A Holiday in Magnificent St. Petersburg

After three very busy days in Moscow, we boarded a train for magnificent St. Petersburg in the late afternoon. We were in ‘business class’ and boxed lunches were included with our passage. About 400 hundred miles and 4 and a half hours later we arrived at our destination.

Magnificent St. Petersburg

With numerous canals and tributaries running through the city, it is known as the Venice of the North. But to me, Venice, Italy does not hold a candle to St. Petersburg, one of the most architecturally stunning cities I have ever been to.

A Short History

In comparison to other great European cities, St. Petersburg has a relatively short, but turbulent history. It was Peter the Great who founded the city in 1703 and decided to make it the capital of the Russian Empire.

He had grandiose plans for the city; it took quite some time and several rulers to bring those plans to fruition. But eventually Peter’s dream to build a city that rivaled any of the grand European cities became a reality.

St. Petersburg remained the capital of the Russian Empire until the Russian Revolution of 1917, when Moscow once again took the title. St. Petersburg was decimated by the exodus, and lost nearly two thirds of its population during the revolution.

Name Changes

At the start of WWI, the city was renamed Petrograd, as to not sound so German.

In 1924, the city was renamed Leningrad, in honor of the man who led the revolution. This is what I remember it being called as I grew up.

The Siege of Leningrad

St. Petersburg is a city of determination. Nothing is more demonstrative of the will of the people of St. Petersburg (Leningrad) to survive than the Siege of Leningrad during WWII. Beginning in June 1941 the Germans and their allies, blockaded the city. Hitler predicted the city would fall within a few short weeks. In fact, it is said that Hitler had invitations printed up for his victory celebration at the Astoria Hotel.

Hitler was not prepared for the dogged determination of the people of Leningrad. The siege continued for 872 days.

By September of 1941, Hitler had changed his goal from occupying to city to completely destroying and flattening Leningrad.

Despite being deprived of food, water, fuel or supplies, the people of Leningrad continued to fight. Death and destruction became the norm. By the time the siege was over Leningrad had suffered the largest loss of life and destruction ever inflicted on a modern city.

A City Rebuilt

Even after its most devasting period of turmoil, the people of Leningrad rebounded.

By 1950 Leningrad had been restored.

Soviet Oppression

Once Stalin took over control of the Soviet Union, Leningrad was the site of more oppression, removing over 2000 city officials, of which numerous were executed after being found guilty of trumped-up charges.

A City Reborn

The city foundered under the Soviet regime, but since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia’s second largest city has undergone a revival and, after reclaiming it’s orginal name, St. Petersburg is once again, a vibrant, beautiful, place to live and visit.

Our Tour of Magificent St. Petersburg

The Astoria Hotel

Our accommodations were at the Astoria Hotel, one of the most historic hotels, in St. Petersburg.

The hotel was tastefully decorated. The décor was light and airy, with the same feel as the entire city of St. Petersburg. The Winter Room, the hotel’s grand ballroom, is beautiful. We were assigned a ‘classic’ room with a view of St Isaac’s Cathedral.

On our way up to our rooms we noticed a plaque near the elevator listing the names of a few of the many famous people who have stayed in the hotel. Surprisingly enough, it made us feel sort of special to know that we were staying at the same hotel.

Half Day City Tour

Our first morning started with a half day city tour. Our first stop was to admire the exterior of the Smolny Cathedral. Although originally built as a cathedral in 1748 it is now a concert hall. 

Next up, a visit to the Fortress of Peter and Paul, where the city of St. Petersburg was originally established. Although there was construction going on while we were there, we were able to go inside the resplendent cathedral where many Russian Tsars are buried including Nicholas II and his family who were murdered during the Russian Revolution.

Two Cathedral Museums

Church of the Resurrection

Then it was on to the Church of the Resurrection, also known as the Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood; another Byzantine styled building topped with colorful onion domes.

This church was built by the royal family in honor of Tsar Alexander II. It is constructed on the spot where a bomb was thrown at his carriage on March 1, 1881 and he was mortally wounded. His son, Alexander III declared that a church in his memory would be built on the site.

