St Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great just over 300 years ago. Although the capital moved to Moscow after the 1917 February Revolution, St Petersburg remains known as the ‘northern’ or ‘cultural’ capital of Russia. Explore the art, architecture, and history of Russia’s grand and second-largest city.
On the map, St Petersburg fits into a triangle, its lines drawn along the Gulf of Finland, the Obvodny Canal, and the Neva River; the river divides the city into two approximately equal parts. To the south of the Neva is the center of contemporary St Petersburg, while to the north lies Vasilievsky Island and Petrogradka.
City of Squares
St Petersburg is a city of squares. At the very heart of the city is Palace Square, lined by the Winter Palace on one side and the former General Staff Headquarters on the other. Today they’re both part of the Hermitage Museum, boasting one of the best art collections in the world. The center of the square is occupied by the fifty meter-high Alexander Column, topped by an angel, symbolizing Russian victory over Napoleon in 1812.
Right next to Palace Square is the Admiralty, a former wharf-turned-naval headquarters. Admire the Admiralty’s famous spire topped with a golden ship – one of the city’s symbols. Stop at nearby coffee shop Bonch for a quick bite. Apart from excellent coffee, Bonch offers European-style food, and its floor-to-ceiling windows are great for people watching.
Nevsky Prospekt
19th-century writer Nikolai Gogol described Nevsky Prospekt as ‘Petersburg’s universal channel of communication’ in a story named after the city’s main thoroughfare. This definition is still true; Nevsky is the city’s busiest promenade, showcasing the best that the former capital has to offer.
The buildings on Nevsky have been rebuilt many times – the most recent rebuild was during the reign of the last three tsars, from the 1860s to 1910s. The buildings, however, adhere to the same architectural principles developed by Carlo Rossi in the first half of the 19th century: monotonous lines of buildings of the same height occasionally broken up by waterways, squares, or churches.
One such church is Kazan Cathedral, surrounded by an imposing colonnade, designed to resemble St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Built as a home for the especially revered icon, ‘The Mother of God of Kazan,’ the Kazan Cathedral ironically became the Museum of Atheism during the Soviet times.
Across the street, on the corner of Nevsky Prospekt and Griboyedov Canal, you can see the Singer Building, built in the Russian art nouveau style and topped with a glass globe. Today it houses the largest bookstore in the city and café ‘Singer’ on the second floor. Stop there for a cappuccino and enjoy incredible views of the Kazan Cathedral.
Vasilyevsky Island
Vasilyevsky Island, locally known simply as ‘Vaska’, is the largest island in St Petersburg. It’s here that Peter I actually intended to build his new capital. Dozens of canals were already dug when he changed his mind. The canals turned into linii (lines) and prospects – the major streets on the island.
Start your island exploration at Strelka (the Spit) – the easternmost tip of the island with the most landmarks. Check out the old Stock Exchange building behind the famous Rostral Columns that used to serve as navigational lamps in the 19th century.
Vasilyevsky Island is the neighborhood of ‘firsts’: first museum – Kunstkamera, where Peter the Great gathered various curiosities, the first university – Twelve Colleges complex, and the first stone building in the city – Menshikov Palace.
Petrogradka
The Petrograd Side, aka Petrogradka, is the oldest part of the city. Here, on Zayachy (Hare) Island, Peter the Great founded Peter and Paul Fortress in 1703. Today the fortress is home to several museums, including a former prison and the beautiful baroque St Peter and Paul Cathedral, the site of the crypts of most of the Romanovs, a family of aristocrats that ruled Russia from 1613 to 1917, when the reigning Tsar Nicholas II abdicated the throne.
A small bridge leads from the fortress to the Petrograd Side proper, dominated by a beautiful sky blue mosque and Kshesinskaya Palace, which used to belong to a ballet dancer that was at one time Nicholas II’s lover. It now houses the Museum of Political History.
Spend a perfect Petrogradka evening at the rooftop bar Hi-Hat, overlooking the Botanical Garden. Enjoy a pint of beer or a cocktail while watching the sunset and listening to live music or a DJ set.
