I love you, Peter’s great creation, is one of the most beautiful cities in I love your view of stern and grace, The Neva wave’s regal procession, the world, the cultural capital of , the nation’s im- The grayish granite – her bank’s dress, portant business and academic centre. The airy iron-casting fences, The gentle transparent twilight, The city was founded by Peter I on the 16th (27th) of The moonless gleam of your nights May, 1703 as an outpost on the Neva’s banks. For a restless, long time Saint Petersburg remained the capital of the When I so easy read and write Without a lamp in my room lone, . From the moment of its foundation to And seen is each huge buildings’ stone this day the city has remained the centre of culture and Of the left streets, and is so bright The Admiralty spire’s fl ight… art. Famous architects of that time participated in con- struction and creation of the architectural image of Saint A. S. Pushkin, a fragment from the poem Petersburg. Among them were: George Mattarnovi, “The ” Jean-Baptiste Le Blond, Domenico Trezzini, and Giaco- mo 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’ initia- tive. 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 pros- pects, the architectural ensembles and the Neva River embankments, but also learn about the history of Saint Petersburg and everyday life of its residents.

S nt Pe rsb g in 5 days

4 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 1923. 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 Empe ror Alexander I, by whose order the park was laid out. To the left of the metro vestibule is the Mini-City, the centre 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 land- marks, and next to the miniature the re are also sculp- tures of Saint Pe tersburg architects. The park alley takes us back toward the metro and then we enter Kamennoostrovsky Prospect. The opposi- te side of the Prospect is dominated by the Saint Pe- tersburg Cathedral Mosque, which appeared on Pe- trogradskaya Storona in 1920. 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 1911. It is the last monument installed in Saint Petersburg before the revolution, Nich- olas II himself was present at its unveiling.

5 S nt Pe rsb g in 5 days

We continue our walk along the prospect to the inter- section 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 1904–1906, and its luxuriance is breath-taking. Today the Museum of Political 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 fi rst square of Saint Peters- burg. It has traced its history since the city’s earliest years. The square was named after the Old Trinity Cathe- dral which used to be there. Until the 1730s, the Troit- skaya Square was the central square. The fi rst 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 Cathe- dral 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 hea ding to. Upon reaching the Embankment, let us turn left and walk to the Cabin of Peter I, which is located in the centre of a small green pocket park. The single-fl oor brick building that you can see from the street is just a case. It holds the Cabin of Peter I built by carpenters in 1703. Today it is the museum whose display contains

6 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 mytho- logical Shih Tsza (Foo Dogs) fi gures. Shih Tsza are Chi- nese guardian lions usually mounted in front of the en- trance to a temple, a or a cemetery. Two granite fi gures (weighing 2,500 kg each) were delivered to Saint Petersburg in 1907 from Manchuria. One of the fi gures 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 anni- versary of the Russian Navy. This is bronze Nika, a patron of seamen. Let us walk ahead a little, and we shall see the legend- ary Avrora cruiser, which was built in 1900 at the Admi- ralty 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 during the Oc- tober 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 was built in 1909–

7 S nt Pe rsb g in 5 days

1910. The School was named after the prominent Rus- sian naval commander and Admiral Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov, the hero of the Crimean War of 1853–1856. And now let’s go back along the Petrovskaya Embank- ment to the Troitskaya Square and pay attention to the bridge connecting the Neva’s left bank and the Pe- trogradsky 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 1903. It was built under the project of the French fi rm 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 Kamennoostro- vsky 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 re- minds us of the name of the island where the Fortress is located – i. e. Zayachiy (Hare).

8 Day 1

We enter the territory of the Fortress through the Ioan- novskiyeh (St. John’s) Gate. The Peter and Paul For- tress was laid on the Zayachiy Island on May 16 (27), 1703. This day is recognized as the day when Saint Pe- tersburg was founded. The fortress is an irregular hexa- gon with bastions in the corners named after distin- guished dignitaries of that time: Menshikov, Golovkin, Zotov, Trubetskoy, Naryshkin, and Gosudarev (Tzar’s, in honor of ). Built to protect the city from enemies, the Fortress has never been used for the in- tended purpose. The dominant of the fortress is the Peter and Paul Cathedral. It was built on the design of the ar- chitect D. Trezzini (1712–1733) in place of a wooden church. The multitier belfry 122.5 meters height with its gilded spire crowned with an angel fi gure towers over the cathedral. After the interment of Peter I the Cathedral be- came the imperial sepulchre. In 1870–1872 a prison was built in the courtyard of the Trubetskoy Bastion. By 1917 almost fi fteen hundred prisoners had been in it. In 1924 the prison was convert- ed into a museum. On the left of the Cathedral the re is the Saint Petersburg Mint. Сoins, medals and other items from nonferrous metals and their alloys were pro- duced there.

