Saint Petersburg in 5 days

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3 I love you, Peter s great creation, I love your view of stern and grace, The Neva wave s regal procession, The grayish granite her bank s dress, The airy iron-casting fences, The gentle transparent twilight, The moonless gleam of your nights restless, When I so easy read and write Without a lamp in my room lone, And seen is each huge buildings stone Of the left streets, and is so bright The Admiralty spire s flight A. S. Pushkin, a fragment from the poem The Bronze Horseman Saint Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, the cultural capital of Russia, the nation s important business and academic center. The city was founded by Peter I on the 16th (27th) of May, 1703 as an outpost on the Neva s banks. For a long time Saint Petersburg remained the capital of the Russian Empire. From the moment of its foundation to this day the city has remained the center of culture and art. Famous architects of that time participated in construction and creation of the architectural image of Saint Petersburg. Among them were: George Mattarnovi, Jean-Baptiste Le Blond, Domenico Trezzini, and Giacomo Quarenghi. In the course of its existence, the city changed its name three times. At the beginning of the World War I (1914) it became Petrograd. In 1924 it was renamed Leningrad in honor of V. I. Lenin at the workers initiative. In 1991 the historical name of Saint Petersburg was given back to the city. Saint Petersburg is often called Venice of the North, as it is located on the islands of the Neva River estuary, and the rivers and canals, the number of which amounts to over 90, give it a special charm in any time of the year. During our tour you are going to see not only the prospects, the architectural ensembles and the Neva River embankments, but also learn about the history of Saint Petersburg and everyday life of its residents. 3

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5 Day 1 Dear friends, we are beginning our journey from Gorkovskaya metro station. The station was named like that for a reason the writer Maksim Gorky lived in the building opposite the street from 1914 to The monument to the author installed in 1968 towers over the square. Around the Gorkovskaya metro station, the Alexander Garden extends. It was named in honor of the Emperor Alexander I, by whose order the park was laid out. To the left of the metro vestibule is the Mini-City, the center of Saint Petersburg in miniature made in the shape of the decorative 3D map, on which there are bronze miniature copies of the key architectural landmarks, and next to the miniature there are also sculptures of Saint Petersburg architects. The park alley takes us back toward the metro and then we enter Kamennoostrovsky Prospect. The opposite side of the Prospect is dominated by the Saint Petersburg Cathedral Mosque, which appeared on Petrogradskaya Storona in A little further on Kamennoostrovsky Prospect you see the monument to the Steregushchiy (Guarding). It is dedicated to the heroic deed of the Steregushchiy s crew who sank the ship during the Russo-Japanese War lest it fell into the enemy s hands. The monument was designed by the architect A. I. von Gogen and the sculptor K. V. Izenberg in It is the last monument installed in Saint Petersburg before the revolution, Nicholas II himself was present at its unveiling. 5

6 6 Saint Petersburg in 5 days We continue our walk along the prospect to the intersection with Kuybyshev Street. At the intersection of the street and the prospect there is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. That is a mansion of the great ballet dancer Mathilda Kschessinskaya built in , and its luxuriance is breath-taking. Today the Museum of Political History of Russia is housed in the mansion. We are crossing the prospect and heading toward the Troitskaya Square resembling a small park or a garden. The Troitskaya Square is the first square of Saint Petersburg. It has traced its history since the city s earliest years. The square was named after the Old Trinity Cathedral which used to be there. Until the 1730s, the Troitskaya Square was the central square. The first Gostiny Dvor, the customs, the market, tavern ʺAusteriaʺ, the Senate and Synod building, the printing house and the Colleges were located on the square. In 1933 the Cathedral was demolished, and in 2003 there appeared the Chapel of the Life-Giving Trinity in honor of the city s 300th anniversary. In the south the Square is traced by the Petrovskaya Embankment (Peter s Embankment), where we are heading to. Upon reaching the Embankment, let us turn left and walk to the Cabin of Peter I, which is located in the center of a small green pocket park. The single-floor brick building that you can see from the street is just a case. It holds the Cabin of Peter I built by carpenters in Today it is the museum whose display contains

7 Day 1 Peter I s personal possessions and materials related to the foundation of Saint Petersburg and victories in the Great Northern War. After visiting the museum let us go back to the Embankment and take notice of two mythological Shih Tsza (Foo Dogs) figures. Shih Tsza are Chinese guardian lions usually mounted in front of the entrance to a temple, a palace or a cemetery. Two granite figures (weighing 2,500 kg each) were delivered to Saint Petersburg in 1907 from Manchuria. One of the figures is a lion and the other is a lioness. Under the lion s paw there is a ball (a symbol of Buddhist knowledge). As for the lioness, she is holding a lion cub with a paw. Having turned to the left from the stone creatures we are heading along the Petrovskaya Embankment toward the Avrora Cruiser. Before reaching the Cruiser, let us halt by the monument commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Russian Navy. This is bronze Nika, a patron of seamen. Let us walk ahead a little, and we shall see the legendary Avrora cruiser, which was built in 1900 at the Admiralty Shipyards. The cruiser played an active part in the Russian history: in the Russo-Japanese War and in the World War I, when the salvo from its gun served as a sign to begin the storming of the Winter Palace during the October Revolution. Today the Aurora cruiser is a branch of the Naval Museum and a training facility for cadets of the Nakhimov Naval School, which is straight behind us. The blue building with white columns 7

