Lithuanian Castle.

Categories / City Administration/Police, Prisons
LITHUANIAN CASTLE (Seven-towered castle), a prison, used to be situated in Kolomna, near the intersection of the Moyka river and Krukov canal. The 2-storeyed building of the palace was built in 1783-87 (architect I.E. Starov), the design project represented an irregular pentagon with 7 round towers. Since 1797, Cavalry Guards regiment was quartered in the palace, followed by Lithuanian musketeer regiment (hence the name), and Guards regiment, in the 1810s. In 1823-24 Lithuanian Castle was rebuilt by architect I.I. Charlemagne and transformed into a city prison for criminals; reconstructed in 1883-84 (architect K.I. Reymers). Lithuanian Castle contains 103 cells, divided into 10 isolated sections by types of crimes committed by prisoners (822 persons were kept here as of January 1, 1900). The complex also comprised All Merciful Saviour Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic and Lutheran chapels. Since the second half of the 19th century, political prisoners were also kept here (among them were A.K. Kuznetsov, I.G. Pryzhov, P.N. Tkachev, P.G. Uspensky, convicted in 1871 upon the trial of the members of Nechaev's society), as were the members of working people's movement of the early 20th century. At the time of February Revolution of 1917, the prisoners were released by insurgent workers and soldiers, and Lithuanian Castle was burned down (the ruins were demolished in 1929-30, and the area was built up with residential houses).

References: Настоящее положение мест заключения в С.-Петербурге. СПб., 1869; Никитин В. Н. Жизнь заключенных: Обзор петерб. тюрем и относящихся до них узаконений и адм. распоряжений. СПб., 1871.

A. D. Margolis. Charlemagne Iosif Iosifovich
Kuznetsov Alexey Kirillovich
Pryzhov Ivan Gavrilovich
Reimers Karl Ivanovich
Starov Ivan Egorovich
Tkachev Peter Nikitich
Uspensky Peter Gavrilovich
Настоящее положение мест заключения в С.-Петербурге. СПб., 1869
Никитин В. Н. Жизнь заключенных: Обзор петерб. тюрем и относящихся до них узаконений и адм. распоряжений. СПб., 1871 Cavalier Guards Regiment
February Revolution of 1917