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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 addi- tional fortifi cation structure built in the north of the For- tress in case of an attack by the Swedish forces. The structure was named Kronverk because its layout re- sembles 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 hav- ing 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 the Spit en- semble. 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 1805–1810 under the project of the architect Thomas de Thomon on the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island. There commercial transactions with merchants

10 Day 1 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 fi gures personifying the Russian rivers: the Volga, the Dnieper, the Neva, and the Volkhov. On days of the city’s anniversaries and festivi- ties fl ames 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 magnifi cent 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 rea- son. The Vasilyevsky Island is the centre of science and education of Saint Petersburg. Most educational establishments and research institutes are on the city’s largest 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 or- namentation. It is the fi rst public museum of Saint Pe- tersburg – the Kunstkamera. Its name is translated

11 S nt Pe rsb g in 5 days 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 hu- man hand. The Kunstkamera opened its doors to visi- tors in 1714. Let us move on along the Embankment. To your right you can see the yellow and white building with columns and a portico. That is the Russian Academy of Scienc- es. 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 hou- sed in there. It was built in the fi rst half of the 18th centu- ry 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 fi rst quarter of the 18th century for Alexander Danilovich Menshikov – the fi rst Gover- nor-General of Saint Petersburg. Today the palace hous- es one of the branches of the State Hermitage museum.

12 Day 1

The next building on our route is the I. Ye. Repin Acad- emy 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 diff erent periods as A. G. Venetsianov, K. P. Brullov, M. A. Vrubel and many others. Opposite the Academy we can see the Sphinx sculp- tures brought to Saint Petersburg in 1832. The Sphinxes were found in 1820 during a ruin excava- tion in ancient Thebes, the capital of Egypt. The well pre- served Sphinxes were bought in Egypt and delivered to Saint Petersburg. 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 fi rst architect Domenico Trezzini. Straight in front of us there is the fi rst permanent bridge over the Neva. Its name is the Blagoveshchensky (An- nunciation) Bridge, it was built in 1843–1850. 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.

13 S nt Pe rsb g in 5 days

14 Day 2

Our new day in Saint Petersburg starts at the Sen- naya 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 fi rst section from 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 fi rst rail- road (Saint Petersburg – ), construction and operation of the Saint Petersburg – Moscow line. The Museum of Railway Transport stores a unique model of a railway yard. Having visited the museum, we are returning to Sado- vaya Street. There are the remarkable Yusupovsky Garden and the palace on the same side of the street. That land plot on the ’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, ca- nals and fl ower beds there. In the 1790’s the architect D. Quarenghi set about renovating the estate, and the Yusupovsky Palace and its garden were remodelled.

15 S nt Pe rsb g in 5 days

Let us continue our walk along Sadovaya Street and cross the 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 Ca- nal 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. From the Cathedral’s belfry we will turn right and walk along the Kruykov Canal’s embankment to the Mariin- sky Theatre. To the right you can see the original Stage of the theatre. To the left there is the Mariinsky Theatre Second Stage built in 2013. The Mariinsky Theatre has traced its history back to the Bolshoy Theatre founded in 1783 by the orders of the Empress . Today the repertory company of the Mariinsky Theatre and the Theatre itself are very famous and in great demand all over the world.

16 Day 2

Having turned right we will reach the intersection with Glinka Street named in 1982 after M. I. Glinka, a fa- mous Russian composer, in honor of the 50th anniver- sary of the premiere of the Ruslan and Ludmila opera. Across the street, in front of a small pocket park a mon- ument to the composer is mounted. To the left of the monument is the building of the N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory, a higher musi- cal 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 Sado- vaya 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 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 River Embankment. To the right of us there is a yellow building having white col- umns. 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 be-

17 S nt Pe rsb g in 5 days longed to fi ve 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 Yu- supov, there was the murder of Grigori Rasputin, a Sibe- rian 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. To the right of us there is a magnifi cent and solemn building of the . This architectural landmark got its name after the daughter of Nicholas I the Grand Duchess Maria Nikolayevna, for whom the palace was built in the mid- dle 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 perform the construction of the new palace. The loca- tion for the future palace was chosen by Nicholas I him- self – 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 Mariin- sky Palace. There is the installed in 1859 in front of the palace. Its erection began after the Emperor’s death under the architect ’s project. Four basreliefs on the plinth speak about the fateful events of Nicholas I’s reign. In its time, the monument was recog-

