CITY LEGENDS

Ship and spire of Admiralty

The first Russian naval ship "Oriol" ("Eagle") constructed by Alexei Michaikivich became the prototype of the ship which crowns the spire of Admiralty. All the three flags at the ship's masts are made of pure gold, and in the forebody of the ship the personal compass of Peter the First is store.

All three flags on the ship masts are executed from pure gold, and Peter I personal surveying compass is stored in a nasal part of the ship.

It was made during the first reorganisation of the Admiralty erected in 1704 under autographic drawings of Peter I.

Since then the ship has turned in the most popular emblem of the city, to its symbol.

In 1886 at the next repair of the Admiralty needle the ship has been removed and placed in a naval museum, and to its place the exact copy was placed.

Old Petersburgers can tell you a whole set of stories about the 122-metre Admiralty needle.

One will assure you that in the gilt sphere (or as it still names townsmen, "apple") there is a round jug from pure gold, and in a jug as if samples of all gold coins which have been rapped out from the moment of the basis of Petersburg are combined. But only the secret of the confidential turn opening a jug, is irrevocably lost.

Others will assert that no coins there are present, but all three flags on the ship masts are precisely made of pure gold, and in its nasal part Peter I personal casket is hidden.

The sphere is really hollow and stores in itself a casket, but completely not gold.

There are messages on all repairs of a needle and a ship in there, names of the masters participating in works, some the Petersburg newspapers of a XIX-th century, the Leningrad newspapers and documents on major repairs 1929, 1977 and 1999. Among other certificates "the Message to descendants" lies there.

Source: N.A. Sindalovsky "Legends of St. Petersburg"