The Peter and Paul Fortress - 1 Hello, everybody! :) I listened this text and wrote it. Listening is my weakest skill, and this text contains mistakes. I listened it many-many times, but I'm not sure I understood everything correctly. Can you specify me on my mistakes? (you can listen to the original here: http://www.visit-petersburg.ru/en/audioguide/2/) The Peter and Paul fortress is consider first building of the city. The date was founded May 27 1703 is considered to be the birthday of St.Petersburg. The place for the fortress was very fortunate. It is clearly visual on a map what here the Neva River divided to two branches and then falls into the Finnish gulf. This mean, around whichever arms a warship put into the Neva it would be merely fired self under the fire of cannons from The Peter and Paul fortress. Peter the First was there on a first stone at the fortress was laid. The tsar wasn`t afraid to get his hands dirty. He took a spade himself and started digging. Then the first stone was laid a miracle happened – an eagle come down from the sky. It`s soaring over the island for a walk and everyone around saw a good omen. The tsar Peter cut down two young birch trees tied their tops together and stuck them in soft soil. At the place was to build the gate at the fortress. The soaring eagle flew down and sat on the wooden arch. Peter was rather pleased by this and so he took the eagle from the birches, ties his claws with a handkerchief and lay down to his arm. Point of view eagle’s story is just a beautiful fable. Eagles are not often found in these areas. But many people suppose there was a tame eagle which had perhaps escaped from defeated Swedes. And when it saw people building this fortress, and trustingly come down to them. One way or another this is one of beautiful legends about the city. The fortress meanwhile continued to build. The main building on its territory was the Peter and Paul Cathedral founding it in 1712. The date wasn't chosen accidentally. It was that year when St.Petersburg officially became the capital. And the capital city need the Cathedral. Domenico Trezzini was appointed the architect - the first architect of St.Petersburg. Peter did not live to see Cathedral finished as he died January 1725 and was buried in the unfinished Cathedral. It was later consecrated of Anna Ioanovna in 1733. The Cathedral became the burial vault for Russian monarchs. The emperors and members of them families are laid to rest.