"Venice of the North"

Tsar Peter the Great established St. Petersburg as the capital of the Russian Empire on May 27, 1703. The marshy, misty land, though formidable, was conquered by Peter’s determination - just as he had conquered his foes.  It was Russia’s “Window to Europe.”  The city was planned and laid out as a panoramic vista using the Neva River and a series of canals; because of this, it is often referred to as “The Venice of the North.”

During Peter’s reign, because of his love of sailing, the Tsar decreed that no bridges were allowed over the Neva River.  The Blagoveshenskiy Bridge, built in 1850, was the first bridge built over the Neva in the city - a century and a quarter after Peter's death.

St. Petersburg is built almost entirely on a series of islands
in the delta of the Neva River.  The islands were originally
connected only by canals; later, roads and bridges were built 

The Neva River is tremendously busy, with both cargo and pleasure
vessels plying the  waterway.  At night, drawbridges spanning the
river are raised, allowing larger ships to pass through.

St. Petersburg and the surrounding areas are growing,
and construction is seen everywhere

Kresty Prison is being replaced with a new detention center outside the city.  In 1867,
a group of wine storage warehouses located on this site were converted to a 700-
bed prison with separate facilities for men and women.  Our guide told us
this prison may be converted to a hotel once it has closed.

Outside of the city, near the palace at Peterhof, our guide pointed out this
building - Vladimir Putin's home, when he is not staying at the "official"
presidential residence at the Kremlin in Moscow

The Peter and Paul Fortress was the nucleus of the future city.  A strategic decision was made to start construction on Hare Island. Building stone edifices anywhere else in Russia was forbidden.  Peter introduced a “stone toll.”  Every boat or cart that entered the city had to bring a certain number of stones. By 1787 the entire fortress was clad in granite.

One exterior wall of the Fortress of Peter and Paul, where St. Petersburg was
established.  Across the river (in the background) is the Winter Palace, once
the home of Tsars, and now the site of the Hermitage Museum

Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral is the main building within the fortress.  The Baroque cathedral reflects the blending of European and traditional Russian design.  In addition to its religious importance the cathedral is also the imperial burial vault.  Many of the Romanov family are entombed here, including the last Tsar, Nicholas II, and his family, who were executed in July 1918, nine months after the October Revolution.

The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, located inside the fortress.
Tsar Peter the Great decreed that no building in Russia could be
taller than the steeple of this church.

Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and many other Imperial Russian 
emperors and empresses are buried in this cathedral

All of the sarcophagi are matching white marble except for
two:  A gray-green Altai jasper tomb for Alexander II and a
pink Ural rhodonite tomb for his wife, Maria Alexandrovna

As beautiful as this cathedral is, it is less ornate than some of
the much larger Russian Orthodox churches in St. Petersburg.

The cathedral is the oldest landmark in St. Petersburg, built
between 1712 and 1733 on Hare Island, in the Neva River

The last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, and his family were executed on the night of
July 16-17, 1918, following his abdication during the Bolshevik Revolution.  The
family's remains were later found and entombed in this mausoleum on July 17, 1998

Tsar Nicholas II ruled Russia from Nov. 1, 1894 until his forced abdication
on March 2, 1917.  Nicholas was responsible for the Russian defeat in the
1904-05 Russo-Japanese War and the deaths of an estimated 3.3 million
Russians during the First World War.  

Located on Vasilevskiy Island, the Rostral Columns (1810) were designed as lighthouses by Thomas de Thomon.  The figures at the bottom represent four of the country’s biggest rivers; the Neva, Volga, Dneiper, and Volkhova.

Rostral columns originated in ancient Rome and Greece
to celebrate naval victories.  Traditionally, the rostra (prows
or rams) of captured ships were mounted on the columns.

The Winter Palace, along the northern edge of the Neva River, was the home of Russian Emperors from 1763 to 1917.  Today it is one of five buildings that comprise the State Hermitage Museum.  The Hermitage was established as a museum when Catherine II purchased an extensive collection of Western European masters in 1764.  The Hermitage was under frequent attack during the World War II siege of St. Petersburg (or Leningrad as it was then known.)  It became a symbol of the city’s resistance to the Nazis.  Today The Hermitage reflects an art collection that has evolved over two centuries.  To give some perspective on how vast the collections are, if you spent one second looking at each piece of art it would take you eight years to see all of The Hermitage’s collections!

The 1,500-room Winter Palace, the central building of the Hermitage Museum

Armorial Hall, designed and used for official functions.  The hall takes its
name from the coats of arms of all the Russian provinces that embellish
the enormous gilt bronze chandeliers.

