In November 1703, the first foreign ship of the Dutch skipper Vybes came to Saint Petersburg, delivering salt and wine.

To speed up the matter, Peter I appointed the governors personally responsible for carrying out work in the areas allocated to them, for which he summoned them to Kronstadt.

Extensive fortification works were carried out on top of the embankment: a wall was built, cannons were placed, barracks and towers were created.

For residential buildings, plots were allocated – for ordinary citizens an area of 6 acres (32x12 meters), for noble ones – the same length, but a width chosen at will.

Soon after the death of Peter I, almost all work in the fortress came under the control of Field Marshal Burkhard Minich (until his resignation in 1740).

At the direction of Catherine II, an authoritative commission reviewed it, and on 29 January 1785, the empress signed a rescript instructing Greig to begin the transfer of the Admiralty from Saint Petersburg to Kronstadt.

The plan drawn up by Greig largely determined the development of the city with office and residential buildings, warehouses and hospitals.

During the catastrophic flood in November 1824, almost the entire surface of the island, with the exception of a few hills outside the city, was under water.

Count Sukhtelen, inspector of the Engineering Department, creator of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, urgently created a project for city stone fortifications.

The complex of mortar batteries of the Kronstadt Fortress is a cultural heritage site and is located in the western part of Kotlin Island.