The Mint is one of the sights of St. Petersburg. It is located on the Hare Island on the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress and is the center of attraction for tourists and local residents. Today in Russia there are only two enterprises for minting coins and producing state awards. St. Petersburg is more than 200 years older than its Moscow counterpart.
Origin story
The mint in St. Petersburg was founded on December 12, 1724. The great Russian emperor Peter I decided to build a powerful exemplary industrial enterprise for the production of coins. Thanks to the quality German equipment that was purchased in the city of Nuremberg, the mint quickly reached a high level. Despite the fact that initially only gold coins were minted in small volumes, by order of Peter I in 1746 a laboratory was organized, which made it possible to reduce the import of precious metals from abroad. This decision contributed to a major production breakthrough - in addition to gold coins, the mint began to issue silver coins. And since 1876, in addition to money, the enterprise began to produce various orders and medals. After the revolution in 1924, the mint was renamed and became known as the Leningrad Mint. It began to produce coins for the entire Soviet State. During the Siege of Leningrad, most of the minting equipment was transported to the city of Krasnokamsk. But the production capacity of the evacuated enterprise was not enough to meet all state needs in wartime. In this regard, another mint was built in Moscow, which, on an equal footing in St. Petersburg, is a minted enterprise of state importance.
St. Petersburg Mint today
The Mint in St. Petersburg is a leading state enterprise not only for minting high quality coins, but also for the production of various awards, souvenirs, key rings, pennants, jewelry and so on. Until 1997, a distinctive feature of the coins produced in St. Petersburg were special symbols - SPB, SPM, SP, SM, L, LMD. And since 1997 - the abbreviation SPMD.
How to get there
The exact address of the location of the Mint: St. Petersburg, the territory of the Peter and Paul Fortress, building 6. lit. A, St. Petersburg Mint.
To get to the sights, the most convenient way is to use the subway. The nearest metro station is Gorkovskaya (blue line). Also, the Peter and Paul Fortress can be reached by land transport. From Nevsky Prospect - bus route No. 191, trolleybus route - No. 7.
Schedule, excursions, cost of entrance tickets
In 2016, at the initiative of Goznak, a museum with an exposition "The History of Money" was opened on the territory of the St. Petersburg Mint, where coins from different times are presented, including rare specimens.
Museum working hours and hours: daily from 10:00 to 20:00 (Thursday is a day off). You can also join the excursion group in the museum: on weekdays - 10:30, 12:00, 15:00, 18:30, on weekends - 10:30, 12:00, 13:30, 15:00, 16: 30, 18:30. Ticket prices: for adults - 200 rubles; for schoolchildren, students and pensioners - 100 rubles.