8 8 Saint Petersburg in 5 days was built in The School was named after the prominent Russian naval commander and Admiral Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov, the hero of the Crimean War of And now let s go back along the Petrovskaya Embankment to the Troitskaya Square and pay attention to the bridge connecting the Neva s left bank and the Petrogradsky Island. The Neva is the city s main waterway, its length is 74 km. So, we are facing the Troitsky Bridge gifted to Saint Petersburg for its 200th anniversary in It was built under the project of the French firm Batignolles and is a specimen of the art of engineering. Let s continue our walk along the Embankment to the unique historical and architectural monument of Saint Petersburg the Peter and Paul Fortress located on the Zayachiy Island. First we cross Kuybysheva Street, then Kamennoostrovsky Prospect and the Kronverkskaya Embankment. In front of us there is the wooden Ioannovsky (St. John s) Bridge connecting the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress with the Petrogradsky Island. To the left a small hare is mounted on the wooden stilt, it reminds us of the name of the island where the Fortress is located i. e. Zayachiy (Hare). We enter the territory of the Fortress through the Ioannovskiyeh (St. John s) Gate. The Peter and Paul Fortress was laid on the Zayachiy Island on May 16 (27), This day is recognized as the day when Saint

9 Day 1 Petersburg was founded. The fortress is an irregular hexagon with bastions in the corners named after distinguished dignitaries of that time: Menshikov, Golovkin, Zotov, Trubetskoy, Naryshkin, and Gosudarev (Tzar s, in honor of Peter the Great). Built to protect the city from enemies, the Fortress has never been used for the intended purpose. The dominant of the fortress is the Peter and Paul Cathedral. It was built on the design of the architect D. Trezzini ( ) in place of a wooden church. The multi-tier belfry meters height with its gilded spire crowned with an angel figure towers over the cathedral. After the interment of Peter I the Cathedral became the imperial sepulcher. In a prison was built in the courtyard of the Trubetskoy Bastion. By 1917 almost fifteen hundred prisoners had been in it. In 1924 the prison was converted into a museum. On the left of the Cathedral there is the Saint Petersburg Mint. Сoins, medals and other items from nonferrous metals and their alloys were produced there. Now we are leaving the Fortress premises through the gate in the Nikolskaya Curtain Wall and exiting to the Kronverkskaya Duct in the northern part of the island. Straight ahead across the street we can see a red brick structure. That is the Kronverk (Crownwork), an additional fortification structure built in the north of the Fortress in case of an attack by the Swedish forces. The structure was named Kronverk because its layout 9

10 Saint Petersburg in 5 days resembles a crown. Now the Kronverk is occupied by the Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineer and Signal Corps. We are turning left now and walking to the Kronverksky Bridge. We shall cross the Kronverkskaya Duct and having turned left once again head toward the Birzhevoy (Stock Exchange) Bridge. We will walk along it to the Vasilyevsky Island to watch the ensemble of the Spit of the Vasilyevsky Island and the famous Kunstkamera. The Birzhevaya (Stock Exchange) Square is one of the central squares in Saint Petersburg. It is situated on the Spit of the Vasilyevsky Island. The square owes its name to the Stock Exchange that was located in it and whose building is the compositional focus of 10

11 Day 1 the Spit ensemble. On the building s facade there is a group of the god of sees Neptune in the chariot surrounded by two rivers the Neva and the Volkhov. The Stock Exchange building was built in under the project of the architect Thomas de Thomon on the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island. There commercial transactions with merchants arriving in Saint Petersburg were made. In front of the building the architect put two Rostral Columns. At the bases of the Columns there are figures personifying the Russian rivers: the Volga, the Dnieper, the Neva, and the Volkhov. On days of the city s anniversaries and festivities flames are lit on the columns. Two yellow and white buildings on the right and left of the Stock Exchange are warehouses where goods were stored. Today the Zoological Museum and the Museum of Soil Science are housed in them. You have a splendid view of the city from the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island. From here we can see the Peter and Paul Fortress, the magnificent Palace Embankment, the Admiralty spire, the dome of the Isaakiyevsky (St. Isaac s) Cathedral. We will take a closer look at the sights on the opposite bank next days of our stay in Saint Petersburg. For now we are moving along the Universitetskaya (University) Embankment; it bears its name for a reason. The Vasilyevsky Island is the center of science and education of Saint Petersburg. Most educational establishments and research institutes are on the city s largest 11

12 12 Saint Petersburg in 5 days island. The building of Saint Petersburg State University is also located here and gives its name to the Embankment. Let us pass by the yellow and white facade of the Zoological Museum and approach the Kunstkamera. We face a green building with white ornamentation. It is the first public museum of Saint Petersburg the Kunstkamera. Its name is translated from German as a cabinet of rarities. It is also known as the Peter the Great s Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It was founded at Peter I s dictation for the purpose of researching the rarities created by nature and by human hand. The Kunstkamera opened its doors to visitors in Let us move on along the Embankment. In the right you can see the yellow and white building with columns and a portico. That is the Russian Academy of Sciences. We keep going and can see the monument to Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov. The next red and white building going deeper into the island is the Twelve Colleges building. Saint Petersburg University is housed in there. It was built in the first half of the 18th century under D. Trezzini s project. We are moving along the Embankment toward the Trezzini Square. On the corner with Kadetskaya Liniya (Cadet Line), the Menshikov Palace stands out in all its beauty (a sand-colored building with a high roof). The Palace was built in the first quarter of the 18th century for Alexander Danilovich Menshikov the first Governor-General of Saint Petersburg. Today the palace houses one of the branches of the State Hermitage museum.