18 Day 2 nized as a technical wonder: it was the fi rst in Europe standing on two support points (the horse’s hind legs). Behind the monument, the majestic and magnifi cent building of the Isaakiyevsky Cathedral rises. The ca- thedral’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 signifi cant dome structures not only in Russia, but also worldwide. Forty three kinds of diff er- ent minerals were used in the fi nishing of the Isaaki- yevsky Cathedral. The Isaakiyevsky Cathedral is the fourth largest cathedral in the world, its height is 101.5 meters and its area is 4,000 square meters. In the 1950s, a viewing platform was fi tted out on the dome drum: standing at a height of 43 meters, you can see a stunning panorama of Saint Petersburg and take unfor- gettable photos. After visiting the Isaakiyevsky Cathedral we cross Ad- miralteysky Prospect and fi nd ourselves in the Alexan- der 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 centre 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 piv- otal role in the Russian history. The nickname stuck be-

19 S nt Pe rsb g in 5 days cause of A. S. Pushkin’s poem of the same name, in which the monument to Peter the Great is one of the central fi gures. 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 1829–1834. Initially the buildings were con- structed for two state governing bodies of the Russian Empire: the Senate and the Holy Governing Synod un- der 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 2009. 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 beautiful architectural landmarks of the early Neoclassi- cism. The construction began in 1704 as per the draw- ings of Peter I. The Admiralty was conceived as the main Russian shipbuilding yard on the Baltic Sea and was the centre 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 be- gins. Let us walk along that street to Malaya Morskaya Street. Then we turn left and walk toward Admiral- teyskaya metro station. We can have lunch at one of the city’s numerous restaurants and cafes.

20

S nt Pe rsb g in 5 days

22 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 fl oor 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 1716. In 1738 the Empress Anna Ioannovna signed a permit for construction of the Catholic church in Nevskaya Perspektiva (Nevsky Prospect). The con- struction of the church was completed as late as 1782. 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 Pe- tersburg, a semicircular building with numerous col- umns. It was built in 1801–1811 by the architect A. N. Voronikhin. That is the city’s metropolitan cathe- dral, it stores an ancient Icon of Our Lady of Kazan. Af- ter 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 cit- ies and other military trophies were placed there.

23 SSão nt Petersburgo Pe rsb g3 indias 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 1917. At pres- ent it accommodates the House of Books, the largest bookstore in Saint Petersburg. Moving on along the Nevsky Prospect we are ap pro- aching the . 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 magnifi cent archi- tectural ensembles in the world. The centre of the Square is dominated by the Alexan- der 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 col- umn we ighs 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 hec tares of land and contains approximately fi fteen hundred rooms. The pale green and white facade of the Winter Palace imparts grace to the building. The Hermitage was founded in 1764 when the Em- press 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 “ermitage” – a place of solitude, a hermit’s cabin). Now it is the city’s most visited museum: every year over 3 million visitors become acquainted with the extraordinary collections.

24 Day 3

The complex of the State Hermitage today includes fi ve 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 Her- mitage stands, which was built specifi cally 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 folk- lore. 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 . To fi nish its facade and inside interiors, 32 kinds of marble were used. The palace was built in 1768–1785 under the architect Antonio Rinaldi’s project. At Cathe- rine II’s dictation, the palace was meant as a gift to her mini on Grigori Grigoryevich Orlov. 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 victo- ries in the Great Northern War, as well as carnivals, shows and fi reworks. Many years the fi eld repeatedly changed its name, and only in 1805 was named after the Classical god of war Mars.

