This charming log cottage, protected within a stone building, is St Petersburg’s oldest surviving structure. The wooden cabin itself was supposedly built in three days in May 1703 for Peter to live in while he supervised the construction of the fortress and city.
Feeling more like a shrine than a museum, the cabin confirms Peter’s love for the simple life with its unpretentious, homely feel, visibly influenced by the time he spent in Holland.
It has long been a sentimental site for St Petersburg. During WWII, Soviet soldiers would take an oath of allegiance to the city here, vowing to protect it from the Germans, before disappearing to the front. After the Siege of Leningrad, this was the first museum to reopen to the public.
Look out for the bronze bust of Peter by Parmen Zabello in the garden.