The main staircase from the first to the second floor.  It is known as the Jordan
Staircase because the Imperial Family used it to descend to the Neva River
for the annual January celebration of Christ's baptism in the River Jordan

Inlaid wood floor in the ballroom.  The design on the floor is
exactly mirrored on the ceiling

The dome of the "Great Church", a chapel built within
the Winter Palace for the use of the Imperial Family.

Pavilion Hall, designed by architect Andrei Starkenschneider, combines
elements of Classical Antiquity, the Renaissance and the Orient
to create a fanciful, light-filled space.

The Italian Skylight Room features Italian art and beautiful malachite pieces.

The "small throne room", known as Memorial Hall of Peter the Great, was
created for Tsar Nicholas I in 1833 to honor his ancestor, Tsar Peter the Great

Lapis (Lapis Lazuli) urn, two meters (6 1/2 feet) tall

War Gallery of 1812.  333 gold-framed portraits representing military commanders
instrumental in defeating Napoleon's Grand Army and driving it back to Paris.  13 of
the frames are empty, representing generals who were not available to sit for portraits.

Crouching Boy, a 54 cm (21 in) marble statue, is the only work
by famed Italian artist Michelangelo in the Hermitage collection

Conestabile Madonna, by Italian artist Raphael. The name comes from the
Constabile family, from whom the painting was acquired by Tsar Alexander II in 1871.

Holy Family (Madonna with Beardless Joseph) was painted by
Italian artist Raphael in 1506, and was acquired for the Hermitage
collection in 1772

The Peacock Clock was commissioned in 1777 from English automaton-builder
James Cox.  It arrived in Russia in 1797.  To this day, the three birds - a
peacock, an owl, and a rooster - still "sing".  It is the only large example of
18th century robotics to have survived unaltered into the 21st century.

The Grand Quay at Harve, by Claude Monet, (1874) was seized from the estate of
a German collector by the Red Army at the end of WW II and brought to Moscow

The Mariinsky Theater opened its doors and began its inaugural season on October 2, 1860.  At that time it was the largest stage in the world.  Composers including Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, and dancers such as Anna Pavlova and Rudolf Nureyev were first showcased here.

Through most of the Soviet era, the Mariinsky
Theater was known as the Kirov Theatre

The Imperial drama, opera and ballet troupe was established in 1783 at the behest
of Catherine the Great.  It performed in a number of different venues before the
Mariinsky Theater opened in 1860, with the then-largest stage in the world

Yvonne and a number of our fellow travelers attended a performance of the Mariinsky
ballet, and had dinner before the performance in the Sadko restaurant across
the street from the theater.  The decor in the restaurant was unique and beautiful.

The Smolny (Monastery) Cathedral and Convent was established in 1748 by Empress Elizabeth I, the daughter of Peter the Great and Empress Catherine I.  She died before she was able to retire here.  Under the rule of Empress Catherine the Great the convent became Russia’s first girl’s school.

The Resurrection Smolny Cathedral is an active Orthodox church
and is the centerpiece of the Smolny Convent.  The blue and white
cathedral is considered one of the most beautiful churches in Russia

Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, was disallowed succession to the Russian
throne and decided to become a nun, founding Smolny Convent. Before she took her
vows, her predecessor was overthrown in a coup d'etat and Elizabeth became Empress.

A Russian Orthodox priest was preparing to conduct
services while we were visiting the Smolny Cathedral 

The cruiser Aurora was built in 1900 for service in the Russian Pacific fleet.  She served during the Russo-Japanese War and survived the Battle of Tsushima.  In 1916, Aurora was moved to Petrograd (the then-current name for the city of St. Petersburg) for major renovation.  The city was brimming with revolutionary fever, and most of her crew joined the Bolsheviks, who were preparing for a revolution.  At 9:40 pm on October 25, 1917, a blank shot from her forecastle gun signaled the commencement of an assault on the Winter Palace, and the start of the October Revolution, which brought the Communists to power.

We refer to the battle at Lexington, Massachusetts that started the Revolutionary War
as "the shot heard round the world."  The same term could be applied to the shot from
the Aurora, a shot that certainly changed the face of Russia and the world for 80 years.

Beyond St. Petersburg are a number of former imperial residences.  Peter I’s favorite was Peterhof, which was officially opened on August 15, 1723.  Peterhof covers over 1,000 hectares (almost 2,500 acres.)  The gardens have over 200 statues in 140 fountains.  The Grand Cascade alone has over thirty-seven bronze sculptures, sixty-four fountains with one hundred and forty-two water jets.  The amazing feature is the gravity-fed water system that feeds the multitude of fantastic fountains.  These are hydraulic engineering masterpieces as well as beautiful artistic works.