After the Revolution, the Church of the Resurrection was looted and stripped of nearly all its decoration, and finally closed in 1932. Having survived WWII and the Siege of Leningrad, the church sat nearly empty used a storage facility for many years. In 1970 the St. Isaac’s Cathedral Museum took over the church and began its restoration. The fully restored Church of the Resurrection finally reopened in 1997. The church currently houses the largest collection of mosaics in Russia.

St. Isaac’s Cathedral Museum

Finally, we toured St. Isaac’s Cathedral Museum. This was the main church of St. Petersburg when it opened in 1858. Although not as ornately over the top as the Church of the Resurrection; with paintings, sculptures, mosaics and colored stonework it was still breathtaking.

The World Famous Hermitage Museum

The following morning our day of touring started at the famous Hermitage Museum, home to many renowned treasures by Leonardo da Vinci, Rafael, Rembrandt, Matisse and numerous other artists.

The Hermitage Museum is actually comprised of seven buildings, including the former Winter Palace of the Russian Tsars.

For me, it was the Winter Palace that was the star of the show. With its friezes, ornate pediments, incredible chandeliers, mosaics, wood inlay, marble, and gold gilt, the palace itself is a work of art. 

White Nights

The daylight hours were quite short while we were in St. Petersburg, with sunrise at 9:33 am and sunset at 4:48 pm. I didn’t realize how close to the Arctic Circle the city is located, it’s about the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska.

As a result, the city experiences short days in the winter and long days in the summer. In fact, from about the beginning of June to mid-July, the sky never gets completely dark. And the locals take advantage of all that sunlight!

Our guide explained that every year from the end of May to mid-July, St. Petersburg hosts the White Nights celebration. During this time there are many concerts, theatrical performances and activities that go on pretty much ‘round the clock. From concerts to ballet, or running a marathon; if your visit happens to coincide with the White Nights I know you’ll find it entertaining!

Last Day in St. Petersburg

Our last tour of our visit to St. Petersburg, included a drive out to Catherine’s Palace. This took us outside of the city and allowed us a glimpse of how the average person lives in Russia. No fancy cars, or high-end stores here.

A Traditional Russian Meal

On our way to the palace, we stopped in Pushkin and had lunch at the Podvorye Restaurant. Our meal included traditional Russian dishes, borsch, mushrooms, beef, stuffed cabbage rolls and pancakes with honey. The restaurant was housed in a traditional Russian building which was quite a change from the architecture of St. Petersburg.

The wait staff was dressed in national costumes, in the efforts of providing the experience of an old Russian inn. Truthfully, I don’t recall much about the taste of the food. What I do remember is that the vodka that accompanied the meal was way too strong for this lightweight drinker!

Catherine’s Palace

The sun was beginning to set as we arrived at the palace, named in honor of Catherine I. Peter the Great bestowed the property to his wife Catherine as a gift. However, the property at that time consisted of only a modest two-story building. It was their daughter, Empress Elizabeth, who chose the site as her summer residence, commissioning a building to rival that of Versailles.

And like the Winter Palace, Catherine’s Palace is absolutely stunning. Again, the architecture and decoration are amazing.

The tour of the palace includes the Grand Throne Room, the Hall of Light (which stretches the full width of the palace), as well as several dining rooms and the Empress’s bedroom, all decorated in in baroque, classical and rococo style.

However, it’s the infamous Amber Room for which the palace is most well-known. The original amber of the room was taken by the Germans when they seized the palace in WWII. Although the room has bee restored to its original glory, the fate of the original amber is unknown to this day.

It is said that in the summer, the lines for tours of the palace can be quite long. I will say that when we were there in January, there was no line at all.

Our Visit Comes to an End

Our trip to magnificent St. Petersburg was short and packed with lots of sightseeing. There is so much history of which I was barely aware. Quite frankly, due to the Cold War, I think we may not have been taught a lot of the history, and what we did get may have been a bit one sided. Just sayin’!

I know it’s Dr. Zhivago that comes to mind when we Baby Boomers think of the Russian Revolution; and of course it’s visions of oppression and communal living when we think of the Soviet Union in general. But St Petersburg is beautiful and interesting. Be it on a cruise or a separate land tour, it will be well worth your effort to visit this splendid city!

How about you? Have your travels included a trip to magnificent St. Petersburg? Were you as impressed by its beauty as me?  I’d love to hear your thoughts or any tips tips you’d like to share. Don’t forget to subscribe and share this blog post with your friends!