St. Petersburg

St.-Petersburg ranks with the most beautiful cities of the world - Paris, London, and Berlin. It is one of the ten cities considered to be particularly attractive for visiting.
Every year more than two million guests from many countries visit St. Petersburg. The leading countries regarding the number of tourists coming to St.-Petersburg are Finland, Germany, the USA, Sweden, and France. People often call St.-Petersburg either North Palmira or Northern Venice because of its exceptional romanticism and a great number of rivers and canals.
It is generally known that the best time to admire the North Palmyra's masterpieces is a miracle time of "white nights" from May 25 to July 20 (the lightest nights are between June 11 and July 2). Most of the hotels are packed with tourists at that period. So that it is better to reserve a hotel room in advance.

Sights of interest for tourists. The capital of the powerful state was built in accordance with the master plan of 1717. The best Russian and foreign architects implemented this plan.

The State Hermitage, Is one of the world biggest art and culture museums. Founded in 1764, the Hermitage comprises eight departments: the Primitive Culture of Antiquity, the Culture of the East, the History of Russian Culture, the Numismatics, the West European Culture, the Department of Science and Education, and the Restoration Department.
The Hermitage consist of five interlinked buildings - the Winter Palace (previously the residence of the Imperial family),the Small Hermitage, the Old Hermitage, the New Hermitage and the Hermitage Theatre. There are over 350 halls in the Hermitage. The museum keeps 15 thousand paintings, 12 thousand sculptures, 600 thousands drawings, over 600 thousand monuments of archeology, over one million coins and medals, and 4,224 thousand items of applied arts. The Empress Catherine II initiated the collection of the Hermitage. In the end of the 19th century the museum was opened for the public.
Paintings of such great masters as Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Raphael, Rembrandt, Poussain, Manet, Renoir are in the ownership of the Hermitage. The Hermitage is famous for its collection of Scythian golden articles. The incredible beauty of the buildings, the interior and exterior, all the more enhances the splendor of the museum: ornate and regal facades; huge frescoed halls; marble, wooden, and mosaic floors; statues, figurines, antique furniture.

The St. Isaac's Cathedral was once the major church of St. Petersburg, the largest church of Russia, and the third largest Cathedral in the world with the capacity of 13,000. It was built in 1818-1858 by a French-born architect Auguste Montferrand, who was commissioned to build the most spectacular church - a prime landmark of the Russian Imperial capital. Although the cathedral is smaller than the newly rebuilt Church of Christ the Savior in Moscow, it has by far more inspirational facades and interiors. The facades are decorated with sculptures and massive granite columns (made of whole pieces of red granite), while the interiors dazzle the eye with mosaic icons, the paintings and columns made of jade and lapis lazuli. A large stained glass window of "Resurrected Christ" located inside the main altar is truly fascinating. Approximately 220 pounds of precious metal were used in gilding its magnificent golden dome. The high relieves seen on the eastern and western pediments depict the story of St. Isaac who was considered Peter the Great's patron saint. According to a legend, St. Isaac, in the 4th century, protected Christians from the heretic Roman Emperor Valens. For that he was punished and imprisoned, but later set free by Emperor Theodosius. The church, designed to accommodate 14 thousand standing worshipers, was closed in the early 1930s and reopened as a museum some time later. One hundred and eighty years later the gilded dome of St. Isaac's still dominates the skyline of St. Petersburg. We recommend that you also climb up about 300 stairs to get a bird-eye view of St. Petersburg from the "Colonnade" observation point at the bottom of the dome.
After the Hermitage, the Russian Museum is definitely number two to see, although this is a bit like comparing Beethoven to Barry Manilow. The museum is located in the former Mikhailovsky Palace, behind the monument of gesticulating Push kin , in Ploshchad Iskusstv (the Arts Square). Built for the youngest son of Paul I, the palace was made into a museum in 1898 by Nicholas II. Since then, it became the center of art and history. The entrance is not up the grand staircase as one would expect it to be, but through a little door down in the right corner of the building. The collection of Russian and Soviet art (only the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow has more) spans medieval icons to grandiose socialist realism paintings, though much of the fun stuff - the early 20th century experimentalists and the mid-century socialist grovelers - is either tucked away in the basement or somewhere on tour around the world.
The first floor has an exposition of art from the second half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th. One will notice a preponderance of village scenes, landscapes, and portraits of bearded men.
On the second floor of the Benois Wing one can find tantalizing samples of what's lying stacked in the storage rooms or out on a money-making tour of the West - Russian and Soviet art from the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. There are works by Vrubel, Kandinsky, the primitivists Natalya Goncharova and Mikhail Larionov, two rooms are full of paintings by Valentin Serov - portraits, landscapes, and historical scenes, a room full of Petrov-Vodkin, and Natan Altman's famous Portrait of the Poetess Anna Akhmatova, as well as works by other artists of this period.
The rest of the second floor and the entire first floor of the Benois Wing are used for special exhibitions. There is an entrance to the Benois Wing on Kanal Griboyedova just down the street from the Church of the Bleeding Savior. Behind the museum are the spacious Mikhailovsky Gardens.

