A Selection of St. Petersburg Sights

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In this entry I will present my personal selection of my favourite St. Petersburg sights, because I've seen much here and want to share, including photos (they are so many). It's quite possible the materials might be of interest for someone. I put the date 24 February 2007 because on this day I came to Petersburg for the first time with my two friends, and am staying here, with periodic returns to my hometown, all these years. Certain places, such as Gatchina, Pushkin, Pavlovsk and some other nearby localities have been described in separate entries. There will be almost no photos from 2007, because I only had my 0.3 Mpix mobile phone camera.

The first ever Petersburg sight I saw was Vosstaniya Square with its monument. It was a hard and cold day, me waiting at the railway station while the two friends, one by one, went to search for an apartment. I will not dwell much on the personal events, simply talk about what and when I saw and why that is worth seeing.

Among the photos there are lots of churches, notable buildings, parks and other constructions. I, certainly, will not produce a guide-like narration because any practical information can be easily obtained. As such, St. Petersburg does not look or feel like old and true Russian, but, nevertheless, those were the products of the emporial era, and what more could you ask than beauty in every direction (the farther one moves from the centre, the fewer emporial traces are there). They say Petersburg weather is unbearable, I can testify that, but, at least buildings do not need good weather to look nice and appealing. I've had many a walk in many different areas in all seasons and all weather, mostly alone. Despite the fact that I love St. Petersburg deeply, I don't feel it's my home, because I have only one hometown, Birsk. Moreover, I have gradually stopped making photo-walks in the city somewhere in 2011. It's the matter of getting accustomed. Now I'm planning to visit several museums here and write about them as well.

I will try to arrange the narration in a geographically-conscious way, so that there is an easy walk or a short bus (tram, trolleybus, metro, bicycle, motorcycle) drive between the various groups of sights.

I’ll begin in the beginning, with a place within easy walk from our first rented apartment in 2007-2008. These areas are far from to the centre, but the metro allows fast and convenient reach. This is Moskovskaya Square with its fountains and the imposing Dom Sovetov. It is completely Soviet-style, should one be interested, and in any case one can see it if flying to/from Pulkovo airport, because the buses depart very near to the square. In summer, one could watch the sparkling water jets for hours on end and refresh oneself with the moist air, but, if I remember it right, swimming or bathing in them would not be convenient. It is my second favourite square in St. Petersburg after the Dvortsovaya Square.

A very short walk from the square will take you to Pobedy (Victory) Square and the awe-inspiring Monument to Heroic Defenders of Leningrad, also Soviet-style. I used to come there with my rollers and roll along Pulkovskoye Highway, because there is a good path for pedestrians, cyclists and rollers. Actually, it’s possible to reach both Pulkovo terminals in this wise, and even Pushkin or Pavlovsk (I never rolled there myself – the road condition has to be ascertained).

Now, let’s assume it is summer, sunny weather and hot, and let’s just stroll to a green area to make the journey green and restful. However, these parks are not “NNNN”-listed major attractions, so care has to be taken while planning a visit – I list them only because I’ve visited them often. Locals would walk their dogs and kids there, lie on the grass and have picnics etc. Park gorodov geroyev (Pulkovsky Park – Park of Hero Cities) is situated just by the Monument to Heroic Defenders and includes a complex of three rather modern-looking churches. Aviators’ Park is dedicated to military pilots (a MiG-19 monument).

Victory Park (Park Pobedy) is historically, let’s say, an ‘awful’ place. If you happen to walk there, be advised that the park was established on 7 October 1945 on the area of a crematorium incinerating, in total, some 100-600 thousand Leningraders. Otherwise, the park is a very good place to walk, rent a boat, and see some statues. Now, take a deep breath, wipe the solitary tear on your cheek, and let’s… read a book. Near the park is my all-time favourite, the Russian National Library, where I spent hours reading books and articles on gender relations. I never managed to complete a thesis on gender relations… It’s huge and, in summer, fountains enliven its foreground, so you may add a nice shot to your photo collection.