13 Day 1 The next building on our route is the I. Ye. Repin Academy of Arts. The Academy was built in 1788 under the project of the architects A. Ph. Kokorinov and J.-B. Vallin de la Mothe. Among the Academy s alumni there were such masters of different periods as A. G. Venetsianov, K. P. Brullov, M. A. Vrubel and many others. Opposite the Academy we can see the Sphinx sculptures brought to Saint Petersburg in The Sphinxes were found in 1820 during a ruin excavation in ancient Thebes, the capital of Egypt. The well preserved Sphinxes were bought in Egypt and delivered to Saint Petersburg. 13

14 Saint Petersburg in 5 days Having passed along the main facade of the Academy of Arts we are coming to the Trezzini Square. The center of the square is dominated by the monument to the city s first architect Domenico Trezzini. Straight in front of us there is the first permanent bridge over the Neva. Its name is the Blagoveshchensky (Annunciation) Bridge, it was built in In the middle of the 19th century it was the longest bridge in Europe (280 meters). Now we suggest crossing the Trezzini Square to the pedestrian Liniya (Lines) 6-7 and heading deeper into the island to Vasileostrovskaya metro station. There are many cafes and restaurants on the way where you can have something to eat. 14

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17 Day 2 Our new day in Saint Petersburg starts at the Sennaya Square metro station, which is located in the square of the same name. It got its name in the late 18th century, when hay sales began on the Square. We turn left and keep going along Sadovaya Street. Sadovaya Street owes its modern name to the fact that its first section from Nevsky Prospect was laid up to Apraksin Pereulok (lane), where numerous mansions and estates with vast gardens and vegetable gardens were at the time (1739). We cross Moskovsky Prospect, which begins from the Sennaya Square and ends at the egress from the city. As you go forward, please pay attention to the two-storey white and yellow building in the left. This is the Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation. The Central Museum of Railway Transport displays the exhibits related to the first railroad (Saint Petersburg Tsarskoye Selo), construction and operation of the Saint Petersburg Moscow line. The Museum of Railway Transport stores a unique model of a railway yard. 17

18 18 Saint Petersburg in 5 days Having visited the museum, we are returning to Sadovaya Street. There are the remarkable Yusupovsky Garden and the palace on the same side of the street. That land plot on the Fontanka s bank was gifted to the Duke G. D. Yusupov by Peter I in the early 18th century. Later his son laid out a regular garden with ponds, canals and flower beds there. In the 1790 s the architect D. Quarenghi set about renovating the estate, and the Yusupovsky Palace and its garden were remodeled. Let us continue our walk along Sadovaya Street and cross the Griboyedov Canal to the Nikolskaya Square. On the Square, the spellbinding Nikolsky Cathedral stands out in all its glory. It was built upon the personal petition of the Duke M. M. Golitsyn, who suggested to the Empress Elizaveta Petrovna that a temple in the name of St Nicholas the Miracle-Maker, a patron saint of seamen, be erected in Saint Petersburg as a tribute to the memory of the glorious deeds of the Russian Navy. The location for the cathedral s construction was chosen for a reason in the 18th century the square was a training ground of the Naval Regimental Yard. Let us walk past the cathedral square to the Kryukov Canal. The Kryukov Canal is one of the oldest canals in the Northern Capital. The operations on building the Canal were supervised by Semen Kryukov personally known to Peter the First himself. They say that the Tzar respected and valued the master and promised to name the canal after him, and he kept his promise.

19 Day 2 From the Cathedral s belfry we will turn right and walk along the Kruykov Canal s embankment to the Mariinsky Theatre. In the right you can see the original Stage of the theatre. In the left there is the Mariinsky Theatre Second Stage built in The Mariinsky Theatre has traced its history back to the Bolshoy Theatre founded in 1783 by the orders of the Empress Catherine the Great. Today the repertory company of the Mariinsky Theatre and the Theatre itself are very famous and in great demand all over the world. Having turned right we will reach the intersection with Glinka Street named in 1982 after M. I. Glinka, a famous Russian composer, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the premiere of the Ruslan and Ludmila opera. Across the street, in front of a small pocket park a monument to the composer is mounted. To the left of the monument is the building of the N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory, a higher musical educational establishment in Saint Petersburg and the oldest conservatory in Russia. It was founded in 1862 on the basis of the Musical Classes of the Russian Musical Society, which had been opened three years earlier, upon the initiative of the pianist, composer and conductor Anton Rubinstein. We keep going along Glinka Street away from Sadovaya Street and head toward the Potseluyev Bridge (Bridge of Kisses). We face one of the most romantic bridges of Saint Petersburg. It was given the last name of the merchant Potseluyev, the owner of the Potseluy (Kiss) Pub 19

20 20 Saint Petersburg in 5 days on the river s left bank. As popular belief has it, lovers who have kissed on the Bridge or, even better, underneath it will undoubtedly be happy. And the extent of that happiness will depend on how long their kiss goes on. Without crossing the Bridge, let us turn right and make our way along the Moyka River Embankment. In the right of us there is a yellow building having white columns. That is a unique architectural ensemble of the 18th-19th centuries, the Yusupov Palace. Famous Russian and foreign architects worked on designing the Palace s ensemble. From 1830 to 1917, the estate belonged to five generations of the high-placed noble house of the Yusupovs Dukes. On the night of 17 December, 1916 in the living quarters of the young Duke Felix Yusupov, there was the murder of Grigori Rasputin, a Siberian peasant who had become a spiritual mentor and a friend of the Emperor Nicholas II s family. You can visit the palace and learn its history in more detail. Having visited the Palace, we will continue our tour along the Moyka River Embankment to the Blue Bridge. At 97.3 meters wide, it is the widest bridge in Saint Petersburg. In the right of us there is a magnificent and solemn building of the Mariinsky Palace. This architectural landmark got its name from the daughter of Nicholas I the Grand Duchess Maria Nikolayevna, for whom the palace was built in the middle of the 19th century. The building was a wedding gift to the Duchess and Maximilian, Duke of Leuchtenberg. The architect A. I. Stackenschneider was commissioned to per-