25 SSão nt Petersburgo Pe rsb g3 indias 5 days

We are passing along the Field of Mars, and our at- tention is drawn to the monument to the Russian commander A. V. Suvorov in the left side. The cele- brated 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. Ko- zlovsky, 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 en- semble created on orders of Peter I in 1704 by the ar- chitects 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 ini- tial layout himself. The park was meant to become a leisure area combining features of an urban and sub- urban estate. Having passed through the garden we fi nd ourselves in front of the majestic Mikhailovsky Castle. The pal- ace 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 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 Febru- ary 1, 1801 Paul and his family moved into the new palace, and already on 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 trans-

26 Day 3 ferred to the Engineering School and dubbed the Engi- neers’ Castle. After visiting the Engineers’ Castle we come to the Fontanka River. Looking down beyond the granite rail- ings you can see the fi gure 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 Embank- ment, turning to Sadovaya Street and a little ahead there is the Mikhailovsky Garden. It is one of the most famous beautifi ed parks in Saint Petersburg. The Mikhailovsky Garden was founded in the early 19th cen- tury by the architects Karl Rossi and Adam Menelaws. After the walk in the Mikhailovsky Garden we see the large-as-life bright and colourful Church of the Sav- iour on Spilled Blood. It was built under the project of A. A. Parland and I. V. Malyshev in 1883–1907. 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 serf- dom. The height of the temple is 81 meters, which symbolizes the year of the Tzar’s demise.

27 SSão nt Petersburgo Pe rsb g3 indias 5 days

After visiting the Church we shall walk along the Gri- boyedov 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 , the Mikhailovsky Theatre, the building of the Theatre of Mu- sical Comedy, the Russian Museum of Ethnography, and the Large Central Hall of the D. Shostakovich Phil- harmonia. It was created under the project of the fa- mous architect Karl Rossi in the fi rst 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. Ani- kushin and the architect V. A. Petrov was installed, the Square is included into the World Heri tage List as a part of the historical development of Saint Petersburg’s center. The State Russian Museum is the fi rst state museum of the Russian visual art founded in 1895 in Saint Pe- tersburg under the Decree of the Emperor Nicholas II. At present, the collection of the Russian Museum com- prises 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 Peters- burg. 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.

28 29 SSão nt Petersburgo Pe rsb g3 indias 5 days

30 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 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 situ- ated 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 Constan- tine Palace. The works to create the palace and park ensemble in Strelna were begun in 1715. The Emperor Peter I con- ceived to build a ceremonial imperial residence there, which would in size and beauty outshine the residenc- es of French kings. Initially, in 1715 the Wooden Pal- ace 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 unfi nished for a long time. The garden and palace complex took shape in the 18th and the fi rst half of the 19th century. The fi rst owner was Peter the Great, in the late 18th century Strelna became a pri- vate 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- ing to this day. Until 1917 the estate belonged to the Russian imperial family.

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During the Great Patriotic War the Germans set up an observation post in the Constantine Palace. Because of shelling and fi res, only the stone framework survived. In 2003 the palace was restored, and conferred the status of the Palace of the Congresses State Complex, a resi- dence 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 fi nishing 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 Pal- ace and the regular park, and the older one with the Woo den Palace of Peter I. Peter’s Wooden Palace is to the west of the Con- stantine Palace. This beautiful two-storey building is painted yellow and white. The interior fi nishing is typical for Peter’s time period. Kitsch lovers will be interested in visi ting the Shuvalovka Village recently opened three kilometers from Strelna. Visitors of the complex can get an idea of the “traditional” Russian style of life. The mu- seum was named after the village owned by the Graf Shuvalov that used to lie in that spot in the 18th century.

32 Day 4

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 diff erent nastoikas (infu- sions). Continuing our acquaintance with the unique suburbs of Saint Petersburg, we are heading to wonderful Peter- hof. 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 diff erent 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 impe- rial residence after the victory over the Swedes at Polta- va. Operations on building the new residence were car- ried out at an overwhelming speed. As early as in Au- gust 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 fi nished, and

33 SSão nt Petersburgo Pe rsb g3 indias 5 days the Monplaisir and Marly had been built as well. The author who defi ned 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 fi rst years of the construction of Peter’s residence and for a long time it remained a kitchen garden: vegetables grew in patches, fi sh 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 foun- tains began to appear in it. During the reconstruction of the Grand Pa lace the Garden was expanded under the project of F. B. Rastrelli. His layout followed the laws of the regular style ‒ smooth, open parterres with sculp- tures, rectangular mirror-like surfaces of ponds, clipped lime tree alleys on both sides of the central parterre, galleries, gazebos. The Upper Garden became synony- mous with the ensemble of the central part of the Lower Park. Breathta kingly beautiful fountains are in the Up- per Gardens: the Mezheumny Fountain, the Dubovy Fountain, and the Neptune Fountain with the Apollo Cascade.

