Petrovsky dock canal

The unique canal with the first dry dock in Russia was built in the first half of the 18th century by decree of Peter I. It was intended for the repair of the underwater part of ships.

When traveling to Europe, Peter studied the device of the Dutch and English docks, the con of which was a long pumping out of water (more than a month). The idea of Peter I was that the dock could be drained quickly, pouring water into a pool dug below the level of the dock.

The construction of the dock channel began in 1719, but Peter did not live to complete the work. The canal was opened on July 30, 1752 in the presence of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, who herself launched the lock mechanisms. In the dock, up to 10 large vessels could be repaired simultaneously.

In 1774–1776, the first steam pump in Russia was installed on the bank of the Petrovsky Dock basin for pumping water. The car was brought from Scotland, it has served for more than 75 years!

Part of the Petrovsky dock served to repair ships until 2008. The length of the dock is 300 meters, width - 20 meters, depth - 12 meters.

On the shore of the Petrovsky docking channel, the lighthouse, one of the oldest in Kronstadt, is situated. Nearby is the building of the Dutch cuisine, where ship cooks cooked food for their crews (it was forbidden to make fire on the ship).

Over the Petrovsky docking channel, the only dock bridge in Kronstadt has been deployed. A metal crossing of riveted structures was built in 1854-1856 under the project of Lieutenant Colonel N.P. Bogdanovsky, metalwork made at the factory C. Byrd in St. Petersburg. According to legend, Vice-Admiral S.O. Makarov took part in the design of the bridge. Currently the bridge is under reconstruction.