St Petersburg: a monument to Russia's Imperial era

By Horst Heinz Grimm Mar 30, 2010, 7:59 GMT

St Petersburg - The cruise ship the Aurora is moored on the banks of the Neva River in St Petersburg. It played a decisive role in history of the Russian Empire when in 1917 the ship's crew fired a shot that signalled the beginning of the October Revolution. Today, a visit to the ship is considered a 'must' when in St Petersburg.

Between spring and autumn every year thousands of tourists crowd this city which was founded by Peter the Great in 1703. During the Second World War it was besieged by German troops for 900 days and suffered greatly.

Extensive restoration work after the war and a dynamic post-Soviet atmosphere have transformed St Petersburg into an internationally attractive city. In 1990 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List and 15 per cent of the city's buildings are official monuments.

When the Aurora fired its cannon Bolshevik sympathisers began storming the Winter Palace and overthrew the government in the process. The Tsar had already abdicated. The Winter Palace houses the extensive collection of the Hermitage, one of the most famous and largest art museums in the world with over three million items. It contains works of European art ranging from Leonardo da Vinci to Vassily Kandinsky.

On the other side of the imposing castle square is the General Staff building with its 600-metre-long bow-shaped facade. In 1905 the area in front of the Winter Palace was the location for a massacre that came to be known as Bloody Sunday. On that day members of the Imperial Guard gunned down demonstrators protesting in favour of better conditions in the city's factories. Twelve years later the October Revolution began.

'St Petersburg is best seen on foot even though the distances are big,' says tour guide Tanya Bogdonava as she walks in the direction of Nevsky Prospekt, the city's 4.5-kilometre-long main street with cafes, shops, theatres, palaces and churches including Kazan Cathedral and its colonnade.

It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the main street to Saint Isaac's Cathedral and its gilded dome. The cathedral is made of red granite and grey marble. Tsar Alexander I ordered its construction 1818.

'This splendid church is also the largest Orthodox Christian church in the world and can house 14,000 worshippers,' says Bogdonava.

'Take your time when visiting St Petersburg,' advises the Austrian businessman Hannes Obermeier who is a frequent visitor to the city. Obermeier is especially fond of the city's famous White Nights when from the beginning of June to mid-July the sun never sets. It's a magical time to be in St Petersburg when locals enjoy themselves in the streets and along the banks of the Neva.

In the early hours of the morning the bridges across the Neva are raised to allow ships to pass into port. The harbour is full of cruise ships at this time of year, so many that even the quays where normally cargo ships dock are lined with tourist vessels.

St Petersburg's history began with the Peter and Paul Fortress which was built on an island in the Neva. Peter the Great himself was responsible for drawing up its plans. Inside the fortress is the Peter and Paul church with a 122-metre-high golden spire and which also contains the remains of Russia's Tsars. The best place to see the grand scale of the fortress is from a boat on the Neva.

Two attractions of note are outside the city. Twenty-nine kilometres west of St Petersburg is the Peterhof Palace which is known as the 'Russian Versailles' thanks to its large gardens, park and impressive fountains.