I love you, Peter’s great creation, St. Petersburg is recognized as one of the most I love your view of stern and grace, beautiful cities in the world. This city of a unique fate The Neva wave’s regal procession, The grayish granite – her bank’s dress, attracts lots of tourists every year. Founded in 1703 The airy iron-casting fences, by Peter the Great, St. Petersburg is today the cultural The gentle transparent twilight, capital of Russia and the second largest metropolis The moonless gleam of your of Russia. The architectural look of the city was nights restless, When I so easy read and write created while Petersburg was the capital of the Without a lamp in my room lone, Russian Empire. The greatest architects of their time And seen is each huge buildings’ stone worked at creating palaces and parks, cathedrals and Of the left streets, and is so bright The Admiralty spire’s flight… squares: Domenico Trezzini, Jean-Baptiste Le Blond, Georg Mattarnovi among many others. A. S. Pushkin, First named Saint Petersburg in honor of the a fragment from the poem Apostle Peter, the city on the Neva changed its name “The Bronze Horseman” three times in the XX century. During World War I, the city was renamed Petrograd, and after the death of the leader of the world revolution in 1924, Petrograd became Leningrad. The first mayor, Anatoly Sobchak, returned the city its historical name in 1991. It has been said that it is impossible to get acquainted with all the beauties of St. Petersburg in 3 short days. And this is true, since St. Petersburg has an infinite number of unique monuments. The route developed by the guides of the City Tourist Information Bureau will help you get your first idea about St. Petersburg and feel the enchantment of it. During the tour you will not only see the grand avenues, architectural ensembles and magnificent embankments of the Neva, but also learn a lot about the history of St. Petersburg and the daily life of its citizens. 2 3 Saint Petersburg in 3 days DAY 1 Let’s start our way from Gostiny Dvor metro station. It got its name for a reason: its entrance hall is located on the ground floor of the city’s oldest department store, called Gostiny Dvor. The construction of the largest store in Saint Petersburg began in 1758 following the decree “On construction of a stone shopping arcade under the plan of the chief architect Rastrelli”. Gostiny Dvor was finished in 1785 upon the project of the architect J-B. Vallin de la Mothe. Upon getting out of the metro station, we find ourselves on the main street of the city, Nevsky Prospect, which stretches for about 4.5 km from the Admiralty to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The facades of 240 buildings look out onto Nevsky Prospect. Among them are palaces, churches and theatres. On the left you can see the Kazan Cathedral (built by A. N. Voronikhin), a U-shaped building with lots of columns. This is the cathedral church of the city, wherein the unique Icon of Our Lady of Kazan is kept. The Cathedral was built prior to the war with Napoleon and became an original memorial to that event. Inside the Cathedral, the famous Russian commander in-chief Mikhail Kutuzov was buried. Flags, standards and keys to the conquered cities are kept here. In 1837, on the 25th anniversary of the victory over Napoleon, the monuments to the Field-Marshals M. I. Kutuzov and M. B. Barсlay de Tolly were erected in front of the Cathedral. 4 5 Saint Petersburg in 3 days DAY 1 Having visited the Kazan Cathedral, we are returning Alexander II, the Tsar-Liberator, was killed by a bomb to Nevsky Prospect. The art nouveau building on the thrown at him. left corner was built for the Singer Company at the After a visit to the Church, we now reach beginning of the 20th century. It was the first building Konyushennaya Square. In 1720–1723, the livery yard with metal framing in Saint Petersburg. Now, the was built on the Moyka riverside. The Church of the largest book store of the city, “The House of Books”, is Holy Image of the Savior Not Made By Hands located there. (Konyushennaya) occupies the center of the square. We are now crossing the Griboedov Canal and In this very Church the funeral service for A. S. Pushkin heading to the Square of Arts via Inzhenernaya Street. was performed. Here, we can see the ensemble of the square. It We are now walking along the embankment and consists of the Mikhailovsky Palace (now it is the State admiring a wonderful building leftward. It is the Russian Museum), the Mikhailovsky Theatre, the building of the Saint Petersburg State Capella. Capella building of the Theatre of Musical Comedy, the is the oldest professional institution in