Peterhof today, restored to its original grandeur.

Peterhof in 1944, after the Nazi occupation

The double-headed eagle has been a popular symbol associated with
the concept of a powerful Empire, but its origins go back more than
two thousand years, to the Hittite Empire in central Anatolia in Turkey

Several gazebos are strategically placed around the Lower Garden,
allowing the Imperial family to sit and enjoy the fountains

A whimsical fountain, with a dog chasing ducks.
Water pressure moves the figures around in circles.

An attempt was made to dismantle and bury all of the statues when it became
apparent that the Nazis were advancing on St. Peterburg, but 3/4 of them, including
the largest ones, were left when the Germans captured Peterhof on September 23, 1941

There are no pumps in any of the fountains.  Water from underground springs
is collected in reservoirs at the top of the bluff, behind the palace, and the
hydro-static pressure of the water is sufficient to power all of the fountains 

Under the Grand Cascade is a small grotto (see doors in center) that contains
a table with a bowl of artificial fruit.  Fountains were rigged inside the grotto to
spray visitors who reached for the fruit.  The grotto is not open to the public.

The canal connects the palace to the Gulf of Finland.  Peter the Great could
sail from St. Petersburg right up to the front of his summer palace, Peterhof.

The Grand Cascade is modeled on one constructed for
French King Louis XIV at his Chateau de Marly

Tourists!

Another magnificent former imperial palace is Tsarskoye Selo, better known as Catherine’s Palace.  One of its remarkable rooms is the famous Amber Room; however, the amber walls in the Amber Room are reproductions.  German troops disassembled the amber panels and shipped them to Germany during the occupation.  Some believe the amber panels still exist somewhere in Germany to this day.  Photography is not permitted in the Amber Room.  Each room and staircase houses artistic works of grandeur.  The palace has been almost completely restored.  During the Second World War, the Nazis used this palace as a headquarters, and the once-glorious structure was a shambles by the time they left it.  The church on the grounds of the palace is still under renovation; it had been used as a motor pool and a building to house motorcycles during the Nazi occupation.

The estate where Catherine's Palace stands was presented by Peter the Great as a
gift to his wife, Empress Catherine I, in 1710.  Construction of a summer residence
began in 1717.  In 1752, Empress Elizabeth, Catherine's daughter, ordered the
original palace torn down, and a much more magnificent one, seen above, was built.

Delft tiles from the Netherlands adorn the fireplaces in the palace

The walls of the "White State Dining Room" - the formal dining room in
Catherine's Palace, are lined with white damask, which, in conjunction
with the gilded carvings, give the room a distinct elegance

When the Nazis left in January 1944 after the Siege of Leningrad,
they intentionally destroyed the palace, leaving only a shell.  Much of
the restoration work was completed in time for St. Petersburg's
300th anniversary in 2003, but much work still remains to be done.

This is a replica of a ball gown worn by Empress Elizabeth I, daughter of Peter
the Great and Empress Catherine I.  Elizabeth ruled Russia from 1741 to 1761.

Hermitage Pavilion on the grounds of Catherine's Palace was designed to be a place
of entertainment for the Imperial family.  One of the most interesting features is the use of
mechanisms to raise tables already set with meals into the Central Hall on the upper floor

St. Petersburg was named in honor of St. Peter, his patron saint, by its founder, Tsar Peter the Great, who ruled Russia from 1682 to 1725.  The city’s name has been changed several times since its founding.  In 1914, at the start of World War I, it was renamed Petrograd (Peter’s City) to expunge the German-sounding “Sankt” (Saint) and “burg” (fortress or city) – “the new name sounded ‘less German’.”  In 1924, five days after the death of Vladimir Lenin, the city was re-named Leningrad (Lenin’s City.)   Following the fall of the Soviet Union, the name was changed back to St. Petersburg in 1991. 

Today, St. Petersburg, the second-largest city in Russia with a population in excess of five million, is a lovely and enigmatic city that offers much to the historian or the casual tourist.  It is a beautiful place, well deserving of the nickname “the Venice of the North.”  Gaze out at the Gulf of Finland from the grounds of Peterhof.  Stroll through the magnificent collections in The Hermitage.  Contemplate that a single shot from the cruiser Aurora signaled the start of the Russian Revolution and changed the face of Europe for more than half a centruy.  Russia in general and St. Petersburg in particular are awash in fascinating Road Stories.