34 Day 4

The centerpiece of the whole ensemble is the Grand Palace – Russian emperors’ “crown” residence. Over the course of the 18th and 19th centuries such promi- nent masters as J. F. Braunstein, J. B. Le Blond, N. Michetti, M. Zemtsov, F. B. Rastrelli, and A. I. Stack- enschneider worked on creating the architectural ap- pearance of the palace and decorating its numerous premises. Both in previous centuries and today Peter- hof 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 Cas- cade 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 com- plex. That is the marvelous ensemble with its architec- tural landmarks, fountains and sculptural adornments that brought international fame to the museum-pre- serve.

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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 Foun- tains. 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 1714–1723 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 1720–1723. 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 Cas- cade and once again enjoy the magnifi cence and beau- ty of the ensemble. Our tour in Peterhof is over, and we are going back to Saint Petersburg.

36 37 SSão nt Petersburgo Pe rsb g3 indias 5 days

38 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 1710–1720 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 prom- inent architects, sculptors, artists brought to life the ide- as of royal customers. Tsarskoye Selo has amassed the best specimens of the and Neoclassicism ar- chitecture. In the course of two centuries Tsarskoye Selo was a summer ceremonial imperial residence whose construction was of national importance. After the 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 1918. On June 9, of the same year the was opened as a museum. In 1937, in commemoration of the 100th anni- versary 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 pal- aces and parks of the town of Pushkin were conferred the status of a preserve, which received its present name in 1990: the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Pre- serve.

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On the territory of the Catherine and Alexander Parks having a total area of 300 hectares there are over a hundred architectural structures: from magnifi cent palaces and marble monuments to numerous pavilions, bridges, and exotic structures that create a unique aura in the parks. The centrepiece of the ensemble is the Great Palace of Tsarskoye Selo (Catherine Palace) – a splendid specimen of the Russian Baroque. The Great Hall, cer- emonial chambers including the world-famous Amber Room astound with their luxurious decoration. The history and architecture of the Palace refl ect both the architectural trends of each time period that the Pal- ace 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 Petrov- na 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 pal- ace acquired its present appearance and style. In May 1752 she commissioned the architect B. F. Ra- strelli to renovate the Palace because she had found it old-fashioned and small. After colossal work that had gone on for four years, there appeared a modern palace executed in the Baroque style. On July 30, 1756, a 325meter building was presented to the amazed Rus- sian nobility and foreign guests.

40 Day 5

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 Am- ber 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 Park 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 pavil- ion. 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 ca- nal. The composition of the regular park is based on the symmetrical arrangement of the space around the pal- ace, the strict confi guration system of alleys, grounds, pavilions and sculptures. 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 1777–1779 by the architects V. I. and I. V. Neyelovs.

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Not far from the Upper Bathhouse is the Lower Bath- house, or, as it was known in the 18th century, the Gen- tlmen’s Washroom. That pavilion situated aside from the park alleys and intended for courtiers was built un- der the project of the architect I. V. Neyelov in 1778– 1779. 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 de- signed by the architect F. B. Rastrelli. Construction work was performed in the 1750s, and the interior fi nishing 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. To 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 Col- umn was mounted in 1771 under the decree of the Em- press 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.

42 Day 5

Next to the Catherine Palace there is the Alexander Lyceum. It was founded under the decree of the Em- peror Alexander I in 1811. The Lyceum was intended for educating the children of the nobility. That educational establishment is famous, fi rst 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 cel- ebrated 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 en- semble 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 rec- reational area.

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Prominent architects, sculptors, and artists were in- volved in construction of the Park. The fi rst 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 arrange- ments 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 alter- ing 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 , there are many architectural structures there. We are entering the park thro ugh the Theatre Gate, on the left we see the Rossi Pavilion and the monument to Maria Fyo- dorovna. 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 vir- tually impossible to get lost there because the laby- rinth is very simple. Soon we will fi nd 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 as possible. Receptions, chamber balls, lunches and dinners were held there. To the south-west of the

44 Day 5

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 fi gures 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 centre of the ceremonial court the monument to Paul stands. The Tzar is depicted wear- ing 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 signifi cantly 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 ap- plied arts. The collection contains works of Russian and Western European applied art, paintings and graphics, a collection of Classical sculpture. 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 pavil- ions – the Temple of Friendship. The building is adorned with friendship-themed medallions. Strolling

