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Atop its waters bridges hover/Between its channels gardens cover/The river isles with darkling green./Outshone, old Moscow had to render/The younger sister pride of place,/As by a new queen’s fresh-blown splendour/In purple fades her Dowager Grace.
The poet Aleksandr Pushkin wrote these words about Moscow’s “younger sister,” Saint Petersburg in the 19thThe Bronze Horseman. Petersburg has been through much since then – the 70-year reign of communism resulting in its name change to Leningrad, for instance – but the stark beauty of this “Window to the West” has yet to fade. century in his epic poem,
Evidence of the former capital status of Petersburg is apparent, (and has been showcased already on the big screen. Fans of James Bond will note that GoldenEye was filmed here). One just has to take a stroll along the banks of the Neva to find the majestic Winter Palace. This Palace was once home to the Romanovs tsars and their families. Now it houses one of the most impressive collections of art in Europe at the Hermitage Museum. The Hermitage is more than simply the collected works of various artists; the building itself could be counted among its artistic treasures. From the polished parquet floors to the ceiling frescoes and the paintings on the walls, visitors are completely surrounded by works of art. It can be an exhausting, yet exhilarating experience.
While the Winter Palace lets its visitors see how luxuriously the Romanovs lived, this wealth was also evident in their untimely deaths at the order of Communist leader Vladimir Lenin. The sad fate of the tsarina and her daughters was to be executed by firing squad. Whether they were aware of their destiny is uncertain, however, their deaths were not as quick as might be expected by such a form of execution. The women had stuffed their corsets with diamonds and other fine jewels, which caused the bullets to ricochet off of them and around the room before they hit their marks. Their remains are currently housed in the cathedral at the Peter and Paul Fortress.
Before Lenin made his mark on - and gave his name to - St Pete, there was another man who stood head and shoulders above the rest, both literally (at seven feet tall) and figuratively. This was of course Peter the Great, the man whose vision turned the swampy backwater into a classy European capital. Peter used the city’s proximity to the Baltic Sea to carve out his “Window to the West” and from where he planned to attack the Swedes and enlarge his empire. Peter was a great lover of the West and it was his mission to bring his “backwards” country – kicking and screaming if necessary – into modernity.
There is a touching statue dedicated to this man, the aforementioned Bronze Horseman of Pushkin’s poem, as the statue is now known (Medny Vsadnik in Russian). It is a popular place for Petersburg’s newlyweds to visit for both wedding pictures, and for good luck. Those interested in literature would do well to read the original, in which a young, downtrodden man, Evgeny, who has lost his love, curses the statue (and Peter) for building his capital in an area prone to flooding. In answer to his taunts, the statue comes alive and chases Evgeny around the streets of Peter’s city.
Among the most famous of these streets, is Nevsky Prospekt, from which most of the tourist attractions can be reached. There is the Admiralty, a lovely spire-d building that can only be viewed from the outside. The Kazan Cathedral is an important site of Russian Orthodoxy and can be visited for a small fee. But the true highlight of this street, along the Griboedov Canal, is the first view of St Petersburg’s most decorative church, the Church of Savior on Blood, or Spilled Blood. The macabre name comes from the location of the church, which was built on the site of the assassination of Tsar Aleksandr II. The impressive exterior of it brings to mind a gingerbread house covered in candied mosaics. And the inside is perhaps even more jaw-dropping with its ceiling-to-floor collection of colorful mosaics and frescoes. During the anti-religious communist times, this masterpiece of Russian architecture was used as a horse stable.
There are some excellent shopping opportunities for souvenirs around the Spilled Blood church. They offer the ubiquitous matryoshka nesting dolls, which can be bought in a dizzying variety of characters, everyone from Russian and Western politicians to Winnie the Pooh. Also worth shopping for are Soviet-style znachki (small pins to wear on a jacket), beautiful wool scarves (not only great for their appearance but also the warmth they provide in the frigid temperatures) and various other Russian and Soviet memorabilia like KGB and McLenin t-shirts or the typical big wooly hat. One of the main shopping center of St Petersburg is located along Nevsky, which showcases some posh designer stores in addition to the fun souvenir shops.
A visit in St Petersburg is the perfect time to try some traditional and delicious Russian food. The Russians are well-known for their vodka and a trip to Russia isn’t complete without a taste. Some restaurants will even offer meals based around the drink (e.g., vodka with salmon). The vodka is a nice way to warm up after a cold day, but be warned! To say the vodka is simply potent is a bit of an understatement. It is best drunk to the words of the traditional Russian toast, Na zdorovye! (To your health)! The Russians also specialize in dumplings filled with cheese or meat (pirozki), caviar and borscht (hot or cold beet soup.)
