The good, bad and ugly sides to St Petersburg, Russia’s second city
With its canals, world-class museum and art-filled public spaces, the ‘Venice of the North’ has much to offer visitors – if you can overlook the surly locals and ubiquitous tourist tat, that is
The Good
St Petersburg has undergone more name changes than your average KGB spy. The city was known as Petrograd when, in October 1917, it found itself at the epicentre of the Bolshevik Revolution, which resulted in the fall of the Russian monarchy and the rise of the Soviet Union. It was renamed Leningrad in 1924 and has also been called Petersburg, or Peter for short, and is Sankt-Petersburg to locals.
Russia’s second-largest city after Moscow is sometimes referred to as the Venice of the North, because it lies on a series of islands separated by canals and tributaries of the Neva River delta. More than 800 bridges criss-cross the waterways, many ornately decorated.
On the subject of ornate decoration, a good way to begin a city tour is by taking the metro to Admiralteyskaya station, Russia’s deepest. Many of St Petersburg’s stations contain magnificent works of art – keep an eye out for the mosaics featuring illustrious naval officers and columns adorned with intricate bas-reliefs. After reaching the surface, stroll through the relaxing surroundings of Aleksandrovskiy (Alexander) Garden to the Bronze Horseman, an imposing monument to city founder Peter the Great. Celebrated in literature, the statue stands on the “thunder stone” plinth, believed to be the largest monolith ever moved by humans.
Next, stroll over to Nevsky Prospekt. St Petersburg’s showpiece street is lined with some of the city’s most elegant buildings but besides its fine architecture, Russia’s best-known boulevard is also renowned for an array of upmarket stores, restaurants, entertainment venues and night spots. It’s also handy for one of the world’s most visited tourist attractions.
Former official residence of the tsars, the Winter Palace is now part of the Hermitage Museum, which is one of the oldest art museums in the world and second only to Paris’ Louvre in size. The collection comprises three million works of art and cultural artefacts, and you could spend a lifetime inspecting the displays. Well, at least eight years – assuming you spent one minute at each exhibit without stopping.