21 Day 2 form the construction of the new palace. The location for the future palace was chosen by Nicholas I himself on the bank of the Moyka River in front of the Isaakiyevsky Cathedral, which was under construction at the time. Since 14 December, 1994, the Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg has worked in the Mariinsky Palace. There is the monument to Nicholas I installed in 1859 in front of the palace. Its erection began after the Emperor s death under the architect Auguste de Montferrand s project. Four bas-reliefs on the plinth speak about the fateful events of Nicholas I s reign. In its time, the monument was recognized as a technical wonder: it was the first equestrian statue in Europe standing on two support points (the horse s hind legs). Behind the monument, the majestic and magnificent building of the Isaakiyevsky Cathedral rises. The cathedral s name comes from the name of Saint Isaac of Dalmatia esteemed by Peter I because the Emperor was born on that Saint s natal day (30 May O. S.). Its construction lasted 40 years from 1818 to 1858 under the architect Auguste de Montferrand s project.the construction was supervised by the Emperor Nicholas I personally. The Isaakiyevsky Cathedral is one of the most beautiful and significant dome structures not only in Russia, but also worldwide. Forty three kinds of different minerals were used in the finishing of the Isaakiyevsky Cathedral. The Isaakiyevsky Cathedral is the fourth largest cathedral in the world, its height is meters and 21

22 22 Saint Petersburg in 5 days its area is 4,000 square meters. In the 1950s, a viewing platform was fitted out on the dome drum: standing at a height of 43 meters, you can see a stunning panorama of Saint Petersburg and take unforgettable photos. After visiting the Isaakiyevsky Cathedral we cross Admiralteysky Prospect and find ourselves in the Alexander Garden named after the Emperor Alexander II. Having passed through the park, we are heading to the Senate Square, the second most important square in Saint Petersburg. In the center of the square the Bronze Horseman monument to Peter I is installed as a symbol of strength and power of Peter s personality and his pivotal role in the Russian history. The nickname stuck because of A. S. Pushkin s poem of the same name, in which the monument to Peter the Great is one of the central figures. To the right of the monument is a yellow and white building whose two parts are connected by an arch. We are facing the buildings of the Senate and Synod erected in Initially the buildings were constructed for two state governing bodies of the Russian Empire: the Senate and the Holy Governing Synod under the architect Karl Rossi s project. Since May, 2008 one of the building s wings has been housed by the main divisions of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation. The other one has been housed by the B. N. Yeltsin Presidential Library since Let us go back to the Alexander Garden, turn left and take a stroll along the garden alleys. Please notice the Admiralty building: one of the best-known and most

23 Day 2 beautiful architectural landmarks of the early Neoclassicism. The construction began in 1704 as per the drawings of Peter I. The Admiralty was conceived as the main Russian shipbuilding yard on the Baltic Sea and was the center of shipbuilding. The Admiralty s facilities were shipbuilding workshops. It was the Admiralty where the origins of the Russian Navy began, as well as development of shipbuilding and Russia s sea power. From the Admiralty building Gorokhovaya Street begins. Let us walk along that street to Malaya Morskaya Street. Then we turn left and walk toward Admiralteyskaya metro station. You can visit the unusual museum Petrovskaya Akvatoria a scale model of Saint Petersburg of XVIII century. 23

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25 Day 3 Dear friends, today we continue our journey through Saint Petersburg. The route begins at Gostiny Dvor metro station. The station is situated on the ground floor of the department store of the same name, Gostiny Dvor. The city s oldest department store had been built by 1785 under the project of the architect J.-B. Vallin de la Mothe. We are heading along Nevsky Prospect toward the Admiralty. Nevsky Prospect is the city s main street. Over 4 km long, it starts from the Admiralty and ends at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. To the right is the Catholic Church of St. Catherine. The Catholic parish of St. Catherine was founded in In 1738 the Empress Anna Ioannovna signed a permit for construction of the Catholic church in Nevskaya Perspektiva (Nevsky Prospect). The construction of the church was completed as late as Let us move on along Nevsky Prospect and halt on the Kazansky Bridge. To the left of us is the Kazanskiy Cathedral; it is one of the largest temples in Saint Petersburg, a semicircular building with numerous columns. It was built in by the architect A. N. Voronikhin. That is the city s metropolitan cathedral, it stores an ancient Icon of Our Lady of Kazan. After the Patriotic War of 1812 the Cathedral became a sort of a memento of that event. In 1813 the commander M. I. Kutuzov was buried, and the keys from seized cities and other military trophies were placed there. 25

26 26 Saint Petersburg in 5 days Across the Nevsky Prospect we can see a corner building in the Art Nouveau style. It was built for the Singer Company and belonged to it until At present it accommodates the House of Books, the largest bookstore in Saint Petersburg. Moving on along the Nevsky Prospect we are approaching the Palace Square. The city s main square is a place popular with guests and residents, the heart of the Northern Capital. It is one of the most magnificent architectural ensembles in the world. The center of the Square is dominated by the Alexander Column. It was unveiled in 1834 under the architect Auguste de Montferrand s project in commemoration of the victory of the Russian forces over Napoleon s army. It was named after the Emperor Alexander I. The column weighs 600 tons. The height is 47.5 meters. It is topped with a statue of an angel holding a cross, and is held in place under its own weight. The most beautiful building in the Palace Square is the Winter Palace. This majestic building takes up 9 hectares of land and contains approximately fifteen hundred rooms. The pale green and white facade of the Winter Palace imparts aeriality and grace to the building. The Hermitage was founded in 1764 when the Empress Catherine II acquired a large collection of paintings by foreign artists. She founded a small museum where she liked to spend her time in solitude and named the museum the Hermitage (from the French ermit-