Another Russian tradition – for men and women alike - is going to the theatre. And St Petersburg is home to one of the finest – the world-famous Mariinsky Theatre. The name of the theatre has changed at least three times, in response to various political and social forces. It was perhaps best remembered as the Kirov Theatre during communist times, named after the assassinated politician Sergei Kirov. Here it is possible to see both ballet and opera, including Russian classics like Swan Lake. The theatre is worth a view in and of itself, but seeing Tchaikovsky performed at the preeminent Russian theatre is certainly an unforgettable experience. Most performances will include a program to give the viewer some idea of the story and plot, so no knowledge of Russian is necessary to enjoy the show.
For those for whom the ballet and opera holds little interest, there is plenty of sport to be found in Petersburg. This city has a long history with sports, beginning again with Peter the Great in 1703, when he held a rowing competition to celebrate his defeat of the Swedish fleet. The local football club is FC Zenit, which was begun in the early days of the First World War. Their new stadium is still under construction and due to be completed some time in 2009. Until then, one can see a match at the Petrovsky Stadium. The other Russian sports passion is chess, or shakhmati. There is the opportunity to see the famous Russian chess masters at work in many of Petersburg’s parks and gardens. Some that should not be missed are Peterhof or Pavlovsk, located a few kilometers outside the city centre.
From sportsmen to politicians to artists and writers, there is no lack of famous personae who have called St. Petersburg their home. The national poet, Pushkin, has all the acclaim of a William Shakespeare combined with the adoration of a J.K. Rowling. He is a Russian hero. The tsar was Pushkin’s personal censor and kept a close eye on him. And so the young man was not allowed to travel and often felt like a prisoner of Petersburg. One can visit Pushkin’s House-Museum to see how the patron writer of Russia spent his time. Tours and information are usually in Russian, but it is possible to get an English-speaking guide. The other giant of literature, Fyodor Dostoevsky, was also a resident of the town. The Dostoevsky House-Museum is open for visitors as well.
Russia’s father of communism, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, also hailed from Petersburg. It was here that his infamous Revolution began. Contrary to the popular thought about it, Lenin was nowhere to be found at its inception. A devoted revolutionary, Lenin had been banished to Switzerland. When news of nascent revolt reached him, Lenin knew he had to rush back to Russia, but how could an exile travel to the country which no longer wanted him? The answer was through the enemy of his enemy. Germany, Russia’s sparring partner in the raging First World War, hoped to weaken Russia from the inside by allowing Lenin and his cronies to pass through and arrive in Petersburg’s Finland Station. It is perhaps one of the 20th century’s greatest ironies that this action ultimately led to the creation of a super-powered USSR rather than a weakened Russia. Those looking for the remnants of communism can get a sense of Lenin’s cult of personality at Finland Station with its larger-than-life statue of this larger-than-life historical figure.
Before Lenin’s time there was another feared Russian man who caused a great deal of scandal with his close ties to the Tsarina and his apparent connection to the dark world of the occult. The story of the mystic Grigori Rasputin is legendary. He was brought to the Russian court to treat the ailing tsarevich, son of Nicholas and Alexandra. Tsarevich Alexei suffered from hemophilia, and through his “healing.” Rasputin was able to wield considerable influence over the fading Russian monarchy, especially the Tsarina. Some details of the Mad Monk’s life may be murky but the circumstances of his death(s) are perhaps better known and have certainly added to his mysteriousness. Rasputin became a convenient scapegoat for those looking to diminish the tsar’s power. As a result of his controversial lifestyle (children out of wedlock, accusations of rape and public fighting with members of the clergy), it was decided that Russia would be better off without him.
Several assassinations were attempted – and believed to be successful – but ultimately this giant of a man survived. He was attacked by a knife-wielding former prostitute, then poisoned by members of the Royal Family, but to no avail. He was eventually done in by four shots to his back and a severe beating, followed by a plunge into the icy Moika river, just outside the Moika Palace. But the official autopsy lists his cause of death as hypothermia. The saddened Tsarina buried his remains in the Romanov’s summer palace, Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo (today known as Pushkin) but there were some who still believed this wasn’t enough. Following the Revolution, some citizens dug him up to cremate the body. What resulted was at the heart of the Rasputin legend: as he burned, the body could be seen apparently attempting to rise from the pyre. While the onlookers were rightly terrified, this phenomenon can actually be explained by improper treatment of his body prior to cremation. His tendons shrunk, which caused his legs and ultimately his waist to bend, giving the appearance of a rising-from-the-flames demon-monk.
The most recent man demonized-by-foreigners but deified-by-Russians is the enigmatic Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Rumors abound that he was somehow responsible for the death of Alexander Litvinenko, which most Russians will acknowledge as hogwash. Another popular rumor is regarding his alleged status as the richest man in Europe. His response was to dismiss the charge of possessing actual wealth, but that governing the nation of Russia did indeed make him rich.
St Petersburg surely offers something for everyone: the religiously devout, lovers of art and architecture, history buffs, opera aficionados, bookworms, followers of football (and their wives), nature enthusiasts. It is entirely up to you on how to enjoy this world-class capital of Peter’s Russia.
