How did Fort Alexander I in Kronstadt become a plague fort?
The Russian ‘Fort Boyarde’ is the nickname most often given to this naval fortress, which is located two kilometers from Kronstadt.
However, it was actually built 20 years before the famous French fort and was never used either as a prison or as a defensive structure.
The fort, named in honor of Emperor Alexander I, was built from 1838 to 1845 on an artificial island. It housed a navy garrison with up to 1,000 soldiers. In 1896, the fort was disbanded for lack of use. But, it was not empty for long.
At the end of 19th century, the world was threatened by a plague epidemic. The fort was converted into a laboratory where 20 doctors worked to find a cure for the deadly disease. Drug production was dangerous, so the isolated fort was ideally suitable for this purpose. The casemates were plumbed for water, electricity, steam heating and sewage. So, the fort was dubbed "plague", although cholera, tetanus and typhus were studied there.
After the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, the laboratory was closed and plague and cholera pathogens were transported to Saratov, where the country's first anti-plague institute was opened. During the Soviet years, the fort was used as a military equipment warehouse, but, by the 1980s, it was abandoned again. It is currently under restoration and can only be seen from the water.