27 Day 3 age a place of solitude, a hermit s cabin). Now it is the city s most visited museum: every year over 4 million visitors become acquainted with the extraordinary collections. The complex of the State Hermitage today includes five buildings: the Winter Palace, the Small Hermitage, the Old Hermitage, the Hermitage Theatre, and the New Hermitage. Their halls contain museum displays with a total number of exhibits of over three million. After visiting the Hermitage let us turn left and go out on Millionnaya Street, where the building of the New Hermitage stands, which was built specifically for storing the museum s overgrown collection. The granite Atlantes sculptures adorning the main entrance highlight the building. The Atlantes, according to the ancient Greek mythology, are the titans called up by Zeus to hold up the celestial dome. Legends have long grown around them, and they have become a part of Saint Petersburg folklore. Thus, as a famous superstition has it, a bride and a groom should hold the Atlantes big toes on the day of their wedding for the marriage to be happy. Moving on along Millionnaya Street, we are heading toward the Field of Mars. To the left of us is the Marble Palace. To finish its facade and inside interiors, 32 kinds of marble were used. The palace was built in under the architect Antonio Rinaldi s project. At Catherine II s dictation, the palace was meant as a gift to her minion Grigori Grigoryevich Orlov. 27

28 28 Saint Petersburg in 5 days A little further you see the Field of Mars. It was used as a location for reviewing the troops. There were the festivities and open-air merrymakings in honor of victories in the Great Northern War, as well as carnivals, shows and fireworks. Many years the field repeatedly changed its name, and only in 1805 was named after the Classical god of war Mars. We are passing along the Field of Mars, and our attention is drawn to the monument to the Russian commander A. V. Suvorov in the left side. The celebrated commander known for the fact that in his lifetime he never lost a single battle, is shown as an ancient Roman god of war Mars. The monument was unveiled on 5 May, 1801, its author was the sculptor M. Kozlovsky, and in designing the project A. Voronikhin was also involved. We continue our walk along the Palace Square and the splendid railing of the Summer Garden meets our gaze. The Summer Garden is a garden-and-park ensemble created on orders of Peter I in 1704 by the architects I. Matveyev and M. Zemtsov, as well as by the horticulturists Ya. Roozen and I. Surmin. The Tzar dreamed about Versailles of his own and drew an initial layout himself. The park was meant to become a leisure area combining features of an urban and suburban estate. Having passed through the garden we find ourselves in front of the majestic Mikhailovsky Castle. The palace is a symbol of the Emperor Paul I s era. It was built as the Emperor s ceremonial residence. Paul wanted to feel safe in the castle. The palace was surrounded by water

29 Day 3 on all sides, and entrance to the building was only possible by three drawbridges that were heavily guarded. But none of that saved the owner. On February 1, 1801 Paul and his family moved into the new palace, and already on the the night of March from 11th to 12th Paul the Emperor was murdered. He had lived in the palace for 40 days only. Later the castle was transferred to the Engineering School and dubbed the Engineers Castle. After visiting the Engineers Castle we come to the Fontanka River. Looking down beyond the granite railings you can see the figure of Chizhik-Pyzhik. It is the smallest monument in Saint Petersburg. Its height is 11 centimeters and weight is only 5 kilograms. We are moving on along the Moyka River Embankment, turning to Sadovaya Street and a little ahead there is the Mikhailovsky Garden. It is one of the most famous beautified parks in Saint Petersburg. The Mikhailovsky Garden was founded in the early 19th century by the architects Karl Rossi and Adam Menelaws. After the walk in the Mikhailovsky Garden we see the large-as-life bright and colorful Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. It was built under the project of A. A. Parland and I. V. Malyshev in The Church was erected upon orders of Alexander III and the decree of the Synod on the place where on March 1, 1881 the Narodnaya Volya s member I. Hryniewiecki fatally wounded Alexander II, who was known to the people as the Tzar-Liberator for abolishing the serfdom. The height of the temple is 81 meters, which symbolizes the year of the Tzar s demise. 29

30 30 Saint Petersburg in 5 days After visiting the Church we shall walk along the Griboyedov Canal Embankment. Having turned left and passed by Inzhenernaya Street, we are heading toward the Arts Square. The Square s ensemble consists of the buildings of the Mikhailovsky Palace, the Mikhailovsky Theatre, the building of the Theatre of Musical Comedy, the Russian Museum of Ethnography, and the Large Central Hall of the D. Shostakovich Philharmonia. It was created under the project of the famous architect Karl Rossi in the first half of the 19th century. In 1957 in the pocket park on the Square, the monument to A. S. Pushkin by the sculptor M. K. Anikushin and the architect V. A. Petrov was installed, the Square is included into the World Heritage List as a part of the historical development of Saint Petersburg s center. The State Russian Museum is the first state museum of the Russian visual art founded in 1895 in Saint Petersburg under the Decree of the Emperor Nicholas II. At present, the collection of the Russian Museum comprises over 400,000 exhibits and covers all historical periods and trends of the evolution of the Russian art, its main types and genres, movements and schools. After visiting the Russian Museum you can take a wonderful tour on the rivers and canals of Saint Petersburg. During the tour you will see the city from the water surface and learn why it is called Venice of the North. You can start the journey from all quays of the city. The nearest one is on the Griboyedov Canal Embankment near Nevsky Prospect metro station.