45 SSão nt Petersburgo Pe rsb g3 indias 5 days along the river we are passing by the Cast-Iron Gate to the Milk House built in 1782 under Cameron’s project near 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 foodstuff s, 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. If you decide to visit Gatchina, you can travel there from Moskovskaya metro station by either route taxies No. 18, No. 18A or by bus No. 431. The State Museum-Reserve “Gatchina” is one of the most spectacular palaces and park ensembles in the suburbs of St. Petersburg. At the heart of it lies the , the former beloved residence of Paul I, Russia’s most enigmatic emperor, “the Russian Hamlet”, whose spirit is said still to inhabit the ancient un- derground tunnel that connects the palace and the park. Not only you can descend into the mysterious underground, but you can also chat there with the “nymph Echo” – a mys- terious voice that can tell you about rulers of the past, which plants are susceptible to frost, and so much more. From the magnifi cent halls of the grand suite of the 18th century, where luxurious furnishings is combined with the perfection of classical proportions, you can ac- cess the recently restored Greek Gallery – a kind of “museum within the museum” dedicated to the epoch of antiquity. Take the Light-fi lled Passage leading into the Arsenal Wing to see the Marble Staircase, a master-

46 Day 5 piece by the Russian 19th century architect Roman Kuzmin who created one of the main Neo-Renaissance ceremonial interiors in the palace. Stop by the exposition of Alexander III’s private rooms to discover the palace in a diff erent way – as a cozy home where the emperor and his family lived, worked, and re laxed. To conclude the tour of the Gatchina Pal- ace, climb up 191 steps to reach the open platform of the Signal Tower off ering picturesque views over the park and town. Located not far from the Gatchina Palace is another palace – the Priory. Built for the Emperor Paul I by the architect Nikolay Lvov in the 18th century, the Priory Palace is the only architectural monument in Russia built in rammed earth technique. To learn what rammed earth technique is, visit the expositions opened in the Prior museum halls.

47 S nt Pe rsb g in 5 days

In 2020, our country celebrates its most important an- niversary – 75 years since the Great Victory over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War. All cities and villag- es of the Soviet Union were aff ected by this war in one way or another. The city of Leningrad, however, went not just through war days – it survived a severe siege that lasted almost 900 days. Undoubtedly, the Siege of Lenin- grad became the most tragic period in the city history. For many residents of St. Petersburg, it remains a key event in the life of their families and the memory of the Siege is their main measure of attitude to their native city. We suggest you devote one day to visiting places as- sociated with these diffi cult and tragic days, places that bear testimony to the feat of Leningrad residents and their unparalleled courage. The walking route starts from Admiralteyskaya met- ro station. After you exit the station, you need to reach Nevsky Prospect. On the corner of Malaya Morskaya ulitsa and Nevsky prospekt you can see a dark building, resembling an Italian palazzo. This is the Banking House. During the siege it used to house the laboratory of the Vitamin Research Institute. Here, in the fall of 1941, vitamin B1 was synthesized and a drug was created to treat the critically wounded. The Institute’s staff also managed to restore the technology for the produc- tion of coniferous potion for scurvy, which was used even under Peter I. If you cross Nevsky prospekt and turn right, then on the wall of the building of school No 210 you will see the inscription “Citizens! This side of the street is the most dangerous during artillery shelling!” These inscriptions were put on the north and north-east sides of the streets, as the city was bombarded from the south and shell frag-

48 ments fell on the opposite side of the street. The origi- nal inscriptions were painted over immediately after the war, and recreated in the 1960s and 70s. This particular one, the fi rst of many, was restored in 1962 at the initi- ative of poet Mikhail Dudin. The school in this building was functioning through all 900 days of the Siege. If you walk further along Nevsky prospekt, you will reach the Kazan Cathedral (located on the odd side of the ave- nue). During the siege, its basement housed a kinder- garten and the cathedral itself worked as an exposition space displaying exhibitions dedicated to the glory of the Russian army. The monuments to military commanders M. Kutuzov and M. Barclay de Tolly, standing by the ca- thedral, were not camoufl aged, because the defenders of Leningrad took an oath in front of them before going off to war. Throughout the war, not a single shell hit the statues or the cathedral. Walking further along Nevsky prospekt, stop by Mikhailovskaya ulitsa. On the corner you will see Grand Hotel Europe. It was built back in the 19th century, and during the years of the siege the evacuation hospital No 911 was opened here. More than four thousand injured people were treated in this hospital. Our path lies further along Nevsky prospekt, and on the corner of Malaya Sadovaya ulitsa you can see an unu- sual monument on the wall – a memorial to the siege loud-speaker, opened on May 8, 2002. The caption be- low the monument reads: "Here, by the loud-speakers, during the heroic defense of Leningrad of 1941–1944, the inhabitants of the besieged city used to listen to the reports of events from the battle front." A total of 1500 loud-speakers operated in the city during the Siege. They broadcast the metronome signals. The normal pace – 60

