Fort Obruchev stands on a man-made islet in the shallows of the Gulf of Finland, one of the chain of sea forts that gave Kronstadt its reputation as the strongest naval fortress in the world. Named, as I understand it, for General Nikolai Obruchev, a leading military planner of the late nineteenth century, it belongs to the northern line of the defences, built of granite and brick with casemates facing the main channel. Eight kilometres from Kronstadt town, it is reachable by boat or visible from the ring road across the dam, and in practice many of these forts are closed, derelict and under military control, so view it from a distance rather than expecting to land.
The great forts earned their fame in a war that never came. In 1854 and 1855, during the Crimean War, British and French ships entered the Baltic, and they decided that attacking Kronstadt was not worth the risk. The sea defences, combined with mines and shallow water, did their job simply by existing. The forts were rebuilt and modernised in the 1890s and again in the Soviet years, and they armed against a possible naval attack on Leningrad throughout the twentieth century. During the siege of Leningrad their guns supported the defence of the city, and their garrisons endured shelling and ice.
For a rider, the interest is in the road across the water. The dam highway runs for around twenty-five kilometres, and for long stretches you are riding with the open gulf on one side and the bay on the other, with ships far off and forts rising like grey rocks. It is windy, exposed, and often bitterly cold even in June, so wear a layer you do not need in the city. The surface is good and traffic moves fast, with trucks heading for the port.
Fuel is available in Kronstadt, eight kilometres off, or on the ring road at the mainland ends. Carry water and some food because the dam has no cafe stops, and remember that stopping on the carriageway is prohibited. In winter, with sea ice and snow, the view gets starker, and in clear weather on a September morning the gulf is the colour of pewter.