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33 Day 4 Today we will continue our acquaintance with the unique sights of Saint Petersburg. We suggest you to visit the famous palace and park ensembles of Strelna and Peterhof. You can get there from the Avtovo metro station by share taxi No. 224, 300, 424, and 424 А or by bus No. 200, and 210. Strelna is the oldest suburb of Saint Petersburg situated on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. The settlement is not far from Saint Petersburg. There is the architectural landmark of the 18th century, the Constantine Palace. The works to create the palace and park ensemble in Strelna were begun in The Emperor Peter I conceived to build a ceremonial imperial residence there, which would in size and beauty outshine the residences of French kings. Initially, in 1715 the Wooden Palace was built, where Peter lived and supervised the construction of the stone Constantine Palace and park with numerous canals and ponds. The wooden palace was used by tzars as a temporary abode when traveling along the Gulf of Finland, and the stone one remained unfinished for a long time. The garden and palace complex took shape in the 18th and the first half of the 19th century. The first owner was Peter the Great, in the late 18th century Strelna became a private grand-ducal domain: in 1797 Paul I gifted it to his second son, the Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, owing to which the great palace got its name remain- 33

34 34 Saint Petersburg in 5 days ing to this day. Until 1917 the estate belonged to the Russian imperial family. During the Great Patriotic War the Germans set up an observation post in the Constantine Palace. Because of shelling and fires, only the stone framework survived. In 2003 the palace was restored, and conferred the status of the Palace of the Congresses State Complex, a residence of the President of the Russian Federation. The restoration of the Strelna palace and park ensemble symbolizes the revival of the great Russia and its ethnic and cultural heritage. In 2006 the Saint Petersburg G8 Summit took place in the Palace of Congresses. On the outside the Palace looks very imposing, its finishing is dominated by hues of brown. This large building stands on a high terrace above the park that runs down to the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Strelna is famous not only for its beautiful landscapes, but also the majestic palace and park complex of the 18th-19th centuries. It consists of two ensembles: the ceremonial ensemble with the stone Constantine Palace and the regular park, and the older one with the Wooden Palace of Peter I. Peter s Wooden Palace is to the west of the Constantine Palace. This beautiful two-storey building is painted yellow and white. The interior finishing is typical for Peter s time period. Kitsch lovers will be interested in visiting the Shuvalovka Village recently opened three kilometers from Strelna. Visitors of the complex can get an idea of

35 Day 4 the traditional Russian style of life. The museum was named after the village owned by the Graf Shuvalov that used to lie in that spot in the 18th century. Tourists are invited to visit a windmill, a replica of a rich peasant s house, a pottery and a blacksmith s shop, where one can see a blacksmith at work. Here one can taste Russian cuisine and different nastoikas (infusions). Continuing our acquaintance with the unique suburbs of Saint Petersburg, we are heading to wonderful Peterhof. To admire Peterhof s famous fountains, you should go there in summer. Peterhof s landmarks embody the art and talent of prominent architects, sculptors, and masters of fountain and landscape industry of different time periods. And now we have an opportunity to admire its beauty and splendour. There was so much warmth and light here that in the winter city in the snowstorm season, methought, on Peterhof it is summer, an adamantine, indigo, festive July. O. F. Bergholz, January 26, 1944 Peterhof was founded by Peter I as a suburban imperial residence after the victory over the Swedes at Poltava. Operations on building the new residence were carried out at an overwhelming speed. As early as in 35

36 36 Saint Petersburg in 5 days August 1723 the opening ceremony of Peterhof took place, and by that time the Lower Park had been laid out, the Sea Channel had been dug, some of the fountains were functional, the upper premises had been finished, and the Monplaisir and Marly Palaces had been built as well. The author who defined the basis of Peterhof s entire composition and its further development was Peter I himself. His sketches were used by the architect J. Braunstein as materials for drawing up a site plan of the residence. The documents have survived containing his instructions as to which tree species to be planted, and how to lay alleys and set up a drainage system. We are met by a view of the Upper Garden taking up an area of 15 hectares. It is of great importance in the appearance of Peterhof and acts as a ceremonial court. It was lain out in the first years of the construction of Peter s residence and for a long time it remained a kitchen garden: vegetables grew in patches, fish were farmed in three ponds that served as reservoirs for the fountain system. In the second half of the 18th century it acquired the appearance of a regular park, and fountains began to appear in it. During the reconstruction of the Grand Palace the Garden was expanded under the project of F. B. Rastrelli. His layout followed the laws of the regular style smooth, open parterres with sculptures, rectangular mirror-like surfaces of ponds, clipped lime tree alleys on both sides of the central parterre, galleries, gazebos. The Upper Garden became synonymous with the ensemble of the central part of

37 Day 4 the Lower Park. Breathtakingly beautiful fountains are in the Upper Gardens: the Mezheumny Fountain, the Dubovy Fountain, and the Neptune Fountain with the Apollo Cascade. The centerpiece of the whole ensemble is the Grand Palace Russian emperors crown residence. Over the course of the 18th and 19th centuries such prominent masters as J. F. Braunstein, J. B. Le Blond, N. Michetti, M. Zemtsov, F. B. Rastrelli, and A. I. Stackenschneider worked on creating the architectural appearance of the palace and decorating its numerous premises. Both in previous centuries and today Peterhof visitors keep admiring the splendour of the Grand Palace interiors. After visiting the Palace we will go out onto the terrace overlooking the panorama of the Grand Cascade the gem of the superb Peterhof fountain system. The Cascade is unique in size, abundance of water, richness of the sculptural adornments. Down from the Grand Cascade there are the famous Upper and Lower Grottos. They were erected in 1720 on Peter I s idea. The Grottos amaze with their domes decorated with marble and gilded sculptures. In the Lower Grotto one can see a display about masters of the fountain industry of the past. The Lower Park of Peterhof taking up 102 hectares is the most famous part of the Palace and park complex. That is the marvelous ensemble with its architectural landmarks, fountains and sculptural adornments that brought international fame to the museum-preserve. 37

38 38 Saint Petersburg in 5 days Coming down along the Grand Cascade we see the central Samson Fountain an allegory of the victory in the Great Northern War. At equal distances in the right and left of the Fountain there are the twin Bowl Fountains. Those Fountains are called French (the eastern one) and Italian (the western one). The Bowl Fountains fortify the composition of the gigantic water column of the Samson Fountain. Let us take a stroll in the eastern part of the park, here we can see such splendid fountains and cascades as the Chessboard, the Roman Fountains, the Pyramid, the Waterpath, the Sun, the Cloche, the Sheaf and many others. Having walked toward the Gulf of Finland we shall be near the Monplaisir Palace. The Palace was built on personal instruction of Peter I in by the architects A. Schlüter, J. Braunstein, J. B. Le Blond, and N. Michetti. Along the central Marlinskaya Alley we shall pass by the Adam and Eve Fountains, see the Lion Cascade and come to the Marly Palace built under the project of J. Braunstein in On the eastern side of the palace is the Marly Pond, and the Sectorial Pond is on the western side. To the left of the Palace is another amazing cascade the Golden Hill. Let us go back along the Birch Alley to the Grand Cascade and once again enjoy the magnificence and beauty of the ensemble. Our tour in Peterhof is over, and we are going back to Saint Petersburg.

