By the order of Paul I a castle was designed by the architect V. I. Bazhenov, with V. F. Brenna participating, and erected for him in 1797 — 1800; the castle was surrounded by moats spanned by draw-bridges. Its owner lived here for only a short time. On March 11, 1801, Paul I was strangled in the castle by persons of his own retinue.
In the 19th century the castle housed the first Military Engineering School in Russia, The famous generals M. I. Kutuzov and R. I. Kondratenko, the writer F. M. Dostoyevsky, the Russian engineer P. N. Yablochkov were among those who graduated from the Military Engineering School.
The monument to Peter I was set up in 1800 near the Engineer Castle by the sculptor V. Rastrelli.
