the anthem, today it is difficult to say how many bells of the pre-revolutionary set have survived in the cathedral.

There is no more curious bell tower, on the tiers of which there would be such diversely functional bells - hour, church and carillon - in the Russian Church.

As for the carillon, the appropriateness of its presence in the bell tower is an open question. Perhaps, he thought of it there by Peter I at a time when the cathedral had not yet become an imperial burial vault.

But then, according to his will, Peter I was buried in an unfinished cathedral (it was consecrated already in the 30s of the 18th century) and over time the cathedral became the burial vault of Russian emperors: all Russian emperors before Alexander III are buried there.

Tombs of Emperor Nicholas I and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna

In September 2006, the ashes of his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna, were transferred to the cathedral, and two loving hearts united in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

Tomb of Empress Maria Feodorovna

It is surprising that the graves of Peter III, Paul I, the tombs of Alexander I and Alexander III are constantly decorated with fresh flowers. They are brought by the residents of St. Petersburg themselves, so these are the sovereigns who are distinguished by the Russian people themselves.

And, of course, there are many flowers at the tomb of the founder of the city on the Neva, Emperor Peter I.

Nowadays, sometimes the shutters are opened, the carilloner sits down at the instrument and sings melodies. For example, last year the famous carilloner Jo Haazen performed Borodin's Polovtsian Dances, which caused our senses to be somewhat confused: the instrument intended for the entertainment of the crowd does not go well with the necropolis, to put it mildly.

The restoration of the ringing on the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress began in Soviet times. In 1988 the Association of Bell Art of Russia was founded. The specialists of this AKIR took the initiative in reviving the bell ringing on a variety of belfries, which at that time belonged to museums or were in the hands of museums. One of the rather high-profile acts of AKIR is a concert on the bell tower of St. Basil's Cathedral in 1990 or 1991.

The same specialists, among whom was the late Ivan Vasilyevich Danilov, Valery Lokhansky, Sergei Starostenkov, were engaged in restoring the ringing of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. From those bells that could be sounded, that is, those that had tongues and were hung loose enough to ring, they made a bell ringing system. The tongues of the middle bells were brought to the posts, the tongues were hung to the small ringing bells.

The tongue of the large bell hung freely; in the Soviet years, nothing was done to it, but simply attached the hammer of the clock. However, this tongue swayed quickly, the ringing rhythm was fast enough.

As a specialist, I did not like the ringing that was revived by the AKIR specialists, and in many respects precisely because the big bell sounded very harsh, loud because of the too fast rhythm.

For three years now, we, the specialists of the Society of Church Bell-Rings, have been conducting bells at the Peter and Paul Fortress during the Moscow Easter Festival. The Cathedral of Peter and Paul has its own bell ringers who call during the services, but it so happened that we never crossed paths. Actually, the "owners" of the bell tower are not they, but the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg, which is in charge of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. We have good contact with the director of the museum, the keeper of the cathedral and the keeper of the bells.

The first thing we did when we arrived at the bell tower was to put a large bell on the pedal so that we could set a rhythm for it, emanating from the sound and breathing of the bell itself. The fact is that with the ringing of the pedal, the rhythm can vary anywhere.

Surprisingly, the former loud, “barking”, a little iron ringing was replaced by a very beautiful, “velvet”, not so loud, but very pleasant sound, because the rhythm became slower. And now it has become possible to reproduce the classical ringing of the Russian Church on the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

We always carry out ringing of bells of the cathedrals of Peter and Paul in close cooperation with our dear colleagues - bell-ringers from St. Petersburg - Ekaterina Baranova, Andrei Ivanov, Marat Kapranov.

Naturally, we have big creative plans for the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Not all bells, which were adapted for singing the anthem of the Soviet Union, have tongues hanging, not all bells are properly suspended, many are attached to the beams to death, so today they cannot be rung. ... It is necessary to make a platform on the bell tower.

The Russian ringing of the Peter and Paul Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress needs reconstruction, decoration, it needs to be brought back to life so that the bells sound beautiful, loud and melodic.

Photos by Igor Vasilyevich Konovalov