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41 Day 5 Let us begin the new day by visiting Tsarskoye Selo a prominent landmark of the world architecture and landscape design of the 18th-early 20th century. We can get there from the Moskovskaya metro station by share taxi No. 342, and 545 (the stop Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Preserve ) and from the Kupchino metro station (by bus No. 186). In a royal residence begins to be built in the location of the estate, around which villages appear, as well as a settlement for the palace staff. Gradually the ensemble layout became ordered. Here many prominent architects, sculptors, artists brought to life the ideas of royal customers. Tsarskoye Selo has amassed the best specimens of the Baroque and Neoclassicism architecture. In the course of two centuries Tsarskoye Selo was a summer ceremonial imperial residence whose construction was of national importance. After the October Revolution the palace and park ensemble was converted into a museum, and the authorities gave the town s best buildings to educational and health care facilities for children. Therefore the town was renamed Detskoye Selo (children s village) in On June 9, of the same year the Catherine Palace was opened as a museum. In 1937, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of A. S. Pushkin s tragic death, the town, where the future poet was educated in the Imperial Lyceum, was given his name. And lastly, in January 1983 the palaces and parks of the town of 41

42 42 Saint Petersburg in 5 days Pushkin were conferred the status of a preserve, which received its present name in 1990: the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Preserve. On the territory of the Catherine and Alexander Parks having a total area of 300 hectares there are over a hundred architectural structures: from magnificent palaces and marble monuments to numerous pavilions, bridges, and exotic structures that create a unique aura in the parks. The centerpiece of the ensemble is the Great Palace of Tsarskoye Selo (Catherine Palace) a splendid specimen of the Russian Baroque. The Great Hall, ceremonial chambers including the world-famous Amber Room astound with their luxurious decoration. The history and architecture of the Palace reflect both the architectural trends of each time period that the Palace lived through and personal predilections of Russian rulers of that time. The Palace itself was laid in 1717 as the summer residence of the Empress Catherine I. In 1743 the recently ascended Empress Elizaveta Petrovna commissioned the Russian architects M. Zemtsov and A. V. Kvasov to extend and improve the Palace. It was under the Empress Elizaveta Petrovna that the palace acquired its present appearance and style. In May 1752 she commissioned the architect B. F. Rastrelli to renovate the Palace because she had found it old-fashioned and small. After colossal work that had

43 Day 5 gone on for four years, there appeared a modern palace executed in the Baroque style. On July 30, 1756, a 325-meter building was presented to the amazed Russian nobility and foreign guests. The Amber Room is a famous masterpiece of the 18th century art. It was created by German craftsmen and gifted to Peter I, and subsequently it was enhanced under the direction of F. B. Rastrelli. The Amber Room was considered to be the gem of Russian emperors summer residence in Tsarskoye Selo. It disappeared without a trace during the Great Patriotic War. In 2003, for the 300th anniversary of Saint Petersburg, the Amber Room was recreated in full and is currently available for viewing in the Catherine Palace. After the visit to the palace, the panorama of the Catherine Palace opens in front of us. The regular part of the Catherine Park takes up the territory between the Catherine Palace, the Cascade Ponds and the Great Pond. The central alley of the Old Garden connects the Palace with the Hermitage pavilion. From the terrace the division of the Park in two parts is clearly visible: the upper part (in front of the Catherine Palace) and the lower part behind which the Hermitage pavilion is situated separated by the Fish canal. The composition of the regular park is based on the symmetrical arrangement of the space around the palace, the strict configuration system of alleys, grounds, pavilions and sculptures. 43

44 44 Saint Petersburg in 5 days To the left of us, on the edge of the Mirror Pond, is the Upper Bathhouse pavilion or, as it was known in the 18th century, Their Highnesses Washroom, built in by the architects V. I. and I. V. Neyelovs. Not far from the Upper Bathhouse is the Lower Bathhouse, or, as it was known in the 18th century, the Gentlemen s Washroom. That pavilion situated aside from the park alleys and intended for courtiers was built under the project of the architect I. V. Neyelov in Having moved right toward the Great Lake we will see the Grotto pavilion. The project to build a pavilion on the shore of the Tsarskoye Selo Great Pond was designed by the architect F. B. Rastrelli. Construction work was performed in the 1750s, and the interior finishing was completed in the 1770s. Walking in the alleys of the Hermitage Grove we can see the Hermitage pavilion. Similar pavilions, whose name means a hermit s cabin in French, became widely popular in regular gardens in the 18th century. They were meant for leisure and dinners in a private circle of the selected few and placed in an ungroomed part of the park. In the right of the pavilion the Moreyskaya Column rises, it was installed at the intersection of three alleys of the regular part of the Catherine Park, by the cascade between the First and Second Lower Ponds. The Column was mounted in 1771 under the decree

