|
 St.
Petersburg,
the most European city in Russia, celebrated its 300th
anniversary in 2003. It was founded by the famous tsar Peter
the Great (the first Russian emperor Peter the First) and
named after Apostle Peter (who guards the keys to the gates of
Paradise), under whose patronage the emperor was as well.
Peter the
Great (1672-1725) is one of the key figures in Russian
history. A true reformer, a smart but merciless man of strong
will and great energy, not only did he know how to rule the
country but also how to handle oars and shipping gears. He was
skilled as a blacksmith and could even build wharves as well.
It is he who managed to transform patriarchal Muscovy into the
Russian Empire, a state based on the European standards of the
day. The tsar was categorical and strict in the implementation
of his reforms: under threat of severe punishment, he forced
the boyars to shave off their bears, wear European clothes and
drink coffee. He was the first leader to have New Year
fir-trees decorated everywhere in the country. Even his
imposing height of 204 centimeters (over 6.5 feet) was in
harmony with his numerous talents.
St.
Petersburg was founded on May 16, 1703, which is the date when
foundation for the Peter and Paul Fortress (considered to be
St. Petersburg’s starting point) was laid. Peter the Great
luckily chose to have the fortress by located on a small
island (with an area of 750 by 360 metres) among the Neva
channels in the widest part of the river. The name of the
place was “Hare’s Island” in Finnish, or “Joyful Land” in
Swedish. Every since, the fortress has protected both the way
from the Baltic Sea inland and the new city itself against any
invaders. Since 1736, the Peter and Paul Fortress cannon fires
a volley every day at 12:00 p.m. and residents of St.
Petersburg use this event to set their watches by.
On
the St. Petersburg coat of arms, a river and a sea anchor
intersect. Tsar Peter the Great considered anchors to be the
keys to Paradies, and used this notion to plan the name of his
new capital. Other various unofficial names for the second
largest city in Russia included Northern Venice, Northern
Palmyra, the city of White Nights and Petropolis. Still a
majority of Russians affectionately call it simply “Peter”.
During 1914-1924, the city was called Petrograd and then, up
until 1991, its name was changed to Leningrad (in honour of
Vladimir Lenin, the first communist leader and founder of the
USSR).
The
city’s immediate destiny was to become Russia’s new capital.
After winning back the northern lands from the Swedes, gaining
access to the Baltic shore and thereby, as Russian poet
Alexander Pushkin wrote, ‘chopping a window to Europe,” Peter
the Great decided to model his city on Amsterdam. One of the
small islands on the Neva, where the Admiralty Wharf used to
be, is still called New Holland. Thousands of peasants and
craftsmen were brought to the swampy Neva estuary to dig
canals and build bridges, and over 100,000 died in the first
decade of the city’s construction. The best architects,
sculptors, painters and engineers were invited from the
Netherlands, Italy, France and Germany. Nevertheless, Russia’
northern capital took on its own unique style and special
appearance.
 St. Petersburg is one of the world’s most beautiful cities.
Since 1918, the capital of the state has been returned to
Moscow, but “Peter” has maintained its unofficial status of
second capital. The city’s population today exceeds 5 million
(including the vicinities), making St. Petersburg the world’s
largest city from its latitude to the North Pole. The city
residents are considered to be the most intelligent and polite
in Russia, apparently because they are lucky to live in a real
city of museums.
Like
Venice, the city is divided up among numerous islands; due to
the activities of town-planners who continue trying to keep to
a minimum the canals of the Neva which hamper city life, the
number of islands is being reduced. There were about 150 at
the beginning of the 19th Century, 101 a hundred years ago,
and only 42 today.
Ninety-three natural and artificial canals (which form the
Neva Delta) flow through the city, and there are over a
hundred lakes and ponds there today. Although the canals are a
beautiful source of decoration for St. Petersburg, water
surrounding the city remains a source of trouble. Gales from
the Bay of Finland often blow the Neva’s water back into its
estuary, creating flooding in the residential districts on the
outskirts of the city. The most catastrophic occurrences of
this kind happened in 1777, 1824 and 1924. The Neva waves
flowed over the city again in 1955, but fortunately no one was
killed. Around this time, a trail-blazing project was
introduced to construct a giant dam that would protect
Leningrad from the forces of the sea. Though only a part of
the project has been completed so far, mainly because of a
shortage of funding and the objection of environmentalists,
the flood strength has been notably reduced.
There is no single opinion of what should be considered the
symbol of St. Petersburg. Some people consider that it should
be the “Bronze Horseman,” a monument to the city’s founder
Peter the Great which stands on Senate Square. Others prefer
the Alexander pillar on Palace Square, built in honour of the
victory over Napoleon Bonaparte in the War of 1812, or the
spire with a golden ship which decorates the Admiralty Tower.