Russia, which Russian Ethnographic Museum and the Big Concert establishment and development is closely connected Hall of Saint Petersburg Philharmonia named after with the fate of the whole Russian music culture. D. D. Shostakovich. The ensemble was created upon On the right, the Pevсhesky Bridge is spread out. the project of the famous architect Carlo Rossi in the A great view of the Alexander Column opens up from early 19th century. In 1957, a monument to this bridge. This monument was devoted to Russia’s A. S. Pushkin, created by the sculptor M. K. Anikushin victory in the Patriotic War of 1812. It is topped with and the architect V. A. Petrov, was raised in the middle the statue of an angel, spearing a snake. This Column, of the square. 47.5 m in height and 600 tons in weight, stays in place The State Russian Museum is a real treasury of the under the load of its own weight and does not fall due national art. Paintings, graphics, sculptures, a large to precise calculations. collection of engravings, drawings, applied art and Having enjoyed the ensemble of the Palace Square, folk craft objects are exhibited in the museum. let’s visit the State Hermitage Museum – one of the Having visited the Russian Museum, we can return main sights of the city. to the Griboedov Canal Embankment via Italianskaya 1764 is considered as the date of the foundation of Street. The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood the Hermitage. At that time the Empress Catherine bursts upon our eyes in all its beauty. It was built the Great purchased a large collection of foreign upon the project of A. A. Parland and I. V. Malyshev in artists’ masterpieces. She founded a small museum, 1883–1907. The Church stands on the very spot where she used to spend many hours in seclusion. where, on March 1, 1881, the Russian Emperor She called it Hermitage (the French word “ermitage” 6 7 Saint Petersburg in 3 days DAY 1 means “a place of seclusion”). Now it is the most The Summer Garden is a park and garden ensemble frequently visited museum of the city: every year, created at the order of Peter I in 1704 by the architects over 3 million visitors come here to admire its famous I. Matveev and M. Zemtsov and the gardeners collections. Y. Roozen and I. Surmin. Today, the State Hermitage Museum complex After walking through the garden, we reach the includes five buildings: the Winter Palace, the Small Moyka River Embankment, where the Mikhailovsky Hermitage, the Old Hermitage, the Hermitage Theatre Castle stands proudly. and the New Hermitage. The exhibitions with It was built for the Russian Emperor Paul I in 1801, numerous masterpieces are placed in the halls of replacing the old wooden palace, where the Emperor those buildings. The total number of the Hermitage’s was born. The Mikhailovsky Castle was encircled with exhibits, including the Museum Storage, exceeds moats with lift-bridges and protected by the guards. three million items. It was in this castle, where Paul I was cruelly killed in Having visited the Hermitage Museum, we are his sleeping room only 40 days after moving into the walking along the Palace Embankment. We are palace, on March 11, 1801. Later, the Castle was passing the Marble Palace – a building decorated assigned to the Engineering School and got its second with marble pilasters, originally built for the minion name – the Engineer’s Castle. of Catherine the Great, Count Grigory Orlov. 32 types We suggest that you go on a boat trip along the of marble were used for finishing the facades and the rivers and canals at the end of your first day in Saint interiors of the Palace. Petersburg. You can start this unforgettable trip We proceed to walk along the Palace Embankment from several wharves in the city. The nearest one is and now, on our right, we can admire the monument located on 23 Fontanka River Embankment, in front of to a Russian commander-in-chief A. V. Suvorov. It was the Anichkov Bridge, which is famous for the horse unveiled on May 5, 1801, on the first anniversary of sculptures created by P. C. Clodt. The statues Suvorov’s death, on the Field of Mars. The generalissimo depicting four stages of horse taming were erected is presented as Mars, the Roman god of war. in the middle of the 19th century. The Palace Embankment starts from the Summer Garden. From the Embankment’s side, it is decorated with a delicate cast-iron railing (the architects Y. M. Felten and P. E. Egorov). The poet A. A. Akhmatova wrote about that railing: I want to the garden, where I was not old, To roses and railing – the best in the world… 8 9 Saint Petersburg in 3 days DAY 2 Let’s start our new day in Saint Petersburg at Gorkovskaya metro station.