Cornelis Cruys

The Dutch historian J. Zielstra and the Norwegian filmmaker B. Middelthon are producing a documentary on the historical figure Cornelis Cruys. Sources on Cornelis Cruys are available in the Naval Archive of St. Petersburg. In de documentary they tell the life of Cornelis Cruys. He was born in Norway, but worked in the Netherlands for a long time. In the Netherlands he became a captain of a Dutch merchant. On the occasion of the visit of Tsar Peter the Great the mayor of Amsterdam, Nicolaas Witsen, organized a naval mock battle at the IJ. It was here that Cornelis Cruys was acquainted to the Tsar. Though Cruys at first was hesitant to accept the offer of the Tsar, he could not refuse. Cruys was promoted from third lower equipment master to the rank of vice admiral of the Russian fleet.

It was in St. Petersburg that Cruys, trained in the ways of the Dutch navy, became responsible for the building of the Russian fleet. He recruited hundreds of foreign specialist who helped him with this task. When the peace of Nystadt in 1721 ended the northern war, Russia had become the dominant naval power in the Baltic area. Without the talents of Cornelis Cruys the balance of power might have shifted otherwise.

OBJECTIVES
Make people aware of the life of Cornelis Cruys

RESULTS
Film

See also:
OÜ Baltic Bridge Culture and Communication Agency (Organisation)
Window on Norway (Organisation)

Kverneland group (Organisation)
telekanal 100(television St. Petersburg) (Organisation)
NOHA (Organisation)
Utenriksdepartementet (Organisation)