Petrovsky Ironworks and Cannon Foundry founded

During the Northern War (1700–1721), where Russia fought Sweden for access to the Baltic Sea, the Russian army and navy were in dire need of weapons and cannons. Karelia was close to the territory of hostilities, which lakes and swamps abounded in iron ore, forests could provide a lot of charcoal needed for smelting ore, and Lake Onega created the conditions for delivering cannons to the army in the field. By decree of Tsar Peter I on August 29 (September 9), 1703, at the mouth of the Lososinka River in the Olonetsky district, the Shuisky (from 1704 - Petrovsky) ironworks and cannon foundry was founded, from the foundation of which the city of Petrozavodsk, the capital of the Republic, traces its history Karelia.

The foundation stone for the blast-furnace shop of the plant was laid by an associate of Peter I, Governor-General of Ingermanland Alexander Menshikov. The general management of the construction was carried out by the vice-commandant and head of the factories of the mining district Alexei Stepanovich Choglokov, the construction was supervised by the foreman of the mining business Yakov Vlasov. The plant was erected by ascribed peasants of the nearest Karelian villages and gunsmiths from Tula.

The plant was built in a short time. Dams, factory shops, workshops and forges were built on the banks of the fast and high-water river Lososinka. Already by the beginning of 1704, the first batch of cannons cast at the factory was sent to the Olonets shipyard on the Svir river. In 1705, the construction of hydraulic structures and the main workshops of the plant was completed, and the production of weapons began. On the manufactured guns and pistols, the inscription "OLONEZ" and the year of issue were made.

The plant was one of the largest and most technically equipped metallurgical and metalworking enterprises of the state. It produced high quality cannons, cannonballs, anchors, guns, daggers, using the high technologies of that time in production. During the Northern War, the plant was the main supplier of large-caliber naval guns for the Baltic Navy. From 1719 to 1721 up to 200 guns, 7-8 thousand guns, 3 thousand blades, many cores, anchors were produced annually at the plant. For the first time in Russia, the production of swords, wire, plain and tinplate was mastered at the Petrovsky Plant.

The Petrovsky plant became one of the leading enterprises of the country under the leadership of Georg-Wilhelm de Gennin (1676–1750), a talented Dutch metallurgist, engineer, head of the Olonets mining plants (Petrovsky, Povenetsky, Konchezersky, etc.), commandant of the Olonets district (1713–1724) . He achieved high quality metal, made a great contribution to the improvement of production, invented new types of equipment, weapons and technologies to improve cannon production. Under his leadership, guns were made, about which Peter I gave the order: "The guns of the Petrovsky factory should not be given on the shelves, but saved for the guard!"

In 1720 G.-V. de Gennin wrote to General-Admiral Apraksin: “And now we are building machines, namely: in the first we will make and beat tinplate, in the other - to drill fuse barrels with water without people, in the third - to sharpen barrels, in the fourth - to make steel <...> in the fifth - anchors with water, against the infection of the royal majesty, we will weld and blow the bellows with water without people who had a lot of workers before. And let us make that whole building with haste... ".

In 1716 G.-V. de Gennin opened the Olonets mining and metallurgical technical school at the Petrovsky plant - the only technical school at that time in Russia for the training of metallurgical specialists and the first vocational school in Karelia. Also, the first medical institution in Karelia, the factory hospital, was opened at the plant.

Peter I visited the plant four times. He first arrived at the plant in 1719, when he was traveling from St. Petersburg to be treated with marcial waters (now a sanatorium on the territory of the Kondopoga region of the Republic of Karelia). The emperor was pleased with the plant and even forged a piece of iron himself. In honor of the emperor, Georg-Wilhelm de Gennin ordered a cannon with the inscription "OLONEZ 1719" to be cast. (now stored in the Military Historical Museum of Artillery in St. Petersburg).

The development of the Petrovsky plant contributed to the growth of the new settlement. Factory workshops, workshops, forges, outbuildings, barracks for state peasants and artisans were located on one side of the Lososinka River, and on the other side were administrative buildings, the travel palace of Peter the Great, the houses of Prince A. D. Menshikov, commandants of the Petrovsky factories A. S. Choglov, G.-V. de Gennin, officials, merchants. Churches were built here in the name of the apostles Peter and Paul and in the name of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. The settlement that grew up around the plant was called Petrovskaya Sloboda. By 1716, about 3 thousand people lived in the settlement, it became the largest settlement in the Olonets district. In 1777, by decree of Catherine II, Petrovskaya Sloboda was renamed the city of Petrozavodsk. Since 1784, Petrozavodsk became the center of the Olonets province. Now the city of Petrozavodsk has been awarded the honorary title of the Russian Federation "City of Military Glory" (2015), the title "City friendly to the child" (1999). The city was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner of Labor (1978) and Peter the Great (2003).

The work of the Petrovsky Plant after the end of the Northern War was gradually reduced. In 1734 it was closed. Not a single building of the plant has survived to this day. But the location of the Petrovsky Plant near the mouth of the Lososinka River is a memorable historical place in the city of Petrozavodsk.

January 28, 1993 in Petrozavodsk, in the Karelia Hotel, located on the territory of the former Petrovsky Plant, a memorial plaque was installed with the image of Peter I and the inscription: “Anchors, cannons, pistols, rifles, swords for the Russian fleet were made at this place in 1703-1721" (author - Yu. Moshnikov). In 1995, a memorial plaque was solemnly opened in the hotel with the text: “G. V. de Gennin is an outstanding Dutch metallurgist. Managed the Petrovsky factories in 1713–1721. (author - Yu. Moshnikov).

Лит.: Беспятых Ю. Н. Карелия при Петре I / Ю. Н. Беспятых, Г. М. Коваленко. Петрозаводск, 1988 (Из содерж.: Петровские заводы. Петровская слобода. – С. 50-77); Город – завод: путеводитель [по трём заводам: Петровскому, Александровскому и Онежскому тракторному / Национальный музей Республики Карелия, Музей промышленной истории Петрозаводска]. [Петрозаводск], 2015; Карелия при Петре I: список литературы / Национальная библиотека Республики Карелия, отдел обслуживания; составители: М. М. Пайкина, Е. В. Коноплева. Петрозаводск, 2003 (Из содерж.: Создание и деятельность Олнецких Петровских заводов. С. 14-18); Место, где был сооружён Петровский завод // Объекты историко-культурного наследия города Петрозаводска. Петрозаводск, 2013. С. 23; Мулло И. М. Петровская слобода / И. М. Мулло; [редактор В. И. Яшков; художник И. Г. Карт]. Петрозаводск:, 1981; [Петровский завод] // Памятная книжка Олонецкой губернии на 1903 год. Петрозаводск, 1903. С. 298; Петровский завод. Основание Петрозаводска // Петрозаводск: 300 лет истории: документы и материалы. В 3 кн. Кн. 1. 1703-1802. Петрозаводск, 2001. С. 11-62; [Петровский завод] // Петрозаводск: хроника трёх столетий, 1703-2003. Петрозаводск, 2002. С. 13; Пулькин М. В. Петровский завод / М. В. Пулькин // Карелия: энциклопедия. В 3 т. Т. 2. К-П. Петрозаводск, 2009. С. 366.

See also at the Presidential Library:

Пётр I (1672–1725): [цифровая коллекция];

Республика Карелия: страницы истории: [цифровая коллекция].

The article is based on the materials of the National Library of Republic of Karelia