Yet others name the rostral columns at the Vassilievsky Island
Needle, the thin spire of the Peter and Paul Fortress or the
famous Marinsky Theatre ballet troupe.
White
nights also should be mentioned as another special feature of
the city. Those who manage to visit St. Petersburg from June
11th through July 2nd, when the sun practically never sets,
can enjoy the fabulous city panorama while walking along
numerous embankments during the white nights. However, one
should remember that 21 out of the 342 bridges in St.
Petersburg are separated during the night. The longest one is
the Alexander Nevsky Bridge (905.7 metres); the widest one is
the Blue Bridge across the Moika River (97.3 metres). The
Trinity Bridge, one of the most beautiful bridges crossing the
Neva, was built in 1903 as a project of the French engineer
Gustave Eiffel, also famous for the tower by the same name in
Paris. One cannot help admiring the subtle suspension Bank
Bridge, which is decorated with figures of griffins with
gilded wings, or the horse statues by the sculptor Peter Klodt
on the Anichkov Bridge.
 The
most difficult period of the city’s history came when
Leningrad was blockaded by Nazi troops for 900 days. The
terribly cold and hungry winters of 1941-1942, together with
permanent bombings and shellings, took the lives of 640,000
civilians. Movingly majestic memorials to the victims of the
Leningrad Siege are erected at the Piskaryovka and Seraphim
cemeteries. The older residents of St. Petersburg who survived
the siege remember the following story when the sandbags that
had been used to protect the “Bronze Horseman” were taken
away, someone had drawn the image of a medal “For the Defence
of Leningrad” in chalk on Peter the Great’s chest.
The
city’s man road is the fashionable and elegant Nevsky Prospekt,
which is 4.5 kilometres long Many residents of St. Petersburg
make a promenade along this central prospect into a lively
ritual.
The
Hermitage is one of the world’s largest museums – it would be
hard for any visitor to overlook such a masterpiece. Other
sites not to be missed include the Russian Museum and the
giant St. Isaac’s Cathedral (whose height is 101.5 metres),
the Summer Garden with its famous openwork gate, or the Peter
and Paul Fortress which is the burial place of Russian
emperors.
The most
exotic museum in the city is undoubtedly the Kunstkammer
(meaning “Chamber of Rarities” in German) where one can see
wet specimens of malformed and diseased fetuses which have
been preserved there since the time of Peter the Great, who
said: “I want my people to watch and to learn.” In the first
years after its opening, the Kunstkammer was free to all
visitors. In fact, they were even treated to the visits with
funds specifically allotted from the city coffer.
Although
every season in St. Petersburg promises a unique experience,
winter is perhaps the most romantic and culturally simulating
of all. Visiting St. Petersburg during the White Days is the
world’s ultimate winter experience. The city’s internationally
praised opera, ballet and concert performances are most
readily accessible to visitors during this period. St.
petersburg’s Zhivago-like charm is most keenly experienced
when the architecture is powdered with snow and the winter sun
reflects like platinum on the city’s canals. Only during the
White Days can you stroll leisurely through the Hermitage and
Russian Museum, ride in a traditional Russian troika through
the parks of the tsars, or go ice-fishing on the Gulf of
Finland.
Another
fine sight in St. Petersburg is the famous “Aurora”, a 20th
century battle cruiser which still remains docked in the
harbour across from the Winter palace. On November 7, 1917,
Lenin’s new communist regime received a gun salute from the
cannon on board.There
are over 14,000 exhibits in the Bread Museum, located across
from the Arctic and Antarctic Museum.
Those who love Russian literature must know that St.
Petersburg is the city of Pushkin and Dostoyevsky. Joseph
Brodsky, a Nobel prize-winning poet, was a resident of St.
Petersburg, as were the composers Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev and
Shostakovich.
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The
Outskirts of Saint PETERSBURG |
 The Outskirts of
St. Petersburg are amazingly romantic and nearly as beautiful
as those of Paris and Berlin. One should try to visit the
annual fountain festival in Peterhoff at the end of May and to
walk in the shaded alleys of Pavlovsk, Oranienbaum or Gatchina.
While visiting Katherine the Great’s luxurious palace in
Tsarskoye Selo, one will hear the dramatic story of the unique
Amber Room, which was stolen from Russia by the Nazis during
the war; after being under restoration for several decades, it
was finally finished just recently.
Unlike Moscow,
St. Petersburg is tranquil and unhurried. Unfortunately, there
are much fewer sunny days than cloudy and rainy ones. But
those who live in St. Petersburg adore their city so much as
to find a certain charm in cloudy weather. However, one can
understand them: it is impossible not to fall in love with St.
Petersburg.
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