Maximus Nostramabus

Sep 1310 min read

Saint Petersburg (Санкт-Петербург) | City centre

Updated: Oct 30

Beautiful European-styled city in the North - Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments 540

Hermitage at the background through the staff building

What and Why

Founded by Peter I (Russian : Пётр I, Pyotr I, né Пётр Романов, Pyotr Romanov) in 1703 CE, Saint Petersburg (Санкт-Петербург, Sankt-Peterburg) is definitely one of the most cosmopolitan and culturally significant cities of Russia (Россия, Rossiya). Upon completion of the city within ten years, Saint Petersburg became the Russian capital until the empire collapsed in 1918 CE.

The city was designed specifically to reflect an ambition of being a major political power plus openness to Europe. The site was chosen because Peter I was very knowledgeable

in maritime affairs. Sweden (Swedish: Sverige) had setup a military seaport near the mouth of the River Neva (Нева́) and he saw a pressing need to counter this threat by building a new seaport closer to the estuary to open trades with Europe.

The city's identity as the 'Window to Europe' is hence characterised by a very European architectural grandeur which is very different from other cities of Russia, for instance older cities like Moscow (Москва , Moskva) or Suzdal (Суздаль ) (See our corresponding blogs in Moscow (Москва) | Kremlin and beyond and Suzdal (Суздаль )). With this openness, the city has also become the birthplace of countless cultural and artistic achievements, firmly establishing itself as a major cultural centre of prominence.

When Peter I became Tsar (царь ), he was probably one of the most educated and open-minded of all previous tsars. He was the first Russian king to travel outside Russia and brought in, amongst many other ideas, architectural ideas from Europe, in particular Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland), Germany (German: Deutschland) and Italy (Italian: Italia). He brought back many architectural books and plans from these countries and developed a very specific idea of how the city would look like to rival the great European cities, to the extent of mandating the designs. This particular design or style is called Petrine Baroque (Петровское барокко, Petrovskoe barokko), which deviated from the then Naryshkin (Нарышкинский, Naryshkinkiy) style favoured in then Moscow.

While the city now looks very French, it was not exactly intentional. In fact Peter I had explicitly shown dislike to the French and Italian Baroque architecture, and favoured the Dutch style, especially trying to mimick the canal-laden cityscape within his envisioned city. However the recruitment of designers, artisans and builders from the Netherlands was not very successful and most of the designers came from France and Italy instead and turned the direction to what we witness today.

Toponymy

Counter to common belief, Saint Petersburg was not named after Peter I, but rather Saint Peter (Greek: Πέτρος , Petros, né Σίμων (Greek), Simōn). In fact the city foundation was laid at a small church which later became the Peter and Paul Fortress (Петропавловская К репость , Petropavlovskaya Krepost').

See

We walked roughly from West to the East along a walking path.

Mariinsky Theatre (Мариинский Tеатр)

Named after tsarina Maria Romanova (Мария Романова, née Wilhelmine von Hessen-Darmstadt), wife of Emperor Alexander II Romanov (Алекса́ндр II Романов, Aleksándr II Romanov), the world-acclaim historic Mariinsky Theatre (Мариинский Tеатр, Mariinsky Teatr) is renowned for its ballet company, Mariinsky Ballet (Балет Мариинского театра, Balet Mariinskogo teatra), although it is equally Russia leading opera houses (See our blogged Moscow (Москва) | Kremlin and beyond). Many of the Russian operas were premiered here.

We shall discuss about ballet performances in Saint Petersburg a bit later.

Saint Isaac Cathedral (Исаа́киевский Собо́р)

Built in the early 19th century CE, Saint Isaac Cathedral (Исаа́киевский Собо́р, Isaákiyevskiy Sobór) is actually one of the world's largest cathedrals. The construction of this colossal building was a major engineering feat as the cathedral was built on marshy ground and hence a large number of piles were sunk into the ground to support the building.

The cathedral was named after Saint Isaac (Greek : Ἰσαάκιος, Isaakios), a patron saint of Peter I, whose birthday coincided with feast day of that saint. The current cathedral is now a museum when it was converted by Soviet Union (Советский Союз, Sovetskiy Soyuz) due to its stance on atheism. Interestingly the government of Saint Petersburg had offered to return the cathedral back to the Russian Orthodox Church (Русская П равославная Церковь , Russkaya Pravoslavnaya Tserkov'), but this was strongly opposed by its citizens.