The next exhibit is hidden away from the major tourist routes, and has to be found somewhere ‘behind’ and ‘to the left’ of Moskovskaya Square, if looking at Dom Sovetov. Chesmen Church (1777) commemorates the victory of the Russian fleet over the Turkish fleet in 1770. It is warmly pink and there is no other such church in Petersburg, so we’ll blister our feet, but go and just have a look. Damn it, no more walking for us this time, let’s take a bus (or metro) to the next construction. Had the Russians lost those wars, we’d not see lots of monuments now…

Before we emerge from under the ground or reach the bus stop, it’s fair to touch upon Moskovsky Prospect, a 9.5-kilometer long avenue, which is drawing our attention because lots of historic buildings are located on it. Here we are at last! Moskovskiye Triumph Gates were built in 1834-1838 after victory in the Russian-Turkish war. Voskresenky Novodevichy Nunnery, founded in 1746, is not far from the Gates. I visited it in May 2010, after it has been excellently restored.

Well, we’re now approaching the centre of the city and will hardly need any guiding, because our eyes will look here and look there, and see for themselves, and I'll be very brief because there is little time and so much to see. To begin with, there is Sennaya Square famous due to Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, there are Yusupov Gardens close by, and a couple of quarters further are Gostiny Dvor, Alexandrinsky Theater, and Nevsky Prospect. Nevsky still remains my favourite street, and has, I’d say, no rivals in Russia. It’s like a world of its own, beginning at the Admiralty and ending at Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Here are such outstanding works of architecture as Kazansky Cathedral, Dom Knigi (Book House - my favourite place), and the Cathedral of Saviour on Spilled Blood. I still remember the first time I saw it, it was March, there were very few people in the street, it was dark and snowflakes fell.

To extend the list, I add Mikhailovsky (Inzhenerny) Castle… let’s stop for a while and think why persons living in certain cities NEVER visit the available places of interest. I have never been inside the cathedrals, the whole lot of museums (except the Hermitage), and I cannot find any excuses for that. Maybe, this is a matter of getting too much accustomed. Now, however, the desire to see museums is strong within me.

It’s time to have some rest. The green meadows and shady alleys are at our disposal: Marsovo Pole and Letniy Sad. I’ve been to Letniy Sad (Summer gardens) in 2008, and then it was closed for a couple years of restoration. This summer I’ve had the opportunity to revisit it and can testify that the park became many times more attractive: fountains were built, flowerbeds arranged, statues (of ancient Greek motifs) renovated, garden houses built. We emerge from the Gardens to Neva Embankment and see the Place Where It All Began (in 1703) - Peter and Paul Fortress. Actually, nearby is another Place Where It All Began (in 1917) – the Avrora Cruiser. We all know history, don’t we? Now we have crossed the bridge, flying on the wings of admiration, and can either go to the Fortress or to Avrora and then further to Lenina Square, Finland Railway Station, to buy a ticket to Helsinki and escape from this gluttonous city, aching to become your true friend, heaping heaps of sights into your hands, and all that pathetic stuff. By the way, Neva embankments have good asphalt coating on rather long stretches, so biking and roller-skating is encouraged. Now, we bought a ticket to Helsinki for the next day so there’s still plenty of time to see the rest and become truly fed up. A mosque, if needed, is several steps from Gorkovskaya Metro Station, and then we proceed to Rostral Columns on the Strelka of Vassilyevsky Isle and Dvortsovaya Square, Admiralty Gardens and Admiralty, and the Hermitage. I’ve been to Hermitage two times.

The dome of Isaac Cathedral is visible from the Square – I ascended its view platform in 2008. It is my favourite building in the city, still unsurpassed. From the above, one has a different ‘angle' of view. We’ll go there after a brief pass along the Senat Square to meet Medny Vsadnik.

The count is already more than 1,500 words, so I’ll stop taxing your patience and… write another 1,500 words I will, for a joke. Presenting a group of three: Tavrichesky Sad (for simple walking and resting – plus an excellent Skating Rink, the best ice I’ve tried here), Smolny Cathedral (outstanding architecture) and Alexander Nevsky Lavra with Necropolis. Necropolis is basically a cemetery were many famous persons were buried. It was the place exerting the most profound (in the sense of engendering thoughts) impression on me.

Presenting a group of two: Narvskiye Gates and Ekateringof Park, if you want to dive really deep, but not of such major significance.

Simply exhausted, we escape. We escape to Elagin and Krestovsky Isles with their parks and alleys (personally, I take my rollers there), peace and quiet, birds and pigeons, leaves and grass and trees…

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