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This fortress is situated on an island in the Neva River at the edge of Lake Ladoga. It is known by two names - Schlusselburg and Petrokrepost. The first wooden fortress called Oreshek was built on this island in 1323 by Prince Yuri of Novgorod (concurrently the Grand Prince of Moscow). In 1348, it was taken by Sweden, but retaken by Novgorod in 1351. It was rebuilt in stone in 1352. In 1611 it was again captured by Sweden and held until Peter the Great retook it in 1702. Peter saw it as the key to Russian defenses in the region and named it Schlusselburg (Key Fortress in German). The Romanov monarchy used it to incarcerate high ranking prisoners. In 1764, Ivan VI was murdered while being held there under Catherine the Great. Aleksander Ulyanov was hanged there in 1887 following his arrest for attempting to assassinate Czar Alexander III. His execution did much to radicalize his brother, Lenin Ulyanov. During WWII anti-German feeling led to the name being changed to Petrokrepost (Peter's Fortress). After Perestroika the name was changed back to Schlusselburg.
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