On Police Day in 1922, the first and most unexpected escape from the legendary prison took place. Four members of Lenka Panteleev's gang, under the protection of the warden, successfully left the prison grounds.
The next escape happened 24 years later – the prisoner Volkov was almost “lucky” enough to get out of custody through a passage in the wall that had been created over several months. However, during the escape, Volkov ran into a prison officer on the way and was sent back behind bars.
Another 23 years later, during a walk in the prison yard, one prisoner climbed onto the roof, miraculously overcame the barbed wire and escaped to Arsenalnaya Embankment.
In 1984, something completely unbelievable happened: two 1000 mobile number database prisoners made prison employee "identities" out of scrap materials. After a walk, they fell behind the main group of prisoners, passed the control post, and found themselves free.
What happened next with Kresty and what is there now
Photo - © RIA Novosti
During the Great Patriotic War, all prisoners were placed in one building. The employees went to the front, and their places were taken by women and children. During the siege of Leningrad, many guards and prisoners died here. Since it was not possible to bury the bodies, they were placed in one room.
During the Soviet era, Kresty became an executive prison where death sentences were carried out.
It is interesting that initially a certain limit was assumed - a maximum of two thousand prisoners within the walls of the pretrial detention center. However, by the end of the 20th century, there were sometimes about 12 thousand. More than 20 people lived in one cramped cell, which resembled a can of fish.
At the beginning of the 21st century, all prisoners were transferred to a new complex of buildings that was erected in Kolpino. Already in 2017, the prison was empty. In the center of one building, films and TV series about gangster Petersburg were filmed. The place of current excursions became a cult place among prisoners.
Today, the cells of Kresty are empty. Tours are currently conducted around the prison, but it is not possible to go inside.
In December 2024, Dom.RF announced an auction for the sale of Kresty. The starting price of the lot is 1.05 billion rubles. After restoration and modern equipment, a multifunctional center can be located here.
“The main task of Dom.RF when implementing such objects is to give them a second life, to adapt them for modern use by searching for conscientious and reliable investors,” noted Nikolai Sarokvasha, Director of Federal Property Sales at Dom.RF.