In front of the Saint Isaac Cathedral is the Saint Isaac Square (Исаа́киевская Пло́щадь, I saakiyevskaya Ploshchad) where the statue of Nicholas I (Николай I, Nikolai I, né Николай I Романов, Nikolai I Romanov) graces. One of the most luxurious hotels in Russia, Hotel Astoria (Асто́рия) stands on the east side of Saint Isaac Cathedral. The square is one of the most popular meeting and hangout areas of Saint Petersburg.

Bronze Horseman (Медный Всадник)

The main landmark and symbol of Saint Petersburg, the Bronze Horseman (Медный Всадник, Mednyy Vsadnik) is the statue of Peter I in the Senate Square (Сенатская Площадь, Senatskaya Ploshchad). The statue was commissioned by Catherine II (Екатерина II, née Sophie von Anhalt-Zerbst) and sculptured by the French sculptor Étienne Falconet as a tribute to Peter I. A serpent, symbolising treason and betrayal is crushed beneath the horse's hooves to symbolise Peter I fight against the nation's traitors.

The sculpture has the phrases 'Petro Primo Catharina Secunda MDCCLXXXII' in Latin and 'Петру перьвому Екатерина вторая, лѣта 1782 (Petru pervomu Ekaterina vtoraya, lěta 1782)' in Russian, meaning 'Catherine the Second to Peter the First, 1782', an expression suggesting her admiration for her predecessor but more to legitimise her own place in the line of great Russian rulers. This is because Catherine II gained her position through a coup d'état, and technically had no claim to the throne and wanted to secure herself as Peter I's rightful heiress.

As noted in various literatures, the pedestal stone is the largest single rock ever moved by human beings, weighing more than 1,600 tonnes. The granite rock was hauled all the way from Finland (Finnish: Suomi).

The statue was made even more famous by Alexander Pushkin's (Александр Пушкин) epic poem The Bronze Horseman: A Petersburg Tale (Медный В садник: Петербургская Повесть , Mednyy Vsadnik: Peterburgskaya Povest), which is considered as one of the greatest works in Russian literature.

Winter Palace (Зимний Дворец) and Hermitage (Эрмитаж)

The Winter Palace (Зимний Дворец, Zimniy Dvorets) is a Baroque-style architectural masterpiece that stands on the banks of the Neva River. It was constructed during the mid-18th century CE under the reign of Tsarina Elizabeth (Елизавета, Elizaveta, n ée Елизаве́та Романова, Elizaveta Romanova), the daughter of Peter the Great. Designed by Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the palace is known for its grandeur and ornate design, featuring an elaborate facade, rich decorations, and an iconic green-and-white colour scheme. The palace was built to reflect the power and opulence of the Russian Empire (Россійская Имперія, Rossiyskaya Imperiya). The palace used to be the official residence of the Russian tsars until the empire's collapse during the mid-1910s CE and now houses one of the most renowned museums of the world, the Hermitage (Эрмитаж ).

The massive palace, after multiple internal renovations, has been calculated to contain more than 1,500 rooms, including state rooms, private apartments, galleries, and a throne room. Outside the palace, the Alexander column (Алекса́ндровская коло́нна , Aleksandrovskaya kolonna), is the focal point of square. The monument was raised after the Russian victory in the war with Napoleon Bonaparte's France.

Often ranked as one of the best museums in the world, the Hermitage museum was founded in 1764 CE by Catherine II, who began collecting European art. She herself had purchased more than 2,500 paintings and 100,000 gems from Western Europe to adorn the palace. Over the centuries, it has grown into one of the largest and most prestigious art museums in the world, housing over three million works of art and historical artefacts, although only a small fraction of it is on display. The current collection spans various periods and regions, including masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo (n é Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni) and Pablo Ruiz Picasso. It also includes extensive collections from prehistoric arts, classical antiquities to more recent Russian artworks. By the way, it was named 'hermitage' because of its exclusivity, as very few people would or could be allowed in, other than the few royals.

The most famous of all art pieces in the Hermitage is probably the small painting Conestabile Madonna by Raphael (n é Raphaello Santi di Urbino), which inevitably becomes an extremely crowded spot.

Other state rooms with royal gifts, below is the famed Peacock Clock.

One of the most popular spots of the museum is the grand staircase (German: Treppenhaus).

Church on Spilled Blood (Церковь Спаса на Крови)

The Church on Spilled Blood (Церковь Спаса на Крови , Tserkovʹ Spasa na Krovi) was built and thus named on the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated. His successor Alexander III (Алекса́ндр III, né Алекса́ндр Романов, Aleksandr Romanov) launched a competition for a memorial and this resulting church was the winning design, which is a traditional Russian architectural style, against the Baroque backdrop predominant in Saint Petersburg. The church thus stands out from the rest of other buildings and has become an alternative icon of the city.