49 S nt Pe rsb g in 5 days beats per minute – meant that everything was calm in the city, while faster beats signaled the approach of bombing or shelling. A hair salon, which worked through the whole siege, was located in this house as well. If you take a turn to Malaya Sadovaya ulitsa, soon you will see the building of the Radio House on your right. The house was built in 1912–1914 for the Noble Assem- bly. Since 1932, the central radio station of the Leningrad Radio was located here. During the , the radio did not stop its work for a single day and was the main source of information in the city: it reported news from the front and announced air-raid alarms. O. Berg- golz, A. Akhmatova, V. Vishnevsky, N. Tikhonov, M. Pet- rova performed at the microphone here. The premiere of the Leningrad Symphony No. 7 by D. Shostakovich took place in the Great Hall of the Philharmonic and was radio- broadcast to every house in Leningrad. For the residents, radio broadcasts and the sound of a metronome became a symbol of life in a besieged city. Let's go back to Nevsky prospekt. On the other side, al- most opposite Malaya Sadovaya ulitsa, you fi nd the build- ing of the Russian National Library. It worked through the whole war under its former name, the Public Library. Daily, the library staff , with candles and lanterns in their hands, studied the library funds in search of documents on how to prepare medicines and nutrient mixtures from what was available in the besieged city. They also looked for the materials necessary for the construction of the Road of Life. On the same side of Nevsky as the Russian National Library is Anichkov Palace, formerly the residence of the heir to the Imperial throne, and now the Palace of Youth Creativity. During the Siege, a hospital with 1000 beds

50 worked within its walls. Teenagers, mainly girls, helped doctors and nurses: they looked after the wounded, read letters from their relatives, brought them books from the li- brary. In 1942, the hospital was closed and “The Palace of Pioneers” was reopened in the building. Over 500 young Leningrad residents attended the study groups here. The elegant , decorated with sculp- tural groups of horses by P. Klodt, spans the Fontanka River. The damage from the war remains visible on one of the granite pedestals under the statues. It has a memo- rial plaque with an inscription: “These are traces of one of the 148 478 shells fi red by the Nazis at Leningrad in 1941–1944.” The sculptures survived the war, because they were buried in the courtyard of the Anichkov Palace. Let's walk a bit along naberezhnaya reki Fontanki (odd side). Opposite the house No 21 (Shuvalovsky Palace), by the boat ramp, there is a memorial sign “The Siege Ice-hole”. The monument reminds us that during the Siege, the Leningraders had to take water from rivers and canals, because the water supply system had failed due to bombing and severe frosts. People lined up daily at the ice-hole. They carried the full buckets, canisters and pots back home on sleds. Nevsky prospekt further leads to Ploshchad Vos- staniya, in the center of which there is an obelisk to the Hero City of Leningrad. Leningrad was called the “hero city” in the Order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on May 1, 1945. Offi cially, this title was awarded to the city on May 8, 1965 together with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. The obelisk was erected only in 1985, upon the project of V. Lukyanov and A. Alymov. The lower part of the obelisk is decorated with high reliefs “The Siege”, “From the Home Front to the Battle Front”,

51 S nt Pe rsb g in 5 days

“Attack”, “Victory”, “Order of Lenin”, and above them – a bronze laurel wreath. The top of the stele is crowned with a fi ve-pointed “Gold Star of the Hero”. Here you can take the Ploshchad Vosstaniya metro sta- tion in order to visit some of the important monuments dedicated to the heroism of the people, the defenders of the city and the soldiers of the Soviet army, located in other areas of the city. During World War II, the future Victory Park and the brick factory located on its territory were not far from the front line. In the spring of 1942, the city faced a terrible challenge. During the cruel winter of 1941–1942, many people died of hunger and frost, and their bodies often lay unburied, while the prepared mass graves at the Piska- revsky cemetery were running out of space. Due to this fact the city administration decided to use a brick factory in the Moskovsky district as a crematorium. It worked in this capacity from 1942 to 1944. According to various sources, between 132 000 and 580 000 bodies of residents of the besieged Leningrad as well as soldiers who fought on the front line were cremated here (that is the reason why there are no collective graves in the region right up to Gatchina area, despite the fi erce battles there). The ashes of Lenin- grad residents formed a high hill on the shore of the Admi- ralteisky Pond. Nowadays, the Pavilion of Remembrance stands on top of this mound. You can reach the park by taking the blue line of the subway to the station Park Pobedy. If you take the ground transport which goes from the park along Moskovsky prospekt in the direction of the airport, you will reach Ploshchad Pobedy. The central building of the ensem- ble of Ploshchad Pobedy is a magnifi cent memorial com- plex dedicated to the defenders of Leningrad. Fundraising