Spilled Blood Cathedral (The Temple of Christ's Resurrection). The church was built in 1883-1907 on the spot where the Emperor Alexander II was assassinated on March 1, 1881. It was designed in the style of the 16th-17th centuries the Russian architecture bearing resemblance to St Basil's Cathedral in the Red Square in Moscow.
The interior of the church, a memorial to the Emperor Alexander II, was decorated with different marbles and several thousand square yards of exquisitely performed mosaics.
In the late 1920s, the church was closed for services and used for an exhibition of revolutionary propaganda. It was badly damaged at the time of World War II. Since 1970, the staff of the St Isaac's Cathedral has managed the church. The spiritual monument was under restoration for over 25 years. The mosaic decorations of the church (over 7,000 sq.m) were created to the design of 30 artists, among them V.Vasnetsov, M.Nesterov, A.Ryabushkin, V.Belyaev, N.Kharlamov. Now with the scaffoldings removed, the bell-tower dome gilded and the interiors carefully restored, the church is in its stunning beauty.

The Catherine Palace in Pushkin ranks as one of the masterpieces of world art. It is located in the town of Pushkin, formerly called Tsarskoye Selo or the Tsar's village. This town, founded at the beginning of the 18th century, is located approximately 25 kilometres south of St.-Petersburg. In 1710, Peter the Great gave this estate to his wife Catherine, and on it a small palace was built by architect Brownstein. Since this time on until the time of the last Russian tsar, it was used as the summer residence of the Imperial family. In 1756, the Catherine Palace was expanded in an exquisite baroque style by Bartholomew Rastrelli. Its grandiose turquoise, white, and gold facade stretches 978 feet. During World War II, the palace was subjected to severe damage, but since then has been restored and stands now in its original glory. The palace contains a series of magnificent rooms, including the famous Picture Gallery and, of course, the Great Hall. The Great Hall is the most spacious room in the palace with an area of 860 square meters. During many official balls and receptions held here, 700 candles would burn in front of the mirrors decorated in gold. Numerous mirrors reflect the gilded wood carvings of fiery Cupids and graceful female figures. The parks of the estate add to the splendor of the palace, and several are embellished with a number of charming pavilions. Among them are the Grotto Pavilion, the Hermitage, and the Chinese Pagoda. Directly in front of the Catherine Palace lies the vast Landscape Park. On the symmetrical layout of this park, the Evening Hall, or Hunter's Cottage, can be found. It was built in 1809 by I. Neelov and was ornamented simply, with a four column ionic portico and caryatids between the window frames. The town of Push kin is famous not only for its remarkable palace and parks, but for the man it is named after. Since 1937, it has been related to the name of Push kin - the most celebrated poet in the country. Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin lived in this town at the beginning of the 19th century, and associations with the poet's name become particularly strong due to the lyceum where he studied.

Peter's Palace in Petrodvorets is situated on the coast of the Gulf of Finland nineteen miles to the west of St. Petersburg. Founded by Peter the Great, Petrodvorets, or Peterhof, became known as the most brilliant of all the summer residences of the Russian tsars. It was Peter the Great's wish to have a palace and garden better than that at Versailles. His magnificent estate held the name of Peterhof, meaning 'Peter's Court' in German, until 1944, when it was renamed as Petrodvorets due to anti-German sentiment. The construction of the estate spanned two centuries, and at its completion, the estate encompassed seven parks and more than 20 palaces and pavilions. The grand palace commands a breathtaking view of the lower park and of the Great Cascade, which is often considered the chief delight of the grounds, consisting of three waterfalls, an avenue of 64 fountains, and 37 gilded statues. Samson, constructed in 1734-1735, is the largest fountain of Petrodvorets and is located at the base of the Great Cascade, The scene of this fountain depicts Samson holding open the jaws of a lion, representing Russia's victory over the Swedes in 1709 in the Great Northern War. From the lion's mouth, a jet of water can be seen shooting high into the air. During World War II, the estate was occupied, and all of the buildings and fountains were destroyed. Since then, nearly all of the damage has been repaired, and the palace fountains have been restored to their original splendor.