This church is notable for its blastous use of colour and materials, reminding me of the Park Güell as blogged in Barcelona. More than 20 types of minerals are lavished on the mosaics of the facade, floor and the iconstasis (Greek : εἰκονοστάσιον, eikonostasion). The church is seen in the opening sequence of the cartoon Anastasia.

Kazan Cathedral (Казанский Кафедральный Собор)

Honestly one should not be ashamed to mistake the massive Kazan Cathedral (Казанский Кафедральный Собор, Kazanskiy Kafedralniy Sobor) as a parliamentary building. The church is easily one of the most majestic constructions in Russia. Built in the early 19th century CE, this was clearly inspired by Saint Peter's Basilica (Latin : Basilica Sancti Petri) of the Vatican (Latin: Vaticana), especially its colonnade. Interestingly the curvature of the colonnade disguises the orientation of the church itself, as it actually aligns towards the east to conform to religious stipulations to an east-facing altar.

The church is dedicated to Our Lady of Kazan (Казанская Богоматерь , Kazanskaya Bogomater'), one of the most venerated icons in Russia and her icon is kept inside the church. We did not visit the church interior.

State Russian Museum (Государственный Русский Mузей)

One of the largest museums in the world, the State Russian Museum (Государственный Русский Mузей, Gosudarstvennyy Russkiy Muzey) covers a floorplan of more than 0.3 km2. It is one of the world's largest repository of art pieces, especially Russian arts.

The museum is actually housed inside the Mikhailovsky Palace (Михайловский Д ворец, Mikhaylovskiy Dvorets), the former residence of Grand Duke Mikhail Romanov (Михаи́л Романов).

The most famous artefact is The Last Day of Pompeii (Последний день Помпеи, Posledniy den' Pompei) by Karl Bryullov (Карл Брюллов , né Charles Bruleau). It is really a pity that such an impressive and world-class museum is still decimated by the Hermitage.

House of Fabergé (Дом Фаберже)

As described in our blogged Moscow (Москва) | Kremlin and beyond, the world-renowned House of Fabergé (Дом Фаберже, Dom Faberzhe) was established in Saint Petersburg in the mid-19th century CE by Gustav Fabergé. The jeweller is revered for making its Fabergé egg (яйцо Фаберже , yaytso Faberzhe), originally an Easter gifts to the Russian emperors. Incredibly only one of these 57 eggs, the Rothschild, ever manufactured is kept in Saint Petersburg, inside the Hermitage.

Summer Palace (Летний Дворец)

Built for Peter I, the small and modest Summer Palace (Летний Дворец, Letniy Dvorets) was Peter I's second residence in Saint Petersburg, but seriously by no means compared to any other magnificent buildings of the city. The building is revered for its bas-reliefs with maritime themes to illustrate and accentuate Russian's naval prowess. Currently the palace is a small museum.

Similar to other cities, it would take me to plagiarise an entire travel guide book to cover Saint Petersburg. I would only cover those which I have visited.

Buy and Do

Ballet (Балет)

A trip to Saint Petersburg or Russia for that matter cannot be called complete without watching a ballet show. Admired throughout the world, Russian ballet traces its origin back in 1738 CE when a French dancing master Jean-Baptiste Landé established a dancing school in Saint Petersburg to train the children of the palace staffs. This eventually became the Mariinsky Ballet Company and produced countless of world-class ballet dancers.

Following the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1918 CE, a reaction against classicism led to a large number of defections, including the famous Rudolf Nureev (Рудольф Нуреев), to either abroad of some private companies.

Ballet has seen a revivial recently and the Mariinsky theatre seems to be picking up past glories.

Eat and Drink

Shashlik (Шашлык)

A famous dish, other than those described in Moscow (Москва) | Kremlin and beyond, is the shashlik (Шашлык), which is a traditional dish of skewered meat. The dish probably came from Central Asia, as the word has Turkic origin with the stem '-shish' coming from the Tatar 'şış' meaning 'skewer'.

Pyshka (Пышка)

The Russian version of doughnut is pyshka (пышка ) is incidentally very popular in Saint Petersburg.

Getting There and Around

We took a tour and hence we were driven around. Having said that all these landmarks are easily accessible on foot or metro. The city centre deserves at least three days of visit.