45 Day 5 of the Empress Catherine II in honor of the victory of the Russian Navy headed by the Graf F. G. Orlov near the Morea (Peloponnese) half-island in the Mediterranean Sea. Next to the Catherine Palace there is the Alexander Lyceum. It was founded under the decree of the Emperor Alexander I in The Lyceum was intended for educating the children of the nobility. That educational establishment is famous, first and foremost, because between 1811 and 1817 A. S. Pushkin studied there. In 1974 in Pushkin, in the very same Lyceum building, a memorial museum was opened recreating the period atmosphere of the time of Pushkin, one of its most celebrated alumni. And in days spent far in secret valleys In spring, where swans have a dying call, Near waters where the quiet lights fall, The Muse began to visit me. A. S. Pushkin We are heading to Pavlovsk situated not far from Tsarskoye Selo. The outstanding palace and park ensemble of the late 18th and early 19th century was the summer residence of the Emperor Paul I and his family. Pavlovsk attracts visitors as one of the world s largest landscape parks; it is Saint Petersburgers favourite recreational area. 45

46 46 Saint Petersburg in 5 days Prominent architects, sculptors, and artists were involved in construction of the Park. The first period of development of the Park was connected with the name of the architect C. Cameron, who authored a layout of the Pavlovsk Park. He managed to subject a woodland to his creative concept. Work was begun with cutting the clearings, then the main roads, alleys and paths were laid. Under C. Cameron almost all main park arrangements appeared the Palace Area, the Great Star, the Slavyanka River Valley, the Menagerie and the White Birch. Later the architects V. Brenna, A. N. Voronikhin, and K. I. Rossi made their own additions without altering the layout of those areas. The Pavlovsk Park consists of seven areas, today we are going to the Palace Area. It is situated on the territory around the Pavlovsk Palace, there are many architectural structures there. We are entering the park through the Theatre Gate, on the left we see the Rossi Pavilion and the monument to Maria Fyodorovna. The Rossi Pavilion is a semicircular gazebo with columns, inside the gazebo there is a sculpture. Next to the Pavilion there is the Labyrinth, which was a very popular park amusement of that time. It is virtually impossible to get lost there because the labyrinth is very simple. Soon we will find ourselves at the pavilion called the Aviary. It was built under the project of C. Cameron in 1782 and designed so that it would take in as much light

47 Day 5 as possible. Receptions, chamber balls, lunches and dinners were held there. To the south-west of the Great Palace there is the Private Garden of the Tzar and the Tzarina. It is fenced in from the rest of the Park with an iron railing. In the farther end of the garden, near the central path there is the Pavilion of the Three Graces. In it there is a sculpture group of three figures symbolizing Joy, Bloom and Splendour. The gold and white palace built on the high bank of the Slavyanka is visible even from father points of the Park and the city. Thus, having taken a small stroll through the Park we will come to the Pavlovsk Palace one of the most beautiful palaces in Saint Petersburg. In the center of the ceremonial court the monument to Paul stands. The Tzar is depicted wearing the Prussian military uniform, which he was very fond of. After Paul I ascended, Pavlovsk became a suburban imperial residence. The famous architects C. Cameron, V. Brenna, A. Voronikhin were involved in its creation. The court architect V. Brenna significantly expanded the Palace in the 1790s. The collection of the Pavlovsk Palace came together in connection with the owners of Pavlovsk through Europe. The Museum is celebrated for its unique collections of visual and applied arts. The collection contains works of Russian and Western European applied art, paintings and graphics, a collection of Classical sculpture. 47

48 Saint Petersburg in 5 days After visiting the Palace we will come down the Grand Stone Stairway to the Black Bridge. The picturesque bend of the river holds one of the most beautiful pavilions the Temple of Friendship. The building is adorned with friendship-themed medallions. Strolling along the river we are passing by the Cast-Iron Gate to the Milk House built in 1782 under Cameron s project near the of the Triple Lime Alley, a little aside. A rather large building made of boulders and cobblestones follows the example of structures from Alpine villages. Inside there is a cowshed, a depot for foodstuffs, and a lounge. Thus we have come to the Triple Lime Alley, let us enjoy the park landscape greeting our gaze with a view of the splendid Pavlovsk Palace. 48

49 Day 5 If you decided to visit Gatchina, you can travel there from Moskovskaya metro station by route taxies No. 18 or 18A. The Gatchina Palace and Estate Museum is a spectacular palace and park complex in the suburbs of St. Petersburg. At the heart of it lies the Gatchina Palace, the former beloved residence of Paul I, Russia s most enigmatic emperor, the Russian Hamlet, whose spirit is said still to inhabit the ancient underground tunnel that connects the palace and the park. Not only can you descend into the mysterious underground, but you can also communicate with the nymph Echo to learn about the rulers of the past, a plant susceptible to frost and more. From the magnificent rooms in 18th century state suites, where luxurious decoration and perfect classical proportions combine, you can access the recently restored Greek Gallery a kind of museum within the museum dedicated to classical antiquity. Take the Light-filled Passage leading into the Arsenal Wing to see the Marble Staircase, a masterpiece by the Russian 19th architect Roman Kuzmin who produced the important Neo-Renaissance interiors in the palace. Stop by the exhibition of Alexander III s private apartments to discover a different kind of palace a cozy home where the emperor and his family lived, worked and relaxed. To conclude the tour of the Gatchina Palace climb up 191 steps to reach the open 49

50 Saint Petersburg in 5 days platform of the Signal Tower offering picturesque views over the park and town. Located closely to the Gatchina Palace is another palace the Priory. Built by the architect Nikolay Lvov for the Emperor Paul I in the 18th century, the Priory Palace is Russia s only architectural structure built using the rammed earth technique. To learn what it was all about, visit the exhibition available for viewing in the museum. Our travel along Saint Petersburg and its sub urbs is over. During your stay in Saint Petersburg, you have gotten to visit the most famous museums, palaces, churches and parks. We tried to make every one of your days spent in the wonderful City on the Neva eventful and unforgettable! Safely! Available! Legally! 8(812) / panoramicroof.ru / VK panoramicroof 50

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