52 for this monument was carried out throughout the country. The opening of the monument took place on May 9, 1975 on the 30th anniversary of the victory over the enemy. The composite core of the complex is a granite obelisk 48 meters high. At the foot of the obelisk there is a sculptural composition “The Invincible”. It depicts soldiers and mili- tiamen, workers and women, wives and mothers of sol- diers – all those who stood up for the city and defended it in a military and labour feat. In the centre of the mon- ument there is an open memorial hall “The Siege”. Two granite stairs lead to the top of the hall, which is closed in a symbolic ring, similar to the stronghold that bound the city in 1941. The total length of the granite ring is 124 meters, and it is torn from the side that faces Pulkovo. On the outside there is an inscription – “To the feat of yours, Leningrad!” The Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery was found- ed in 1939 and was named after the nearby village of Piskaryovka. In 1941–1944 it became a mass grave site. The victims of the Siege of Leningrad and the soldiers of the Leningrad Front were buried in these common graves. In 1956, the construction of the memorial com- plex, designed by architects A. V. Vasiliev and E. A. Levin- son, began on the square. The memorial was opened on May 9, 1960, on the fi fteenth anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War. The eternal fl ame was lit here from the fi re on the Field of Mars. In the centre of the architectural and sculptural ensemble is a six-meter bronze sculpture "Mother Motherland" – a mourning stele with high reliefs that recreate the episodes of the life and struggle of the fi ghting Leningrad. You can get here from the metro station Ploshchad Mu- zhestva by buses No 123, 138, 80 or from the metro sta- tion Akademicheskaya by bus No 178. 53 S nt Pe rsb g in 5 days

“The Flower of Life” is a famous complex of memo- rial objects erected in memory of children, who suff ered the extreme living conditions in a besieged city. The me- morial includes the monument "The Flower of Life" as well as steles – the pages from Tanya Savicheva's diary embodied in stone, all connected by the Alley of Friend- ship. The memorial complex is a part of the Green Belt of Glory, which stretches along the former defense line of Leningrad. You can get there by a suburban train from Finliandsky railway station (metro station Ploshchad Lenina) take a train to the railway station Rzhevka, then walk 200 me- ters towards St. Petersburg as far as the crossing on Ryabovsky shosse then walk 2.5 km along Ryabovsky shosse. You can also reach it by public transport tram No 64 or bus No K-156 from the metro station Ladozhskaya or No 30 from the metro station Ploshchad Lenina to the railway station Rzhevka. On September 8, 2019, the State Memorial Muse- um of Defense and Siege of Leningrad opened after a major overhaul and restoration carried out for the 75th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the fascist siege (2019) and the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War (2020). This museum was founded during the war. In 1943, in the besieged city, a decision was made to preserve memorial weap- ons and military equipment and organize the fi rst exhibi- tion “The Heroic Defense of Leningrad”, which opened in 1944. In 1945, the exhibition was visited by Marshal G. K. Zhukov and General of the Allied troops D. Eisenhower. The opening of the museum took place on January 27, 1946. The museum stopped working in 1953–1989, but it opened again in 1990. The State Museum of Defense and Siege of Leningrad is the only cultural and educa- 54 tional institution which activities are fully devoted to the history of the Leningrad battle during World War II. Its exposition presents documents and personal items dating back to World War II. They show the courage and heroism of the city residents who defended Leningrad. The museum exhibits the music stand of the conductor who performed Len- ingrad Symphony No. 7 by D. Shostakovich at the Philharmonic Hall during the Siege, the microphone which helped Olga Berggolts speak to the audience of the Leningrad radio, the stale bread that was rationed to the residents of Leningrad, and many other original exhibits. The address of the museum is 9 Solyanoy pereulok; it is convenient to get there on foot, the nearest metro stations are Gostiny Dvor and Chernyshevskaya.

Our tour around the city and its suburbs is over. During your stay in Saint Petersburg, you have visited 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!

We hope that you will visit us again and enjoy the magnifi cence and hospitality of Saint Petersburg! 55