The eighteenth postcard we’ve received comes from one
of the most beautiful cities in the world, Saint Petersburg. In our exploration of the city, we’ve had the
invaluable help of Helena Prada, a Galician teacher from Verín (Ourense) who
travelled to Saint Petersburg last August.
 |
| River Neva, Saint Petersburg. Photo courtesy of Helena Prada |
WHERE IS SAINT PETERSBURG?
Saint Petersburg is Russia’s cultural capital as well
as its second largest with a population of over 4,800,000. It is located on the
Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea.
SAINT PETERSBURG IS FAMOUS FOR…
…being the capital of the Russian Empire for more than
two hundred years (1712–1728, 1732–1918). St. Petersburg ceased being the
capital in 1918 after the Russian Revolution of 1917. In 1921 the city changed
its name to Petrograd; with Lenin’s rise to power in 1924 to Leningrad and in
1991, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union to Saint Petersburg.
…the legend of Anastasia Romanov, the daughter of the
last Russian tsar, Nicholas II. After she and her family were executed in 1917,
rumors claimed that she might have survived.
PLACES TO VISIT
Saint Petersburg was designed to become Russia’s
window to the West; this explains why the city is full of impressive sites
like:
The State Hermitage
 |
| The Hermitage. Photo courtesy of Helena Prada |
 |
| Palace Square. Photo courtesy of Helena Prada |
Founded by Catherine the Great in 1764, the Hermitage
used to be the Emperors’ residence or Winter Palace. Today it is an impressive
museum of international art and culture. Its collections, of which only a small
part is on permanent display, comprise over three million items, including the
largest collection of paintings in the world. The collections occupy a large
complex of six historic buildings along Palace Embankment, including the Winter
Palace. Apart from them, the Menshikov Palace, Museum of Porcelain, Storage
Facility at Staraya Derevnya and the eastern wing of the General Staff Building
are also part of the museum.
 |
| Hernitage Staircase. Photo courtesy of Helena Prada |
 |
| The Hermitage music room. Photo courtesy of Helena Prada |
 |
| Hernitage Grand Church |
 |
| Murillo's Immaculate Conception. Circa 1680. Photo courtesy of Helena Prada |
Saint Isaac’s Cathedral
 |
| Saint Isaac's Cathedral. Photo courtesy of Helena Prada |
It is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in the
city. It is dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the
Great, who had been born on the feast day of that saint.
Church of the Saviour on Spill Blood
 |
| Church of the Saviour on Spill Blood. Photo courtesy of Helena Prada |
This Church was built on the site where Emperor
Alexander II was fatally wounded in March 1881.The church was built between
1883 and 1907. Architecturally, the Cathedral differs from St. Petersburg's
other structures. The city's architecture is predominantly Baroque and
Neoclassical, but the Savior on Blood harks back to medieval Russian
architecture in the spirit of romantic nationalism.
Mariinski Theatre
 |
| Mariinski New Theatre. Photo courtesy of Helena Prada |
Opened in 1860, the Mariinski became the preeminent
music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces
of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres.
Helena was lucky to attend one of the most emblematic ballet performances here,
Tchaikovsky’s “Lake Swan” and has been very kind to share with us one of the
photos of the performance.
 |
| Tchaikovsky's "Lake Swan" at the Mariinksy Theatre. Photo courtesy of Helena Prada |
Nevsky Prospect
Russia’s most famous boulevard, Nevsky Prospekt is
also the heart of St. Petersburg.
 |
| Nevsky Prospect at night. Photo courtesy of Helena Prada |
Stretching for 4 kilometers from the
Alexander Nevsky Monastery to the Admiralty near the Neva River, it buzzes with
energy day and night. A stroll along this boulevard will take you past the
Kazan Cathedral (modeled after St. Peter’s in Rome), Gostiny Dvor (one of the
world’s first indoor shopping malls) or Dom Knigi, arguably the largest and
best bookstore in the city.
 |
| Kazan Cathedral. Photo courtesy of Helena Prada |
Peterhof Palace
 |
| Peterhof Palace and gardens. Photo courtesy of Helena Prada |
 |
| Peterhof Palace and gardens. Photo courtesy of Helena Prada |
Located 29 kilometers west of St. Petersburg, Peterhof
(named after Peter the Great) is a series of palaces and gardens sometimes
referred as the "Russian Versailles". The palace-ensemble along with
the city center is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Thank you so much Helena for your help and for your
amazing photos!!
 |
| Helena at the Peterhof Palace |
Sources
