BEP fortress (Bastion of Emperor Paul)

BEP (Bastion of Emperor Paul) is a small fortress located in the middle of the Mariental Park in the center of Pavlovsk, within a walking distance of the Pavlovsk Palace. Now it is occupied by a fashionable hotel but at the time of construction it was a full-scale fortress with all required bastions and defensive earthworks. One can`t have a tour of the hotel but it will be very interesting to have a walk in the Mariental Park surrounding BEP.

As is known Empress Catherine gave the lands in the picturesque valley of the river Slavyanka to her son Paul after a son Alexander was born to him. At that time there were neither the Pavlovsk Palace nor Pavlovsk and Paul had two small wooden palaces built there – Paullust (the joy of Paul) and Mariental (the valley of Marie). Later, Paullust was dismantled, during the construction of the Great Pavlovsk Palace, and Mariental remained and even was rebuilt and strengthened.

Mariental was built on the place of Sweden fortifications of 1702 at the confluence of the rivers Tyzva and Slavyanka. Eventually, the wooden Mariental palace was turned into a fortress, as its location on a high hill over the rivers made it possible. Redoubts, escarps, ramparts and bastions were built around Mariental. And near it a big park of the same name was laid out.

In 1796, after he was declared emperor, Paul issued the order on the construction of a full-scale fortress on the place of the wooden Mariental palace. The project was designed by the architect Brenna. The fortress was named «Bastion of Emperor Paul» or BEP. Frequently it was called the Big Toy of Paul. 

Its construction was finished in June 1798. BEP looked like a real fortress with towers and the inner court. The Imperial eagle with the Maltese cross was on one of the towers. As is known Emperor Paul was Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.