Arkhangelsk Gostiny Dvor

1 · POSITION

The Arkhangelsk Gostiny Dvor was built in stone on the Pur-Navolok promontory between 1668 and 1684 by German and Dutch masons. In the seventeenth century Arkhangelsk handled more than half of Russia’s exports, and this was the yard they passed through. The register holds it as the trading yard as a fortress. [1]

2 · TWO COURTS AND A TOWN

It was built in three parts: a Russian court for native merchants, a German court for foreign ones, and between them the Stone Town — warehouse, market and lodging inside one defended wall. [1, 2]

3 · ABANDONED FOR ST PETERSBURG

When Peter the Great moved the capital to St Petersburg, most foreign trade was rerouted and the Arkhangelsk yard was abandoned. Only its northern tower and parts of the western wall facing the Northern Dvina survive. [1]

4 · A MUSEUM

In 1981 the ruin was adapted as a museum of local history. Restoration has been under way since 1992 and is still delayed for want of money. [1]

5 · ⚑ CANDOUR

⚑ Checked on 22 October 2026. The stone building was raised between 1668 and 1684 by German and Dutch masons, with Russian and German courts; only the northern tower and part of the western wall survive, and the buildings were a customs house in the nineteenth century. The register’s 1683 is corrected. [1–2]