Employees of the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan participate in the preservation of the Menshikov Bastion

A meeting on the preservation of the newly discovered cultural heritage site “Rampart of the Wood-and-Earth Fortress of 1703 at the site “Spire of Menshikov Bastion of the Peter and Paul Fortress” was held at the St. Petersburg State Budgetary Institution of Culture “The State Museum of the History of Saint Petersburg”. The event was attended by the employees of the Institute of Archaeology named after A.Kh. Khalikov of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan: Head of the Institute A.G. Sitdikov, Head of the Museum E.F. Shaikhutdinova and wood restoration specialist A.R. Makhmutov.

Menshikov Bastion is one of the first ones in the Peter and Paul Fortress: it was founded immediately after the Sovereign Bastion. The wood-and-earth rampart of Menshikov Bastion was built in 1703, and the construction of a stone bastion began three years later. These works were completed after 20 years.

In 2017-2019, archaeologists of the Institute of the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences discovered a valuable archaeological site – a wood-and-earth bastion of the Peter and Paul Fortress of 1703 – the first surviving building in Saint Petersburg. Wooden structures and elements of the rampart were revealed during studies.

Today, one of the current issues is the preservation of the unique earthen structure. The Saint Petersburg Committee for Culture, taking into account the experience of the Institute of Archaeology named after A.Kh. Khalikov of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan in the field of conservation of large archaeological wood items in Sviyazhsk, invited the specialists of the Institute to discuss preparations for the implementation of activities on the museumification of the site.

Specialists of the Institute of Archaeology named after A.Kh. Khalikov Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan examined the site and proposed a draft roadmap for the conservation of archaeological wood items.