Paul's Palace in Pavlovsk is located on the land originally used as the royal hunting grounds for the Tsar's family. In 1777, this site was given by Catherine the Great to her son Paul. The Tsarina commissioned the Scottish architect Charles Cameron to build her palace and park. High on the hill overlooking the Slavyanka River, the yellow rectangular palace is crowned with a low dome. The palace's Grecian Hall is adorned with green fluted Corinthian columns, making the ballroom perhaps the most elegant room in the palace. The Pavlovsk park is one of the largest parks in the whole of Europe. For many, this magnificent park with hills, valleys, ponds, waterfalls, and various statues is the most outstanding feature of the city of Pavlovsk.

The Chinese Palace in Oranienbaum (Lomonosov) is located 39 kilometers to south coast of the Finnish Gulf near Kronshtadt. In 1762, Empress Catherine II ordered that the suburb residence called "My Own Countryside House" should been established. For that purpose A.Rinaldi created in 1762-1774 the Chinese Palace and the Katalnaya Gorka Pavilion (roller coaster) with a cupola pavilion. The architectural style of these monuments is distinguished by the subtle blend of elegant rococo style with a trace of classicism. Oranienbaum is famous for its landscape parks dating back to the middle of the XIX century. Unlike the rest of the palaces in the environs of St.-Petersburg, remained undamaged during World War II. Some of the Park pavilions can be used for private purposes. Open only from May to September.

Paul's Palace in Gatchina is located 45 kilometers southwest of St. Petersburg. In 1712-1717, the Gatchina farm was owned by Peter the Great's sister, Nathalie. After her death, the owners changed several times till Catherine the Great acquired this land and gave it to one of her favorite officials and friend, Gregory Orlov. Between 1766 and 1772, Orlov had this land made into a vast hunting ground with a palace designed by architect Rinaldi. After Orlov's death, Catherine bought the estate from his heirs and gave it to her son Paul, who then transformed it into a Prussian style military fortress. The architect V.Brenna implemented the ideas of Paul. According to his design, the interior of the Palace was rearranged and decorated. This architect also developed the designs of the Ekaterinverdersky Tower, the Forest Green-house, The Ensemble of the Monument Gates, the Jetty-Terrace. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the town was the Tsars' summer residence. The palace sustained much damage during World War II, but since then, it has been under restoration. A number of rooms are now open to the public, including the Marble Dining Room, majestically designed in the classical style, the Throne Room, adorned with splendid Gobelin tapestries, and the Anteroom, used by the palace guards. The picturesque grounds of the estate are situated along a series of small chain lakes and adorned with numerous statues, paths and pavilions. The pride of the park are the unique pavilions "Beriozovy Dom" ("Birch House") and "Pavilion Venery" ("Pavilion of Venus").
Highly developed network of catering enterprises. About 30 restaurants offer Russian cuisine; about 40 restaurants offer international cuisine. There are also some restaurants with Italian, German, American, Arab, and Georgian cuisine.

Theatres. Connoisseurs of classical music are welcome to opera and ballet performances in Mariinsky Theatre (famous in the whole world), Bolshoy and Maly Drama Theatres, Musorgsky Opera and Ballet Theatre, Alexandrovsky Theatre, theatres "Litcedei", "Zazerkalye", "Mimigranti", and many others that significantly determine St. Peterburg`s role of "cultural capital of Russia". In the same rank are the following splendid concert and music halls: Glinka Academic Choir, the St.-Peterburg Philarmonia Bolshoy Hall, the Grand Concert Hall "Oktyabrsky", the Old Music Hall, the Choir Chamber Hall, the Sports-Concert Complex, and others.

Festivals attract many tourists to the city. They are the traditional Tsarskoselskiy Carnival in Pushkin gathering annually over a million of Russian and foreign participants, All-Russia Festival of Street Musicians, "Green Glace" International Movie Festival, the traditional festival of fountains in Peterhof, International Old Music Festival, "Baltiyskiy Dom" Theatre Festival, "Tsarskoselskaya Autumn", "Sound Ways" festival of new music.

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